What are we doing in the garden 2024

Don’t be silly @Loofah , nobody has that much sellotape .

 

I managed a couple of hours of clearing up and moving a few things around today. I planted two more bare root roses which arrived last week but it was too cold to plant them so I left them in the sealed wrap which the supplier said would be fine for up to three weeks. I soaked them overnight in a bucket of water. I cut down another Miscanthus which was shedding everywhere and pruned a Hydrangea paniculata which was also loosing its leaves and flowers. I blasted the leaves off the lawn with a leaf blower and found a new use for it - blow drying the flattened grass after walking on it when it’s wet lifts the grass upwards, causing less damage than a rake. I don’t approve of leaf blowers but they have their uses .

 

It was a work day for me today, but I was working from home so able to do a bit in my lunch break. The garden was completely covered in birch twigs thanks to Bert, so I collected up as much as I could access easily, and I fished the fallen leaves out of the pond. (This makes me happy I only have a tiny pond, I can easily reach them all without risking falling in!). I also planted a couple of small new shrubs I'd been sheltering since I bought them last week. I think the cosmos have now finally been finished off.

 

I repotted all the violas that had flown off from the windowsill and put most of them in the greenhouse to recover. I have asked OH if he could fix two small steel uprights to the vertical front of the windowsill which hopefully might just be enough to secure the rectangular plastic tray the pots sit in.

I also dug up another erigeron in the sleeper bed which would be in the way of the chappie redoing them. He postponed today as our ground is so, so waterlogged although the puddle had drained away. We had sunshine which was very welcome and it was reasonably mild.

 

I spent 3 hours today tidying up the garden, cutting down the messy plants, shortening shrub roses to prevent wind rock and raking the rest of the leaves from the drive. It was a nice day in Norfolk. Back to my garden in France on Thursday.

 

It's a great resource @simone_in_wiltshire, so maybe something you could consider creating for next autumn. A little chicken wire cage knocked up in summer.
Most of the leaves that are left round here are stuck to pavements/roads etc as they're wet and solid after all the recent weather. I could probably still collect some, but my cage is full, and I also have other bags tucked in at the shed.
I might do some more removal of annuals today as it's to be fairly decent day. I forgot about the nasturtiums that were a 'gift' and have been great for bees/hoverflies etc. There's a little clump I missed in a border too. The pots that had sweet peas can be emptied for mulching around the beds. I'll see if there are any viable pods on the remaining sw. pea pot, and then cut it all back too. Lots of good material for the compost bin.

 

I managed to do a little bit before work today. I want to change the landscaping (I am removing half of the lawn) and I have just marked where the border edging should go.

As part of the plans, I also need to move some plants around (that sorry looking clematis on the right will be replaced by a small-ish rambling rose and the climbing rose on the left needs to move a bit more to the left). I was hoping that the cold snap would have made the roses go to dormancy a bit earlier but they seem perfectly alive and not willing to go to sleep just yet. Such tough plants, I keep underestimating them.

 

I need to get the rest of the tulips planted into their pots. That and some leaves to clear. The ground is too wet for much else.

 

I did a good bit of clearing yesterday, emptied the 'daily' compost bin round to the main ones, and cut down the final pot of sw. peas, chopped them all and got them in the comp. bin. It was very pleasant sitting out in the little bit of sun and doing that.
I'd decided to cut back everything on the fence that runs up beside the back door, so it was a good day for that. Filled the brown bin with half of the alpina clematis, and will do more once that's emptied on Friday, weather permitting. I can use the hedgetrimmer to chop the other half up, and tuck it out the way until then. There's quite a lot along that fence, but I want to do some renovation there next year, so it'll all be getting a hefty hacking.
Not sure what I'll do today, but the chopping if possible.

 

Looks as if it will be too wet to do anything today. Wet start and much more forecast.

 

Well I wasn't going to go out in the garden. But I ended up stuck out in the front garden. First thing I opened the automatic integral garage door from inside and went outside to get the wheelie bin in, but the garage door decided to shut again and I was stuck out in the front garden with no coat, phone or keys. And the side gate was locked.

I rang the doorbell and hammered on the door, but hubby was nowhere to be seen.

So I had to investigate the side hedge to see if I could get through to the back garden. Possible if I wanted to shred my clothes.

Then I realised I hadn't even been to the loo so panick set in. Just don't think about that I told myself.

After about 15 mins hubby appears at the front door. Where have you been I asked. Well I had to put my jeans on then went into the garage to check the door he said. Did you hear the door bell? Yes he said!

Enough said.

Otherwise I am not going out in any garden as it's too cold and wet and I still have my chesty cough.

 

Breast stroke mostly.
Its like The Somme out there.