What are we doing in the garden 2024

That's my plan of gardening action for today too , Radio and mug of hot chocolate..bliss!!

 

Nothing today it's too cold.

 

Solid frozen garden, had -3.2C. Callas shrivelled under light fleece coating. Didn't expect it to be thaaat cooold. Have a gardener coming in 2 weeks to see if he can take my palm (cordyline australis) down. Unfortunately neighbours have a cherry tree right next to it (when I moved in I was told that cherry tree was planted to hide an ugly palm ). I think it's why trees compete, and my palm just woooshed into the skies during the past 6 years. No way of controlling it anymore. If he can do a job, I ask him to do some pruning of cherry laurels and other plants too, this way I would be left with an easier job to do.

 

I did a bit of pruning of one of the strawberry trees, it was stopping any of this winter sun getting on the greenhouse.

 

Walked around the garden with our dogs and checked on cold frame at the same time, turned round to see what Lucy and Franky were up to, and they had disappeared?

Husband found them waiting on the door step to be let in, they were sprawled in front of the fire when I came in, so I decided I might as well join then with a nice tipple or two in my coffee
" Hubby in now saying... I will have to be careful as I have doubled my intake to 2 teaspoons in a beaker of coffee

 

Nothing today it's too cold and the ground is frozen.

 

Nothing today it's the same as yesterday but worse.

 

Very cold out but have swept the paths and patio of yet more leaves.....where do they all magically appear from, probably from next door as they rarely clean up, and chunks of moss.
Beautifully sunny though...definitely lifts the spirits to be outside.

 

Not outside but I potted up six cuttings of Epiphyllum x hybridus Cactus Orchid that arrived from Spain yesterday ... was posted on Monday!


Also sowed seeds of Catharanthus roseus aka Madagascar Periwinkle ...

Have them in a mini propagator on the lounge windowsill so keeping my fingers crossed as I am no good with seed.

 

Warmed up enough to do some more prep before spring arrives
Collected some old manure to spread on the beds as mulch, weeded the asparagus bed, but a few more bulbs in that I bought cheap recently, and a bit of general tidying up

Feels great to be back outside

 

Uncovered callas. Hercules is frost bitten, but not as bad as last year when I didn't cover them at all.

 

Well I went to plant more garlic but the ground was still frozen solid. We had 12 of the last 16 days frosty with a low of -8.5c just the other day. My dalek was completely frozen too and there was five inches of ice still in the water trough

 

Hi,

It's been a pleasure just to get outside this morning even though we've got horizontal rain driven by high wind.Not actually in the garden but will be later once I've done the job. The Howard rotavator I restored should have eight tines but only has four so I'm making four new tines.

I've just removed two of the tines from the rotavator which is in the garden hut; these are "handed" left and right so I'll make two of each. In the workshop I found I had a long length of 2" wide x 1'8" thick mild steel bar stock which is perfect so I don't need to visit the metal store in Cleckheaton.

Four tine blanks are now on the bench having cut them using an angle grinder; all I now need to do is to profile them; add two mounting holes each then bend to shape; an easy enough job. I've just ordered 5/16 UNC self locking nuts also self locking washers to be on the safe side; I don't want them working loose.

If the garden ever dries out then I want to do a lot of rotavating in March preparing the soil to receive new wildflower seeds; for many weeks the garden has been a bog then frozen solid and now a bog again; I'm expecting snow anytime.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I haven't really done much weather has put a stop to that . Ordered the last lot of seeds I hope .

I have been looking at some plants inside , the Ivy leaf pelargoniums have germinated no begonias yet . Noticed a lot of aphids on a Rex begonia so checked round the others plants , this year though I've pulled the Ensete out of the cupboard and like last year it were covered in aphids , I give the ensete a shower and no I didn't get in with it .

They is a new to me Alpine garden Society in town tomorrow, its free entry this time they just moved from a different place. I might go down and have a nosey about , I am not really into alpines but they may have other types of plants and cake .