What are we doing in the garden 2024

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Cheers Pete. I was sure there was a new thread button, with a drop down prefix...but that could be on another site

 

The weather has improved a bit after lunch, so I’ve decided to do some jobs around the garden. I’ve started by potting up some pelargonium cuttings (rooted in pure perlite) - unlabelled, but I have the feeling they’re ones that I really like.

I’ve also drastically pruned a heuchera, but it had tiny buds towards the bottom of the leggy stems, so hopefully it will grow back nicely. Took cuttings of this very advanced sedum in the hanging basket:

I’ve planted some divisions from hakonechloa, adiantum marisii and brunnera in a shady border. And cheered myself up admiring the new growth on acers.

 

I need to pot-on the surviving cuttings from last year plus sow more seeds so I’ll need some more horticultural grit. Where do you all get grit from - I really struggle to get a big bag?? I think Carole Klein has it all!

 

I got some the other day @AuntyRach . I normally use B&Q, but they didn't have any, so I got it at Homebase. £6 - bag isn't very big, so easy enough to get in and out of a car. I think they had an offer for 3 bags as well, but you'd see it on their website

I just looked - 4 bags for price of 3, and it's a 9kg bag

 

I just buy a bag at the garden centre, expensive, but I often by sharp sand from the builders, cheaper, depends what you want it for.

I think the bags are usually 20 or 25kg.

 

Haven't found horticultural grit here, or vermiculite.

I sowed some more flower seeds today and found babies popping in the PSB and cavolo nero trays. Good going so far with even more garlic kale showing.

 

I found another patch of Spanish bluebells lurking behind a conifer so I’ve snipped them away, planted a purple Phlox and a new Nepeta called ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ which looks as if it’s going to have nice dark blue flowers very soon! I wasn’t planning to do much more but ended up removing couch grass entangled with several Erigeron in my front garden, then decided to give the front lawn a smart edge and raked over two borders to remove the green tinge of moss reappearing. And then the rain started, but after 3 hours I’d had enough!

 

Dodging between April showers and the sunshine I've had a busy day planting millions of seeds.

All 4 of my 5 vegetable raised beds are planted up, with the 5th one ear marked for tomatoes.

One bed is dedicated to strawberries and I was delighted to find one of strawberry plants flowering. It doesn't take much to make me very happy.

The second bed has garlic, onions of all types, several types of carrots and lettuces.

The third bed has been planted, or sown with courgettes, rocket, spinach, a variety of peas, shallots, red ball brussels sprouts, and more carrots, some of the carrot rows have had radish seeds mixed in to help identify rows quicker.

The fourth bed has pole French beans, dwarf French beans, mangetout, and pod peas, cucumbers (under bell cloches), swede, parsnips, and another row of carrots.

I know there must be planting mistakes, but I'm so far happy. The beds have been netted until the seeds have germinated and have grown a bit to slow down the pigeons.

There's also a flower bed that this year will be turned into a potager bed, so today Minipop sweetcorn, Earliking sweetcorn, peas, and dwarf beans have been planted amongst lupins, borage, rhubarb, a few ornamental grasses, wallflowers and sunflowers.

I know I've over done the sowing in comparison to space, but this is part of the fun, at least the weeds won't have an easy life, they'll soon find there's no room for them.

 

Today I replanted the geum I divided earlier in the week which wasn't looking at all happy. I left it in water for a few days until it perked up and hopefully it won't start wilting again. Potted up some salvia plugs and put them well off of the ground so they don't get nibbled. Speaking of nibbling, it doesn't look like I'll be getting any narcissus flowering this year. Virtually every bud has been snacked on Had a delivery from Farmer Gracy of some echinaceas and another geum so they're having a good soak. Found an unexpected polygonatum amongst some vinca minor. I'd bought three roots last year and temporarily put them in a planter until the raised beds were ready. I could only find two when I went to lift them so I wrote the third one off but there it was today, proud as you like!

 

I have the same problem @Februarysgirl , re the daffs/narcissus. I always get some damage, but it's been far worse this year.

 

Since everything is sopping wet already therefore can't do much else, I have done my nematode treatments this morning. Vine weevil, slugs and leather jackets since we seem to have every pest going

I really need to be reseeding and top dressing the lawn, but it just won't stop flipping raining!!

 

Got absolutely drenched down the allotment yesterday but finally got my onions in. My parents use the other half and my dad was going to plant out some broccoli seedlings until I convinced him to grow them on a bit first due to the masses of slugs about.

Walked past my attempts at grafting some medlar's and was pleasantly surprised to see the buds had opened and everything looking very promising at the moment.

 

I bought a reduced pot of garden mint at Sainsbobs this morning to pot up but it's cold, windy and showery here today so I have just left it in the garden in its pot.