What are we doing in the garden 2024

Because of this latest storm Isha I have removed all the pots that were in rings on the balcony railings & put them on the balcony floor, but further in from the railings. I then removed all the rings (to avoid them getting pinched!) which I've also put further inside the balcony. I will replace them once this storm is out of the way. I also removed the 3 troughs on the middle bar of the railings. Once I had done that I thought it better to also move the 4 or 5 earthenware pots further inside the balcony as well. I don't expect them to be "bowled over" by the winds but to save the few plants that are growing in them from windburn. This street is notorious for the strength of the wind & with the high winds from the storm it will only make things worse.

I will probably put things back as they were during the day tomorrow. But I was surprised by how much the Cyclamen had dried out. Must have been the sunny days we had this week. If I hadn't had to take them down today I wouldn't have realised! So something good has come of this wind storm!

While I was out there I watered practically everything. It's been a week or more since I've done any watering on the balcony & most pots had become so dry the poor plants were beginning to wilt! I imagine the wind had something to do with them getting so dry as well as it would have caused more evaporation from the clay pots on the balcony railings & transpiration from the plants further in, even though they are in plastic pots.

 

What a shame Shiney

 

Just having a quick coffee break, cleared a few of the larger borders that were looking really untidy despite being given a tidy up just before Christmas. Leaves seem to appear like magic overnight even though I've religiously kept on top of raking and bagging them up, most are probably from our neighbours and the lane which hasn't had a council sweep or cut back for well over a year now. I think this also adds to our flooding issues too.

Started to make up some seed compost in readiness for the seed sowing starters gun.....on your marks, get ready.....but no go yet.
That will be a perfect greenhouse task to continue with tomorrow as we are forecast a wet day.

 

@shiney I hope you get that tree sorted soon! Other than small branches on the ground we got off very lightly from Storm Isha. As I took the pots of Cyclamen & the troughs of Violas off the balcony railings & put them on the balcony floor, I haven't suffered any damages.

 

Clearing up after night 1 of the storm.

I have a large solar pebble light like this .


I also have a small pond. Now I know that the pebble light floats.

The hedgehog house removable roof was making noise I so weighed it down with a heavy pot. Various other objects will have to stay where they are or fly to Norway as they please, two more night of very strong gusts are in forecast.

On a positive note, when the winds eased around noon the sunshine had a definite wiff of spring in it.

 

Finally managed to empty one of the compost bins, got 2 more to do.

 

Cleaned and tidied up 2 more borders and swept up still more leaves that the winds blew our way from the patios this morning.
Lovely day out there.

 

Actually did some digging! Extending a border. Each forkfull brought up clay, or docks, or creeping buttercup or stones - but mostly all of the above together! The only positive is that there were plenty of worms. Next stage will be adding loads of horse manure - which is being generated 30 metres from the border by my 2 'field ornaments '

 

Been out for most of the day....slowly but surely the to do list is getting shorter.

This afternoon I finished sieving a 60 litre bag of compost just need to add some Perlite now. Only issue is I've run out so need to order some.

 

I went out on to the balcony for a few minutes to check everything was OK after the very strong winds during the night from Storm Jocelyn. Nothing seemed amiss but I did think some of the pots needed watering. So I got out some bottles of water & gave some water to the pots that seemed in need.

I also rolled up the door on the mini-greenhouse. Thee Geraniums & Pelargoniums really needed some ventilation after a week, at least, of being closed up.

 

Spent just over an hour on the Front of House Patio cutting the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis by one third. Some had buds just ready to open so left those stems till the weekend. Also cut the lower branches on the Iochroma to let the sun through, but J will have to do the top.