What are we doing in the garden 2024

All nice @pete but I had only 1 seed that germinated and grew. Not much to prick out
But I understand what you try to tell. I will keep that in mind.

 

I removed a dead Skimmia this morning and now I have a little area to fill, so I posted a thread to help me decide what might work there.

I’ve crown-lifted a Holly tree so it’s quite a lollipop now - I needed to do this though as I walk behind it to get behind a border and Holly leaves at head height aren’t a good idea.

 

I have planted 4 plants which I had bought at our farm shop outside Cirencester today. It’s an organic farm they have their own compost, collect their own seeds, and I can bring back the pots which they then reuse again. Love this circle.
I need to ask them the next time how they make their compost. I took part on the OpenDay last year, but I forgot what he said. My compost is really not that good.

 

Removed a dead heuchera. Turned out it wasn't dead, just wasn't doing anything. It had a healthy clump of roots, no sign of vine weevil, not rotten or anything else. But no new growth and all of the old leaves had dried up and were coming away. Bit odd really

Anyway, planted rose campion in its place. Planted a new Pittosporum golf ball in a space next to that, and then potted peas into a bigger space and added support.

Then it started raining, again.

 

Today I potted on 2 Cosmos and a Zinnia and put them in the cold frame. This is an experiment to see if it is too cold out there for them. I still have others inside but I need to make room on the windowsills for the tomato seedlings which will soon need potting on.
I also gave the roses in pots some liquid feed, but it may have been too early to do that - fingers crossed.

 

I decided to edge the front lawn properly today, first time it's been dry enough to do it. Took more than a couple of hours but looks much needer now. OH complains he loses lawn every time I do it!

 

Trimmed hedges, removed moss from pathways, and enjoyed the sun and dry weather.
Wife prepared soil and planted radishes, beetroot and calendula - all edibles. But we need to keep the pesky wood pigeons off. We have a pair in the garden, and they are very persistent!!

 

I have moerheim beauty it's probably my favourite of the 3 variety I've got, it's not great clump former like sahin early but I love the colour of MB it will need staking, I have waldtraut aswell which is shorter good plant.

I dont know much about the others unfortunately but they are tempting me to try another variety.

 

I did a bit of weed killer spraying around the rotary dryer then washed down the inside and outside of the greenhouse. I was knackered. Next stage is to sweep and weed killer the floor, wash tomato pots and be ready for the new season. Hopefully today if I am not too stiff.

 

Yesterday bought 240 L of cheap peat free compost for mixing into the tomato planting mix.
Sowed seed of cucumber, melon, squash and courgette these are now on the heated tray.
Moved germinated annual climbers, mainly Ipomoea varieties, from heated tray to house; after a day two here they'll go to the greenhouse and be pricked out. Watered as required.
As for today move compost to greenhouse, clear up last weekends weeding and then more weeding. This plan will not be stuck to as other jobs will distract.

 

My Ipomea are germinating slowly, one at a time every few days. I am wondering if the seed is old or perhaps I pushed them in at different levels without realising. None of the chillies are through yet, probably because I do not give them any heat. They are always slow, 3-4 weeks minimum to germinate.
I am going to check a old tatty plastic tarpaulin to see if I can resurrect it into being shading for the greenhouse. I have a feeling I am going to have to invest in buying a new one.

 

Agree, I try to make sure I prick out some of the weakest looking seeds from the seed tray, thinking maybe they would turn out more of the unusual colours.

Sorry @pete I should have read further on in the thread, you've said it better.

 

My garden helping lady came today, the 1st time this year, and she moved a clump of Rheubob for me... (well that's how I spell it - it's my Welsh accent and I don't know the proper way)
and she moved a Weigela and Fuchsia magellanica and a hardy Geranium,
because they'd be in the way when my new decking goes down.

Myself, I tied in my Raspberry canes and tidied a bit of my cold frames.

It drizzled all the time but somehow we didn't get wet.
After she left the sun came out !

 

Got back into the garden after a couple of rough days and planted the echinaceas and made a start on covering the raised beds with bark chippings. Would have done a bit more but sifting through the bark chippings for slugs and slug eggs first added more time to it. Gardening without Chester being curled up on the arbour or under a shrub is hard.

The ipomoea seedlings I thought I'd damaged are actually doing OK and I'm starting to see some true leaves on the limonium seedlings. Much to my delight the malva have germinated, I thought I was going to have trouble with those.

 

Goodness it's cold out there! We've got a bitter wind blowing despite the sun presently shining.

Today I continued where I left off yesterday and planted in drifts 'Shirley Double Poppies', 'Antirrhinum Illumination Mix', 'Rudbeckia Rustic Dwarf' seedlings. 'Ramrod Onion' seedlings were planted among some carrot seeds that are just about showing

A strawberry tower I ordered arrived, and luckily so did 2 doz Cambridge Favourite Strawberries. The strawberry tower is now home to 19 plants, so I've now got 6 plants (actually received 25 plants) to try and squeeze into a raised bed full of Mount Everest Strawberries. It's Mount Everests 2nd year (with a few of last years runners), they're suppose to be climbing strawberries but I didn't see much of that last year, their 'behaviour' looked pretty normal to me. If they do want to climb, I'm sure I can devise something. The strawberry tower is now fully 'loaded' and I'm waiting in anticipation of having some lovely plump strawbs.

Also receive my order for 5 marshmallow strawberry plants, these strawberries are suppose to be sweet and full of flavour. Apparently they can't be sold in shops as they don't travel well, we'll have to wait and see. These 5 have been planted around the edge of a large planter that holds a blueberry bush. This is what makes gardening such an adventure. I might manage a few kilos of strawberries to make some jam this year, apparently jam making is now in vogue.

Six 30cm plant pots have been sown with 'Purple Magnolia Snap Peas' I've never sown nor even seen these peas before, their flowers do looks pretty special. The peas can be eaten like a mangetout, or left till the peas are bigger then shelled. I've got a big job for these peas, they're to grow up some metal mesh that's surrounding the water butt in anticipation that the peas will hide the butt.