What are we doing in the garden 2025

Put all loose items away and filled the watering cans and put them in a sheltered corner. Not that the forecast is promising draught, but a watercanful can be useful for emergency toilet flushing or hand washing if the water is cut off for a longer period of time.

The storm will hit us tonight, amber alert is in place until tomorrow night.

In other news, first seedlings look very promising under the growlights, I'm looking forward to do some pricking out this weekend. Everything is, uncharacteristically, well labelled with masking tape labels but the pricking out will inevitably leave me with a confusion of new pots, possibly with a vintage selection of old masking tape remarks on them

Chilli varieties are well labelled apart from three pots that unhelpfully say "chilli". I blame The Child.

Stay safe everyone.

 

There’s quite a watchlist of antisocial critters in your part of the world @CanadianLori ! Raccoons , skunk , didnt know red squirrel (usa) was another potential dwelling invader but i suppose with winters as harsh as yours these animals have self preervation in mind . Stay warm i hear its really cold even by your standards at the moment.

 

Not in my garden but a customers I maintain. This palm had been sat in this pot for 15 years apparently and all the roots underneath had to be removed before I could cut the pot apart.

I planted it in the ground yesterday for them. Lets hope it will have a much happier existence there

 

The plant looks to be visibly pleading for help in the photo. It looks a tough chap so hopefully it will indeed thrive.

 

We sometimes don’t stop to appreciate how benign most of our wildlife here is. That and very easy-going climatic conditions are two things that make living in England less fraught than in much of the rest of the world.

 

I could not agree more @ViewAhead , and we have to ensure that invading species like the Asian hornet do not get established here - if you are Sussex based you may have local experience of that - with terrible consequences for our already beleagured bee populations.

 

@Robert Bowen we do have some creatures that are fun to watch. Opossums are cute little guys and they eat up all of the dead things. They do have bad breath because of it. They don't try to break into your house or damage anything either. They're little paws make me feel like learning how to knit wee mittens.

I have decided to get on with reorganizing my shelving full of gardening tools and supplies. We all know how that can get into a jumble after a year of pulling things out and putting them back in the most convenient slot. And I have a new boot and also a shoe box to better store and stack things.

 

I must say i do like chipmunks , they are very endearing little creatures that are just so watchable.

 

Poor things. My neighbours have got some that look like that in their front garden.

 

I had my first green bin collection of the year this week, so today I have been starting to fill it up again. I collected up some of the brash that the storm brought down plus some bramble I cut in previous weeks.

Yesterday I bought a winter jasmine and an Aucuba from B&Q. I knew exactly where I wanted to put the jasmine but didn't really know what I was going to do with the Aucuba. This morning I planted out the jasmine and then spotted the ideal space just a few feet away for the Aucuba - it's behind a clump of lavender where the dark glossy foliage will contrast nicely.

 

I have moved my pot of leek seedlings from under their mini propagator((plastic food container) on the window sill into the fresh air on the window sill. Too small to prick out yet. Spotted new leaves on the ornamental sage in the conservatory, also new shoots on the white scabiosus in a container outside. Spotted some cyclamen coum, from indoors, must go and clear around them.Ordered some Jazzy seed potatoes, tasted them recently when I bought a bag for cooking and liked the flavour and texture. We shall see how they do, supposed to be a heavy cropper, 2nd early.

 

We have a large clump of grasses, which were about 5-7ft high, on an inconvenient corner of the walkway down the garden. A nuisance when carrying plates of food or drinks to our preferred summer eating spot. So my OH decided they should come out!!
She faffed around trying to get to the base of the rootball.
Enter self, who after receiving a few choice words, proceeds to achieve what the lady of the estate, could not .
Followed by a drink in the sun, and several chocolate biscuits - needed of course, to replenish my strength.
I was in receipt of grateful thanks - quickly followed by strong words, as I traipsed mud across the conservatory carpet!!

 

Repaired an old tent frame that is the support for 2 of our Chinese gooseberry plants. the recent storms had the frame rocking around and with the weight of the branches it snapped in 2 places. Had 2 sections of old downpipes which have now been used over the broken sections and then linked up with the main frame. It has been in situ now for over 35 years so has done a good job.
Now down to again pruning the main fig tree. Why does it always send up/across shoots where you don't want them?
Sorted through the stored apples again and had about 10 to go out for the birds. The pigeon was there very quickly as was one of the rabbits.

 

Am I the only one still picking up last autumn’s soggy leaves? Thought so!

*sighs wearily*

A giant protected oak just outside my boundary is all very well, but it sure does create a load of leaf litter.

 

This morning I put a new latch on the gate. The old one broke yesterday in the wind when the chimney sweep left the gate open. I was very impressed to be told that my chimney sweep also cleans the chimneys at Chatsworth - there are 15 and they are cleaned every 12 weeks! Bet he doesn't break the gate latches there.
This afternoon I have been to the garden centre and bought 3 new pots for plants which arrived last week but they will have to wait for another sunny day before being potted up.