What are we doing in the garden 2025

Had a quick walk round the garden this afternoon when temps rose to nearly 7c. Still frosted in shady areas. Noticed that some daffodils I planted several years ago in the verge outside our boundary have survived and are now about 2" high. Need to prune the lower branches of a spindle tree in the same area when it's a bit warmer. Picked up lots of dead branches and debris from the line of trees outside our boundary. The local Council have texted me to say the trees are on their list for 'pruning overhanging branches' but I'll believe that when they start the job.

 

It's so cold I've brought some Pelargoniums from a perspex shelter, into the house. They're on the kitchen floor.
Also on the kitchen floor are a Trachelospermum Indian Summer, a white Passiflora, several cacti, and a trough of Aeoniums.
Good job it's a big kitchen !

 

@Michael Hewett interesting about the Aeoniums. We have 2 in our unheated garden room in flower. The flower spikes though (maybe top heavy!) have made the branches now bend down. We did tie up one on them but not happy. Reluctant to cut these off yet as the flowers aren't opening fully yet.

 

Similar for me, i have scented leaf pelargoniums in hayracks on a south facing wall but , i have seen some very unhappy brass monkeys outside so i have put the hayracks in the garage which is just good enough to keep them happy. First thing i have been physically able to do in the garden for a couple of months , fortunately i had got most of my winter preparation sorted but not everything so i am resigned to losing some good plants - i very much look forward to getting back in the garden in the coming weeks.

 

My scented geraniums are still outside in a sheltered corner. We are not expecting the blast this far down the country so fingers crossed they will survive. They have been growing, unprotected, outside for several years so far, in large containers, in a sheltered corner between the house and conservatory, in mid Cornwall, with a banana plant agapanthus and cat mint for company.
I managed an hour in the garden again yesterday. I repotted some mini cyclamen ready to bring indoors, they all have flower buds on them so it was a bit risky repotting them, they are in the conservatory for a few days before I move them to the North facing window sill of the bathroom where hopefully they will flourish and scent the air. I also filled 18 small pots with compost ready for my onion seeds. The pots are warming up on the window sill before I sow the seeds. I also filled a couple of pots to sow chilli seeds in a months time. The compost was absolutely freezing, my fingers ached with the cold.
It is very satisfying to be outside getting soil under my finger nails again, hopefully, with the knowledge gained from last years horrendous weather cycles my efforts this year will be better. I have always had itchy gardening fingers at this time of year so temporarily, my itch has been scratched! I have difficulty in not throwing out weed ridden "empty" pots. Very often they contain the dormant roots of herbaceous plants, label long lost, forgotten purchases to be planted later.

 

@Goldenlily26 Those lost labels , for me anyway , are invariably down to blackbirds etc who take delight in hoiking out any labels i put in pots or the ground , the wind does the rest . I sense a mischievous sense of humour on their part

 

Replacing the frozen birds water with fresh.

 

I just realised today that with my lightweight plastic bird bath I could just tip it upside down and hit the bottom with a log, and all the ice would drop out. Much easier than trying to break or melt the ice. So that's cleaned out and refilled now.

all the dumped out ice is still sitting there unmelted.

I took the kitchen waste out to the compost bin (a Green Johanna) and was pleased to see steam rising when I took the lid off. Normally there are loads of worms around the rim trying to escape the heat, and the top of the contents is swarming with woodlice. Not a beasty in sight today; they must have all retreated into the middle for warmth.

 

Shivering mostly.

 

I've been opening the windows and door of my greenhouse during light hours, for ventilation, and also the doors of the two perspex shelters at the sides of my shed.

 

I opened the GH door, and bought a bag of landscape bark and soil, which I mentioned in the Seeds thread.
It’s too wet to do anything.

 

The melting snow is getting inside the roof fanlight of the greenhouse making the whole floor wet inside. I will have to attend to it kn the spring if we get a dry spell.

 

I’ve swept the slush off my steps from the house to the garage and removed the snow off my tree fern so that it doesn’t freeze overnight and turn the fronds black. It’s been too wet and cold to do anything else .