What are we doing in the garden 2025

I put a thick layer of bark mulch on the border I cleared of bluebells on Tuesday. They’ll no doubt be back but it will keep any weeds away for a while. I renewed the grit topping on my six pots of hostas and gave the outside of the pots a clean. I noticed that some of my fencing was going green with algae so I treated it with Patio Magic. I haven’t had to do this since repainting the fence about three years ago. The algae usually disappears overnight on fencing after treatment, a couple of days on paving. I removed two Verbenas that were in demise and moved a Helenium and a Geum from elsewhere to replace them. I’m trying to leave more space between plants this year and have removed all of my tall grasses that collapsed in the winter wind, rain and snow, replacing them with shorter bee friendly perennials. My choices are limited as I won’t grow anything that slugs like, or leans towards the sun, or needs staking .

 

I got my baby battery Husqvarna hedge trimmer out and swung that around for all of 2 mins cutting back a honeysuckle I suppose that counts

Dahlia tubers arrive yesterday with a few achillea terracotta for the front garden

 

Still battling the bindweed on the Allotments. Pruned the 3 roses that are in a bed just off the edge of where we park. It's one of those everybody, somebody jobs at the plots that tends to get left or forgotten.

 

Yesterday was spent lifting and moving stone pavers, lifting primroses to give away, raking over the ashes from the bonfire to remove any metal before it finds a lawnmower blade, filling holes and channels in the lower garden, and watering the hedge I planted last week.

 

I must be feeling my age. I have always withstood cold days well but after an hour i gave up yesterday , i had even double gloved my hands and was still perished. Still i managed to tidy up a couple of beds of dogwood and weed a bed i created last year before i threw in the towel. Today will be an international rugby day so the nearest i get to gardening will be to see the grass on the pitches. Tomorrow looks marginally warmer so i live in hope….

 

Today I am mostly painting fencing. It takes so long, but it's such a good feeling when the colour changes from algae green to a nice vibrant BLACK, perfect for Spring

 

I finished weeding and mulching the Jewel Bed. Photos show before, after and last June.



It's bigger than it looks, nearly 3 metres deep at the widest point.

 

Too late for you now @CostasK, but I noticed that parts of my black fencing were decidedly algal green yesterday. I sprayed them with Patio Magic and they look freshly painted today .

 

Thanks @Plantminded I think I saw you mention that option before, but the fencing was due a repaint anyway (there were more issues than the algae). It was a lot of work but I think Wednesday Addams would approve I might do the fence at the front of the house tomorrow now that I have started, even though that one doesn't look as bad. It does have a couple of areas that can do with paint (the paint was scratched off by roofers while getting rid of pieces of my old roof last year). The patio magic technique might be useful elsewhere though, thank you, I am already considering it for 2 specific areas

 

Painting fever continues today. I decided to paint this and while the coverage on this material isn't amazing, I think I rather like it. It looks a bit "witchy" to me.



By the way, this was yesterday's fencing:



EDIT: Light rain started halfway through, even though the forecast had been for dry weather Taking a break now

 

Hope the paint dries ok , still a bit cold here with overnight frosts.

 

Thanks @Robert Bowen The fencing I painted yesterday seemed fine today. I did know there was a risk in doing it so early, it is indeed not the ideal time, but I didn't want to wait. So far the rain today has been very minimal. The paint hasn't run thankfully and the next 4 days are predicted to be dry (but you never know for sure...)

 

This morning I re-planted two alpine bowls and also put a Berberis Bagatelle and Parahebe Avalanche back in the bed where I planted the standard rose last autumn. I had taken them out whilst I dug the hole for the standard and never put them back.
I tried to wash and reuse the gravel from the alpine pots with a garden sieve and the hose pipe, so the patio which I jet washed last week now needs doing again.
Sun has gone in now so I've come in.

 

Lovely and sunny … but oh so cold! Brrrr! Stepped outside, gathered a few leaves, came back in. We are mid-March and I’ve yet to really make a start out there!