What are we doing in the garden 2025

First day ding anything resembling gardening! Yes! As my back has been bad, I resisted the urge to do too much but a little potter about, pulling some weeds from pots, filling the bird bath, looking at the buds and new growth, was a real tonic.

 

With the snow gone and summer appearing today - sunny and all but 15C/59F, I got back to re-organising my shed - adopted with my new garden of five months.

The removal of a long shelf and two large unwanted units to make room for ladders and mower and scarifier. All attached by more than the necessary amount of screws which didn't want to budge. With a dodgy shoulder I didn't have the needed pressure so other half took over with the battery driver and eventually persuaded them to give up. That, having taken some while, there's still one to remove come the weekend.

 

First volunteer day of the year. More Acer pruning, and pine needle thining. Need to get on and finish pruning my own Acers now have some more practice.

 

A bright sunny day here, though a little chilly, but good weather to go out and tidy the front garden. I've swept leaves, cleaned the front door, and pruned the roses out front.

Will leave the roses out back for later on.

 

Freezing fog here , still zero on car thermometer after an early dentist appointment , lots of chisel work done ( dentists name is Damien - draw your own conclusions !) feels like my mouth belongs to someone else now. Nipped into garden centre and bought some 1st early Rocket potatoes. I havent tried first earlies before so they will be egg boxed after i finish drinking coffee with a strange mouth . Need to sort the woodshed afterwards for a delivery of logs and that will be the day done!

 

Lovely and sunny here so I've been out and massacred some roses. Why do my roses never look anything like the pictures in the pruning instructions, and have so many thorns that there is no room for outward facing buds?

 

Mild, but dull. No breeze whatsoever. Perfect. Have filled my green bin to bursting … and it was only emptied 48 hrs ago. Twelve days till the next collection. How will I cope?

 

@katecat58 Hello. Are your roses Rosa Rugosa? The photo suggests they are and vicious spiny beggars they are too! Its not easy to cut to an outward bud but because they are so vigorous they will grow back very strongly even with very hard pruning so its worth the effort to try .

 

Hi @Robert Bowen, no they are just assorted floribundas etc. The picture is Rose Midnight Blue, which is one I have, but this is not my picture. I am not too worried about the roses as a lot of the instructions say you can use hedge clippers and they will be ok. It wasn't helped by the low sunlight which kept blinding me!

 

@katecat58 I know what you mean the sun seems to be blinding wherever you are on those rare occasions it graces us with its presence. Good luck with the roses .

 

Thanks @Robert Bowen.

 

At least you've had a collection our first one of the year isn't till the first Saturday of February!! The "Christmas break " used to be 2 weeks now it's up to 6

 

Do you pay extra for it?

 

I'm now back in OH's cottage in Norfolk, having spent December in Dordogne in my house and Christmas with my family in France.

We had a freezing week last week, big frosts, but it starting getting milder from Monday. At last I've been out in the garden. Today I pruned, cut in half, a big old honeysuckle Halliana that was smothering an Albertine rose and full of dead inside. There is another one about a metre away and only planted a few inches from the roots of the Albertine. I wonder who planted such vigorous plants so close together. I have filled the garden bin but it should be emptied tomorrow. I had cut the 2nd honeysuckle right back about 3 years ago but it's getting too big again.

 

Been a pleasant day here today so dug up an area of grass about 4 x 4 feet( ground nice and soft but hard work), clay soil chopped down small and planted out a nice Weigela bare root. Prepared the soil first though with plenty of manure, grit, compost ( old and new) and abit of top soil. Fingers crossed it settles ok.
Inspected two new rhubarb crowns OH planted last year and can see some nice pink ‘buds’ coming through the crown of one but nothing from the other yet. Have not planted this before so it’s new for us to watch and learn what happens.