WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2021

We built the shed at the weekend, so I spent most of today fitting it with shelves, hooks, and other useful bits. I'd hoped to get on to actually filling it as well but as always these jobs seem to take twice as long as expected, so that will have to wait until the long weekend.

This was Saturday, finishing the roof and the windows. Stuipdly I've not yet taked a picture of it finished "in situ"

 

I filled a sack of conifer clippings and took it down to the compost bays. I also bagged up 4 bags from the final bay. Probably another 12 bags in that bay, then it’s turn-and-turn-again time!

I lost a few hours driving to the other side of Brussels to get the car Technical Controlled (equivalent of MOT). Halfway back home around the Ring, an alarm sounds, and sure enough the bonnet was flapping. I slowed down from 90kmph to 70kmph, and limped on to a safe turnoff, as the hard shoulder is minimal at best on that stretch of 3-lane carriage way.

Anyway, after getting the adrenaline out of my system with a good walk, I sat by the pond in my “happy place” whilst the hose topped up the water levels. About to go up the garden now to check for frogs and toads - as you do...

 

Oh gosh @Sian in Belgium ....scary stuff, glad you're OK. What happen to the car??

 

The car is fine, when I pulled off the triple-carriageway, I “just” closed the bonnet properly, and continued home. And then breathed again!
The bonnet closure mechanism is one of those that is two-stage. The second stage held the bonnet from flipping up. To be fair, it took me three attempts to close the bonnet fully, and the mechanics there have to cope with so many different makes and models...

When I got to the pond last night, there were a couple of amorous male toads, looking cool, and waiting for the “lay-dees”...

 

Phew that's good to hear too . I suppose it wasn't closed properly after the Technical Controlled test then, could have caused a nasty accident with the bonnet suddenly flying open. Shudder to think about it!!
Well done for keeping calm and in control.

 

Ah your edit made it clearer Sian....won't blame the mechanics then.

 

I always feel mean when snipping out the tops of plants so that they will grow bushier, rather than leggy. I had to cut off sweet peas today and still feel bad about it.

 

I'm glad you and the car are both all right @Sian in Belgium

All I did in the garden today (or at least in 'a' garden) was to sit in my cousin's garden this afternoon, drinking a nice cup of coffee and eating chocolate biscuits, and talking about plants
I hope to do something in my own garden tomorrow, other than drinking coffee and eating chocolate biscuits (but I will probably do that too )

 

Well the plan was to re pot a Rhododendron and a few others today. Started with the Rhododendron and the good old vine weevil grubs had been having a disco in there so ended up spending the day picking them out of a Heuchera too. The fushia was too far gone I can't do the big Camellia as it's in flower but that's next on my hit list.
Ordered a Magnolia stellata online for the front garden. I've seen a few in bloom at the moment and they are beautiful.

 

The fuchsias arrived and the rail pots are now back up I just have to be patient now and wait for things to grow - somehow that's harder than mixing up compost lol.

I've got some spaces in my other planters so went online to have a browse - I managed not to buy anything this time. I'm thinking about trying a dwarf Ranunculus Tomer (sounds like a character from Harry Potter) - they look fantastic but I'm afraid they may be too complicated lol.

Ending on a good note, I was thrilled to find the first ever flower bud on my patio plum tree

Best wishes to everyone and their gardens

 

After a non garden day; just not in the mood, back to it today though plenty of weeding and soil prep to do. Watering will soon be on the cards with this dry spell (similar to last year?)
My young fruit trees have there first flowers on, plums and pears pink buds on the apples.

 

Nothing today, but had quite a productive day yesterday planting and moving a few plants about in the front garden. I want to get as many plants into my new border as I can this month so I can just relax, enjoy seeing them flower later in the year and observe what pollinators visit them. Then they can be properly arranged according to height and colour next Spring. I've decided on Lathyrus latifolius to grow along the fence next to the border, will alternate the white and purple types. The shoots from my eupatoriums and veronicastrum seem to be almost doubling their height each day, I love how quickly things start growing this time of year! I've reserved about a foot at the front edge of the border for oregano plants, which will go in last. Was concerned about my transplanted eryngium yesterday as I hadn't realised just how much its roots had grown, so I had to dig deeper at the last minute and I think it suffered a bit of heat stress due to being out of the ground for too long, tho it seems to be bouncing back today after a good watering yesterday evening.

Nick

 

Nothing here either apart from taking 100s of seedlings outside for their daily dose of fresh air and unrestricted light.
Just have to get them all back in again now.

 

First veg bed is pretty much done. It needs a couple more barrows of compost to top it off but I'm going to leave what's there currently to settle for a couple of weeks first. Now to avoid the temptation to start planting in it too soon; I think the plan is to have sweetcorn, pumpkins and peas in here this year, none of which are ready yet

 

Pricked out 4 varieties of lettuce and Pak Choi and did the big water on chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines.