WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2022

No, its just damp air.

 

Raking, blowing, dragging, leaves.

 

It's more like 'what to do first in the garden' ! The list is endless now it's cooled down and the soil is (fairly) damp. Made a start on the terrace so the 'conservatory' panels can be put in place at short notice. Finally hoiked out the Pontederia from the pond, where it's been taking the pee for at least 4 years. Every time I thought I'd got rid of it, back it came. I'd be surprised if it manages to re-appear this time, though Next on the list was bulb planting. This usually involves a major re-do of bits of border, to fluff the soil up and re-plant ground cover over the bulbs in an attempt to foil the squirrels. 50 each of 'Angelique' and 'Black Jack' tulips duly interred. 'Blue Diamond' and 'Mount Tacoma' tomorrow. A quick blow of the terrace by the light of the full moon and that was that. (A blower is a Godsend, it would take a week with a brush). If OH thinks that I'm cooking Sunday dinner after all that, he can dream on

 

Nearly made a vaguely rude but non-native speaker mellowed joke about a good blow job but halted myself in time

Your tulips sound great. In your climate, do you replace them every year, lift and store, or leave them in?

Tulips are brilliant but sadly up here on clay soil, don't perform well and pots are a one season miracle, if that.

 

There's always one
I plant tulips every year...some come back, some don't. I think it's more to do with midnight raids by mice and squirrels here than the clay soil. Have you tried planting them deeply on a little bed of gravel? It's sure that they tend to split and divide into useless little bulbs when grown in pots.
I don't imagine you have the problem of the flowers burning up and frazzling in a sudden heatwave in April?

 

As I understand it Tulips need a good baking to do well.
But from my own experience I'd say its more down to variety, some come back year after year some dont.
Nearer to species is better than the highly bred types probably.

 

IME, Queen of Night and Negrita are indestructible, so you're quite probably right. The singles may be a lot more 'perennial'.

 

I've got some Daffodils & Crocuses to put in during this week - if the weather cooperates that is! Yes, even we balcony gardeners have to contend with the weather!

 

Lifted and split Primroses giving some to my neighbour, then a little shrub pruning. Weather permitting back to raking leaves tomorrow.

 

I got the two Adenium obesum Double Petal seedlings I didn't kill transplanted and the one Cryptostegia grandiflora seedling potted on. I noticed that the Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi' had about six seed pods on it as I passed.

 

Tied in the new canes of the blackberry plant and cut out the old ones, that's the last plant to do.

All of my blackberry plants are thornless but one variety keeps growing thorny ones and thornless ones and sends out runners underground.

 

Potted up some salvia amistad cutting and amethyst , took a few more cutting off another salvia , and just a general potter around the GH for a bit , the weather has been rotten today like the past 2-3 week

 

Another day when I haven't been able to do anything on the balcony! But I did tidy up the Geraniums & Pelargoniums on the kitchen windowsill. That took me at least half an hour. I removed dead & dying leaves as well as dried flowers heads. I hadn't touched them in a couple of months!

I couldn't go out onto the balcony because the light showers we are having enter into the balcony & with the pigeons' dropping it's very slippery!