WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

Ah yes I see it now. I've got a spray one. I haven't seen the soil drench anywhere though.

 

Yes i didn't want to get wet.

 

I was playing my usual game of "musical plants" this morning! I moved the last of the Petunias off the balcony railing & put them behind the growbags with tomatoes in them. As I've been removing some of the lower leaves on the tomatoes plenty of light can get in once again. In place of the Petunias I put several pots of Geraniums & Pelargoniums on the railings. I've also put the last pot of Marguerites there as well so that it gets more light & air. It's been sitting in the standard Fuchsia 'Garden News' pot all summer & hasn't been at all happy! Next to no flowers & I had to cut off a branch that was in a very bad condition that I hadn't noticed before moving it. I'd like to get a few cutting from it to overwinter for use of the balcony next year. A Pelargonium that shared its space was also put on the railings.
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A nip into Lidl for fresh bread saw me equipped with three pots of proper Heather (Calluna), not the showy winter delight kind but the humble native, for 99p each.

That solved two problems- I had leftover ericaceous compost (and a stern order not to buy blueberry shrubs) and a pot in the tatty corner with spent Alliums and goodness knows what spring bulbs underneath.





I had some bulbs in a box in the garage that looked quite like Daffs so I popped them in and then filled the pot up with the said ericaceous compost and nestled the Heathers plus some Ivy in. We'll see how things turn out

Made a start with the top part of the hedge and had a chance to say hello to our new neighbours. They seem to have a decent supply of young people with power tools doing their hedge and the lawn.

I encouraged The Child to make acquaintances and even offered to lend my mascara, but instead she sneaked out for a solitary walk in tatty jeans. So clip clip clip it was for the poor old Mum. Well, I've made a start.



Took some cuttings from the pretty lacecap Hydrangea and did a general mooch around. The weather is nice and it still feels like summer

 

I've been potting up a tray full of Begonia semperflorens which I bought for the summer but never did anything with. They are now in little pots waiting for next year to come when I'll be using them for tubs etc

I've been making a space in the perspex shelter on the north side of my old garage, to use as a place for potting and seed sowing etc.

And I've been clearing and tidying a part of the garden where everything was overgrown and going to seed.

Came in for dinner (lunch) at about 12-ish then sat with a cup of tea and fell asleep for an hour

 

Weeded, planted a couple of ground cover plants, a fuchsia and a fern. Removed a self sown oak sapling and a variety of shrubby birch. I grew it from seed 20 years ago and it's never really done much and as that area is being replanted it's time was up. Planted a Camellia sasanqua, near the main route through the area and a berberis. Trimmed the rosemary, which is flowering again and busy with bees. Watered in the greenhouse.

 

Managed to sneak off for an hour while son and hubs discussed what to cook for dinner ...

Had a 'cuttings' session...Fuchsias, Geraniums, Hebes and a few more Lavender....not sure of it's name but it's much neater that the sprawling all over the pathways ones....if these take then I'll ditch the untidy ones next year.

Keeping a close eye on the Polycodon seed pods, as I hope to catch them to sow next Spring. I know you can try dividing but apparently they don't like root disturbances so thought I would attempt seeds instead.

Harvested more Apples, Pears and Plums this afternoon for eating this week and to send our son home with tomorrow

 

I potted some Cyclamen I bought recently, into nice pots and troughs. I'm going to put them down by the little back road.

I had a house plant called Callisia repens and thought it had died, so I put it outside back in the summer, ready to dispose of it. However all the rain we've had recently has revived it and I found it had three nice shoots with lots of roots on them, so I've planted them in little pots.

I was going to water the plants in the perspex shelter on the south side of my shed, but a spider has woven a beautiful web right acros the path leading to it. It's a work of art, so I left it alone. The plants will have to wait.
The same thing has happened with my greenhouse, but the cacti can survive without water for a while.

I threw some snails into the field across the back road.

I cut the old stems off my raspberries, and tied the new ones in.

 

Did a bit of weeding but it got too hot.

 

My better half and I saw a rack of seriously neglected plants outside a shop, priced at £10. "How much each for these two would you offer?" says the BH. "50p each sound ok?" comes the reply. Deal. (A rudbeckia and echinacea). Two days after tomato feed, a trim of non-viable leaves, and sunshine, and it's 'Houston, we have liftoff.'

 

Planted out Puya venusta, Geranium tuberosum, Panicum virgatum and a couple of species snowdrops.

 

Picked the last of the blackberries and some blueberries.
Later do some watering.

 

I've just come in to rest my painful knees for a while...
I've been collecting pots dotted about the garden, Some are empty, some have weeds, some have bulbs, some have herbaceous plants. I've been tipping the old compost out of them and putting them tidy in my shed, and I've been checking and watering the ones with plants.
I'll be looking for more in a minute, I didn't think there were so many, but they are hidden under shrubs and leafy herbaceous plants, so I keep finding more all the time.