WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

I couldn't do anything outside on the balcony today due to the continuos rain we had all night & all day today from Storm Babet up until about 5pm. :(

 

Hi,

After about 36 hours continuous heavy rain our rear garden was a bit damp this morning; the rain had finally stopped.

I resumed ivy hostilties together with removing lots of stumps & roots filling another four bin bags. everything was sticky and clinging. I started at 9:30 and spent two and an half hours with everything around me soaking wet; I gave the overhanging pine a push with the spade to remove lots of water from it.

I'm about to wander out and carry on where I left off but still plenty to do yet; another trip or two to the tip again next week?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Three wheel barrow fulls of squash vines chopped up and taken down to the compost heap, pulled up nasturtiums and dug up some more weeds. Tomorrow two barrow loads of nasturtiums to go to compost heap as the first job.
Both nasturtiums and tithonia have grown really well this year. The tithonia and marigolds are coming out tomorrow.

 

A clear out after Storm Babet which was merciful for us. The Rose obelisk in front went into a dainty angle but that was about it.

Cut back Buddleyias, including the one in the front that I bought in good faith without realising that the lack of "Nanho" in the name hinted that this one might not be a dwarf ones I have in the back.

Anyways, with a little help of the toolbox saw the plant is now 30 cm collection of stubs. "Toolbox saw" is an euphemism of a £3.50 saw that gets used twice a year max- but it did the job.

Sorted out Mushy Peas formerly known as Cosmos, Rose and Echinops, added any surviving flowering stems into vases and decided not to pull the Cosmos out just yet. There are dozens of buds, if the weather stays decent we'll have flowers for weeks.

Apologies for the stark realism of the photos, my kitchen is not quite Instaworthy as they say.





Cut back masses of Ivy, piling most cuttings around the Hedgehog house, salvaging nice looking bits for a wreath and stuffing the rest in the overflowing brown bin.

Potted up my Birthday present of Amaryllis, it's a novelty as usually I get my Amaryllis in January in 70% sale The salvaged one came from the garage into the leccy cupboard to rest in cool temperatures for a while.

This is the Dancing Queen, again with stark reality of my kitchen decor

 

Windy weather this week blew half a buddleja away.

 

Hi,

I'm just enjoying a mug of tea and a couple of chocs before I head back out again; I've already put in an hours hard graft this morning; the garden is still wet and boggy; lifting buried stones is proving difficult because they are so slippery due to clinging wet mud but it's all part of the fun; each session moves the job forward; I'd much rather be struggling doing this than not having a garden at all. 7C at the moment and partly sunny.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Potted up 14 Strawberry plants., and made a start on digging up the tender plants and potting them up for Winter storing.
Planted out a few cuttings that I rooted earlier in the year... I've forgotten their names so will have to ask my sister as they are from one of her plants. Also planted out a small clump of Grass, again no idea of it's name.

I have a garden full of ' no idea's .

Sorted out some more seeds that I had drying in the greenhouse, brought them into to be enveloped up and stored with the others in the tin.

 

With the annuals cleared out the way I discovered two fuchsias and two grasses that I had sort of forgotten about, I knew they were there somewhere but they weren't obvious. One fuchsia and the two grasses had been moved as a last chance as all three had struggled with the dry conditions of the last couple of summers. Glad to say all three are growing fairly well in the damper conditions of their new position.

 

Tut tut @Upsydaisy , I thought we were already quite advanced in our labelling-for-beginners journey

 

I'm still in the process of trying to get plants undercover for the winter, I dont like putting things away that are soaking wet but it often ends up that way as I try to hang on to the last before doing it.
Will get some more stashed tomorrow hopefully before the next deluge.

 

I blame the birds, rabbits, slugs, snails, and ladybirds ... they keep pinching them.

 

Not much myself today , I popped to a couple of garden centres this dinner time probably for the last time this year , the amount of xmas decorations giving me the ick its OCTOBER . Didn't really get much from the GC just a pack of crocus, I am trying to restrain myself from bulb buying this year but I fear the sales in November / December will get me .

Had quick wonder outside with a cup of tea and decided I needed more cutting , maybe a tad late now but nothing to lose . Not many cutting Neptea walkers low - Nepeta gov and some Salvia vert alba my propagators are choc a block with cutting, I am eying up more cutting from Salvia embers wishes and wendy wishes they've been wonderful this year from June they still doing well now.

 

Not done anything on the balcony this weekend.

 

Hi,

Shopping done by 7:20 this morning; I'm enjoying a mug of tea then another trip to the tip with a full load;


This is the section of garden I'm now clearing; a before picture.

Clearing under way large; shrubs/bushes removed first plus more ivy.

Work in progress; garden like a bog still discharging water onto the patio.

Everything is wet and sticky; digging buried stones out is pure fun trying to get hold of them with wet gloves.

Soaking wet soil means leaving a mess from my wellies; it's horrible working when it's like this.

Three lots of stones so far dug out lots more still buried; third lot of stones seen top left; there's a low dry stone wall also buried which I'll dig out; it's incredible just how much I've already removed from this section but I'm now winning. Time now to load the car; I think so far from both sections I've filled 38 bin bags plus lots of loose stumps; 6 miles to the tip; nice run out apart from temporary red traffic traffic lights along the way. I'll not do it unless I get off by backside and get cracking.

Kind regards, Colin.