WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

You'll have to watch that you don't just get a load of rootstock shoots, @Loofah.

 

Where has it been during the cold weather?

 

Probably dead then, but as @noisette47 says, depending on what it was grafted onto you might get new growth but its not likely to be a lime.

 

Need to dig out one compost bin for use and turn the other one over mixing and wetting as necessary.

 

Sorted out the small greenhouse, chucked the dead geraniums out, separated the plants in the hanging baskets and potted them singulary and put them back in the greenhouse. Watered them with a liquid feed that's high in nitrogen to get them growing. The fuchsias are starting to grow.
I've got 5 rose plants in pots at the moment so i pruned them and gave them some rose food.

 

Cleaned out 2 bird feeders and refilled.
Sifting more compost, I stopped when my back started hurting.

 

Busy day today (again) while the weather holds First off was to put the rotovator battery on charge ready for a marathon veggie plot session. Doesn't sound much does it? But I have to cart three extension cables down to the bottom of the garden, then trail them from one side to the other (about 300m) because we still haven't got leccy in the polytunnel where the R is stored. Then I shifted the stack of wood that comprised the packaging for the pool cover. The chaps very kindly left a vast amount of rather nice 3x3 timber which is now tucked away in the polytunnel awaiting projects like new compost bins . Pruned the vines and thornless blackberries. Then, planting! I finally got the last 4 of my birthday pressies planted and weeded all around the areas. Watered them in, as no rain forecast until next Thursday. Then tackled aforementioned veggie plot. Boy will I appreciate a nice glass of chilled Côtes de Gascogne, OH's BBQ and an early night!

 

Côtes de Gascogne, was he a relative of Bamber Gascogne?

 

Younger brother

 

For the first time this year I can say I spent a full hour outside on the balcony! But my first job was to clean up the pigeon droppings! After the rain of yesterday they had dried out enough to sweep them away.

After that I did a bit of pruning of the Fuchsias &, except for the 2 that were in a hanging basket, the others in pots have survived! Three that were in smaller pots I moved into the now empty mini-greenhouse. I hope that after pruning the extra warmth of the M-gh will help them to make a start on growing. A few days ago I repotted a Fuchsia cutting I've been growing in the kitchen over the winter. The mother plant 'Garden News' survived the winter outside on the balcony & this is her daughter!



After doing that I sowed some Calendula seeds in a seed tray & put it in the M-gh - first seeds I've sown so far this year!

When I finished with that I made a start on the hanging baskets - at long last! I emptied the first one & replanted it with 3 trailing Begonias & a variegated (green & white) Geranium in the centre. I planned on doing 2 more but then found I had no more variegated (green & white) Geraniums to put in the centre of the baskets! So I've left them for another day! I do have some (green & white) variegated Geraniums in the kitchen. I want to take cuttings from them before I put them outside on the balcony. The 2 baskets I couldn't plant up today I emptied out & replaced the compost with new (it had been in the baskets for 3 years now!)

Then it was time to have tea!

 

Cut up dead branch that fell off earlier this week. Been hanging there for about 5 years through a variety of strong winds, then one calm night it finally succumbed to the siren call of gravity.
After that the rest of the morning will be weeding.