WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

Trying to do somethng in the garden every weekend and during weekdays after work. In Portsmouth I have heavy clay too. It may be too dry again later, so I'm weeding, mulching, moving plants now in Feb. Recently emptied my compost bin.
Today was a hard work of pruning cherry laurels. Thay were here before me moved, then gardener downsized them just to bare trunks, but they produce very strong shoots every season, have to keep them under control.

 

Carry on weeding, prepare some pots for seed sowing.

 

More leaf removal. what else is new.

 

Russian giant sunflowers sown today. Noticed that the pack says sow under glass from Feb (other varieties all say march) so stuck some in and they are in the plastic greenhouse south facing. Only managed about 1m tall last year, but started quite late and most became rabbit food! Hopefully an early start this year will mean a better display

Chuffed to notice the lupins, carnation, and early lettuce have germinated too

 

An hour of weeding and watching the bees.

 

Making a giant mess by going through the bags of Canna rhizomes which I had packed in shredded paper. The paper did a good job but it does seem to get all over the place! I planted up 7 large pots with the cannas - 4 red, 2 yellow and 1 orange. The red were the product of mature rhizomes given to me two years ago and the yellow and orange were from new little plants I bought last summer.

I will give the rest of the leftover red and the other half of the yellow and orange to my friend's husband. He only has a light red one so this will fill out his colour collection.

Isn't it fun to share?

Oh, and I ordered these: "Red Grandiflora Hybrid Petunia Seeds (Super Cascade Series)" to use in hanging pots for another friend. And keep a few for me too.

I usually make up a large patio planter and three hanging pots for him each year. The patio planter, I have put red four o'clock tubers in the middle with yellow 4 o'clock tubers around those. I hope this gives a pretty show.

And I see it says "hybrid" so I guess I won't be able to collect seeds from these

 

Re-edged the main border with a sharp spade and finally got around to putting a strip of weed suppressing geotextile right round. Most of the weeding in the borders is annual grass so I'm hoping that a 'clean' strip will cut down on the work. The plan is for the low perennials and shrubs at the front to flop over it First insect sting of the year! Unusually, it was a bee, which is why the patent soaking in vinegar didn't work. Soaking in bi-carb did though

 

After all the weeding parts of the garden have the same look as a freshly shorn sheep; slightly confused and daze

 

You could try taking cuttings.

 

I was bought a hand mower a couple of weeks ago as a birthday gift so put it to work today I found it really therapeutic.
Weeded the borders and cleaned up the edges. It's the first full day I have been in the garden this year. The winter has taken a beautiful hebe I've had for years so I'll have to find something to take its spot.
It's so nice to catch up with everyone's posts here again.

JS x

 

Well, I dare say you can but its very, very ,naughty !!
Most of the 'new' hybrids are patented plants and carry a requirement to pay for a licence to propagate on a ' per plant' basis. Still, if you dont tell anybody then neither shall I .(wink)

 

I thought that, like a lot of things, Plant Breeders Right (PBR) only applied if you were propagating and selling and not if the propagated plant was for your own use.
However this appears not to be the case; another reason for not buying plants with PBR/PVR on the label.