What jobs are we doing in the Garden today 2015

Bright and breezy here, will go out this afternoon, busy in kitchen this a.m.

Look in Off Topic to see what I have cooked today.

 

I was out doing a touristy thing around the island today but this is what I was up to yesterday. I had occasion to practice what I'm usually preaching in the Lawns Forum. After spending 2 1/2 hours trying to get my front lawn mowed (interruptions) I was just finishing the narrow strip alongside my drive when the mower blades clanged against something. It looked like there was a cobble sized stone coming to the surface so out came the tools. A fork, spade, lump hammer and chisel later the top of a 2 x 2ft lump of concrete was removed that was jutting up through the grass. I would normally have removed the whole lot but I haven't got the strength for that now. So there it remains buried, with soil and grass seed laid on top......and defence against the many cats in my area!

What never ceases to amaze me is why these things turn up in the strangest of places, there was no reason for it being in that position, but it looked like it had held a piece of wrought iron at some point.

 

Lovely day here today, so I took the opportunity to plant out the rest of my zinnias, scabiosa and dahlias which I have grown from seed. We're going away soon so I wanted them in the ground where they're less likely to dry out.
Will need to move all my pots to one place on the patio where housemate will hopefully remember to water them. I also put a fair few hiding slugs on the bird feeder.

 

Picked more raspberries today,well chuffed as they are large and plentiful too,yum.
Blackcurrants look like they will give abumper crop too but the gooseberries and goji is a write off.

A full up to the waist pond clean out is on the cards next

 

Bits of deadheading, removing any dead leaves and tidying up a bit. Everything seems to be doing well right this minute we still have building things blocking everything but the builders have been amazing at not damaging a single thing!

I caught the culprit that's been noshing on one of my Dahlias, it was a big fat green caterpillar. I think of the tortrix moth or cabbage white.

Some of the other Dahlias have tiny brown spots on the new shoots distorting them, I found a couple of teeny brown bugs in there so must be them. Just reading up what they might be.

Otherwise, I've had the weekend off of watering thanks to the rain. Tying a few things in better to stakes today as heavy winds are expected here tomorrow and Tuesday.

 

Well, we finished the trellis placement on the northwest face of the house, plus one on the southwest, before rain stopped play.

Meanwhile, we developed a similar sized hole in our grass, to be turned into a patch, @Sheal , as Izzy persued a toad down a mouse hole.

I should know by now - never, ever, trust a Weimaraner, especially a quiet Weimaraner !

 

Got soooooo much to catch up on but it has been raining all day here.

 

lots of weeding down in the other garden. I think I can take some pics of it. Its still in progress, not like the one I normally show which is done. Do you ever think of the game Twister when you weed? And I get so good at balling up weeds and flinging them to the wheel barrel. ok so this ol body has to do some stretching.

 

After all the rain over the last couple of days and work commitments... I ventured out today... did all the dead heading and tidying up.... then I had a walk down to the veggie plot.... so spent the rest of the day... lifted 6 savoy cabbage. 6 cauliflower, remaining of the broccoli, 1 'bag for life' of French beans, 1 carrier bags of broad beans, onions red and white lifted, remaining potatoes lifted, half carrier bag of peas, half bag of plumb tomatoes, 5 very large cucumbers, 4 lemon cucumbers, greenhouse tomatoes.. Just managed to sit down having cut and frozen all the veg... blended the plumb toms with fresh herbs and frozen for Italian meals.. well in this house.... its sure we will never starve!......of veg... and eat our 5 a day

 

Well done @Apple Blossom !

We may not like the rain ourselves, but it does wonders for the garden! My mangetout peas had stopped producing, and were nearly giving up, then the rains came. We have more flowers, and are picking them again - just 10 days on!

But a bag-for-life of French beans?!

 

We've had absolute bucketloads of rain here, which is great. I can now dig over and level the borders which were previously rock hard. They are sloped so when they 'set' it's a pain to try and get water to the roots of the plants. I've also got lots of stuff to plant out so need to decide where everything is going.

Today though I will just be potting up a couple of hydrangeas.

 

Well I was getting on really well but its just decided to pour down!!
Was going to cut the grass

Planted a lot of shrubs today along the side of the drive area hopefully these will give some great colour and hide a lot of sins in the background which I really don't want to start as its part of the wooded area which is just wild, great for the birds though

Azalea - Purple Pink
Azalea - White
Philadelphus - Snowbelle
Viburmum - Le Bois Marquis
Viburnum - Farrerri for a little colour and in the winter months

All bargains at the local Garden Centre 50% off

 

Fed the toms and did a bit of dead heading

 

Looks like my wish was answered and i've got a little bit of sunshine it seems so tonight will involve:

1. Planting out the Echinacea and Heuchera i got from RHS Tatton Park
2. Starting and finishing the pond edging
3. Mowing the lawn and starting with the top dressing
4. Dead-heading
5. Cup of tea
6. Some standing around admiring my handywork
7. Repeat steps 4 - 7 until either A. the dead-heading is done, B. it goes dark or C. i run out of tea-bags, milk or sugar

Wednesday. Done.