What jobs are we doing in the Garden today 2015

I managed to get into the garden today at last, partially pruned the roses then hoed the weeds off with a rake. Cleared my other beds of dead foliage, then grimaced at the 100 plus pansies I've grown from seed. They're supposed to be mixed colours, well they are if blue, yellow and white are supposed to be mixed. The seed packets were from two different companies too.

How many times do we get ripped off by seed companies supposedly selling us mixed colours when the plants turn out to be mostly the same colour. I got caught out with Nicotiana last year, again supposed to be mixed but they all turned out to be red. The choice of colours in unmixed seed is very limited too.

I gave my bird bath a good scrub and noticed the crack that has been in the bath for the last three years has now moved all the way across it. Somehow I think it will be in two pieces by the end of the winter.

 

Burning leaves. fire not as fast as me.

 

Constructed one of these flimsy plastic greenhouses and covered with the matching fleece jacket. To protect some seedling echiums, sempervivums and tender plants. I put the fleece on after the plastic cover, which is the wrong way around so will switch that tomorrow.

I don't know if the tender plants will survive but I'm impressed with the unit already. As long as it's somewhere sheltered and has a heavy pot at the bottom I think it's safe from blowing over.

Replaces my coldframe as it has much more space and can be folded up and put away outside of winter.


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Oh, and I also brought my Hippeastrum in from the shed.

 

I think those greenhouses give fair protection - especially with 2 covers on - But I have had one in 2 different situations....in each case sheltered on 3 sides, with bags of compost on the bottom shelf ...and has been blown over both times, when I was pretty sure it would stand up ok. I now have it tied (rope going all the way round, outside of cover)to a handrail by the back path, where it has been fine so far.

 

The burning leaf pile from Saturday still smoking, will get out later and start again. this is only the front yard, have not even started on the side, or the back. burning calories I guess also. Yeah.

 

Finally got most of the tender stuff in apart from 5 cannas 3 hedychiums.
The Brugs got zapped by the frost last night the tips have succumbed and they had a blanket thrown over them.
Not much chance of sneaking these 3 in the house there all over 4 foot now
5 big clumps of canna dug up which have been potted up in wickes buckets
The musa sikkimensis was a beast to dig up. Now potted up into a half barrel planter which was heavy. That's it till Thursday I have a couple of days off

 

Just did a bit of general pottering about on a cold but bright Sunday.

Mucked out the chickens this morning, then spent the afternoon clearing a few leaves and doing a bit of tidying up around the garden, cut down some herbaceous plants and pulled up some nasturtiums which had succumbed to last night's frost.

 

Urgh, found vine weevil grubs all over one of my Dahlia tubers. I've isolated it. Now just wondering what to do with it. I'll probably keep it to dry and then see if I can get them all off.

Today I chopped back all of our Dahlias, dug most of them up and have them drying. A couple I left in the ground and mounded with a deep mulch of compost. Let's see which wins!

Then planted the last of the tulip bulbs and wall flowers. Good night garden, see you in spring!

(Kinda... )


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I spent an hour potting in the greenhouse. I've sown seed from eight different pods of Pacific Coast Iris as an experiment. They are notorious for producing hybrids and I want to see what comes up next year, so they are now outside for the winter stratifying in eight different pots. We'll see what spring brings - if anything.

The Lavender cuttings I took a couple of months ago are still looking healthy, so hopefully they are rooting. I also think the Clematis cuttings I took late summer have also rooted, one is just showing a new green leaf after die back. However, the Potentilla cuttings I took are looking sad but again I'll wait until spring to see if they re-shoot.

 

I've done next to nothing in the garden today but there again there's not a lot to do at this time of year.

But.....fellow gardeners......it's just four weeks until the nights start drawing out again!

 

Been potting up all day

 

MASSIVE tidy up today! The building work is almost finished and for the first time since starting it I could sweep up and clean up. Also very calm with all the plants now dormant after a hectic growing season. Very cathartic.

I know many people don't like Nov / Dec but I love it. Two mo the of quiet and the lovely craggy browns, different greens of the ever greens. You can really appreciate leaves more.




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raking and burning leaves.

 

We aren't allowed to burn leaves here ...

It's been banned for 20 years, I believe. We don't have any coal powered electricity plants and we stiĺ get accused of being polluters!

 

Nothing today apart from sorting out pots that had blown over in the wind.