What jobs are we doing in the Garden today 2015

Had an hour or so today so finished pruning roses and clematis. One rose (which grows alongside/underneath a giant honeysuckle and Russian vine) had a real good hack back to get rid of some dead canes and let some more air get round it. Noticed the yellow one I moved last year has lots of lovely new growth lower down, shame the other one didn't make it but oh well.
Also watered some my planted shrubs and roses and thought about how to plan out the borders for this year. Definately going to make more of a 'hot' bed but need all the spring bulbs there to come up before I can start digging it over. Annoying because I have 3 geums waiting to go in! The coreopsis I put in at the end of summer seem to have suffered with slugs but hopefully they'll return.
Might start a few more seeds off with the bag method before I go to bed.

 

Just got home shopping brought 2 hanging baskets and to basket holders for my chilli pepper plants and slow slow feed fertiliser so put 1 on each of my sorry looking Washingtonia robusta to kick start them again

 

The work for the cables started this week and the pole is definitely coming out but that could be anything up to three months away. I have to move the two clematis' that are growing up it, one is established and spring flowering, the other a young summer flowering one that I planted late summer last year. Surprisingly there is no sign of life yet on the spring flowering one but there is on the summer one. So what do members suggest? They obviously need to come out now, would they be better going into pots temporarily until I can put them back in the same place with a new climbing frame, or should I find somewhere else in the ground? Also, should I prune the established one right back please?

Another worry is, I have an almost 6ft Taxus Baccata Fastigiata (Yew) planted almost exactly in line with where the machinery will need access to extract the pole, probably by 'grab', and I don't suppose there is any way I can protect it from damage as it's only 4ft away from the pole.

I will have to remove other herbaceous perennials as I don't want them trampled, I'm only thankful the bed isn't full of established shrubs and that I will be able to plant my annuals out later. This is scary, they are bound to create damage and I really don't want this bed demolished by them!

 

Is their no way they can leave the pole their even if it means paying for the pole, I don't know what machines they use but couldn you ramp using scaffold boards or thick boards so they can walk up them so they don't ruin them the sleepers should take the weight easy and trains used to run on them

And for the climbers you could dig out a fair sized hole and bag them tempory and lay them out inside until work done and maybe lock into buying a pole post of some sort and re plant them and temp tie them to it to encourage them to reattach

That's my idea of what I would do if it was my garden, and maybe explain to them to be careful as you have £100's of pounds their they might understand as they bound to not know what plants they are


Oh btw what a lovely patch that is

 

I don't want the pole left in Jason. I've been here ten years and it's been in there a lot longer than that so is probably starting to perish at the base. We get a lot of rain here and a tree stake will rot through in two to three years. There is a road behind my garden fence and the pole will be taken out from there. They are currently laying pipes along that road for the new cables.

I'm not sure what you mean by digging out a hole and bagging them temporarily. Do you mean digging out as much soil as possible around the root ball and then putting them into bags?

Haha! I'd be wasting my breath! Within minutes of telling two workmen who were in my garden today to be careful they were walking on plants, which is why I intend moving many of the plants out into pots temporarily.

Thank you. The picture was taken last year and I was disappointed with the display, I've had much better years with the plants in that bed.

 

Yeah as much soil as the plant needs just like they do when trees are moved ( a bit extreme example), I don't know how big of a hole they will dig around the pole as a 7.5t with a claw crane will pull it up n out

 

I'm with you now! Yes, I'll be digging out as much soil with them as possible but I don't think bags are the way to go as they need root protection from heat. I have some large pots that I may make use of but keeping there roots cool in my garden is not easy as there is next to no shade from the sun. Hmmm, I'll have to think on this a bit longer. Thanks for your help.

 

I agree with shiney , it may be best to leave the pole in and cut it to whatever height you need . That is a gorgeous corner bed by the way Sheal

 

Molly has just come in with 1" of hail on her back . There is a covering of hail all over the garden , it looks cold , it looks windy . So I am doing nowt in the garden this weekend

 

Patio and Lawn completed this morning.

 

@NCFCcrazy - excellent job

 

Thanks! The garden slopes away and it didn't bother me initially but it started to bug me after 4 years. Took about 6 tonne of top soil to level it off!

 

Hope its clears up HarryS has i'm going watching the match this evening at the DW, and if its cold MrsT will complain

 

Not wasted today. I have made a start. The electric propagator is out and plugged in with:
Tomatoes: G Delight, Roma, Minibell, Red cherry, Pomodoro. And some sweet peppers. The two small trays are Asters and Annuals mixed. Time for coffee.