What jobs are we doing in the Garden today 2015

Did a load of pruning and shredding. First thing to prune was a large, vicious pyracantha. Had to don the thick thermal gardening gloves and break out the long pole pruner for that one.

Carried on working my way round the garden after that; dogwoods, viburnums, potentillas, hardy fuchsias, fatsia, buddleias, guelder rose and an overgrown helichrysum all pruned, shredded and added to the compost heap.

 

Gave the lawn it's first cut of the year,
Potted on the sungold, tigerella and beefsteak tomatoes
Pricked out the datura purple edge and another hybrid
Sown 4 kinds of ricinus and impatiens auricoma x bicaudata
Painted the new fence panels that were replaced just another 10 to go.

 

I pricked out and potted on a tray of Nicotiana seedlings. My Echinacea seeds failed so have sown another batch. Seed only get two chances to come up in my regime, if they fail a second time that's it, no third time lucky and I won't try them again next year! It also looks like my Heuchera seed have failed, it's been weeks now and no sign, there'll be no second chance for those as I don't have any more seed. Out in the greenhouse, plants that I've had to move out through lack of space are looking healthy. They're covered with a bubble wrap tent overnight until the temperatures pick up a few more degrees.

I'm trying begonias from corms for the first time this year and one is showing the first signs of life with the hint of a shoot showing.

 

I'm growing from corms too Sheal. Are you providing bottom heat? How long did it take for a shoot to emerge from planting?

 

Potted up loads of salvia seedlings. 18/20 Blue Angel perennials have germinated and 56/60 Blaze of Fire annuals. Not sure where they're all going to go as I wasn't expecting such a success rate but then they may not all make it to planting out. Sowed some Tumbling Tom tomato seeds and Marketmore cucumbers.

Have had no luck with Phlox, clematis or foxglove seeds so those trays have been emptied out to make way for something else. The gazanias and invisible dust petunias have germinated though and are looking healthy if a tad too small to pot up yet

 

Me too, Jenny, for the first time. No heat but no signs of anything either after 3 weeks, so not sure if it's going to work.

 

How quickly are you removing the seedlings from the propagator FC? I take mine out as soon as the first seedling shows in a tray or pot, the others will have germinated as well. If they are left in, the heat will make them leggy very quickly. I check my propagator at least twice a day when in use.

 

If you haven't got the time to check it regularly and whip stuff out then it probably is a lost cause for you. They don't suit everyone but I find it a necessary evil as I have such a short growing time here.

 

@fat controller ....out of curiosity what do you have in the bottom of your propagator ? I've always used capillary matting but this year in one I've used a good layer of damp sand and the seedlings have been more successful and it's kept the humidity up .I may have just been lucky though

Today I'll be planting out my Strawberries and planting up a border with a couple of Rhododendrons ,Azaleas and ferns...

 

I also sowed some Cosmos seeds on Saturday afternoon and noticed this morning that they are up already! Not grown them before to be honest, I tend to stick to perrenials but am dabbling with annuals to fill gaps quickly and cheaply.

 

Shallot planting this morning then driving old friend to Gabowen hospital for 4 hour surgery Ellesmere for lunch have a look at the Meres. Pick friend up check greenhouse plants.

 

When I was finally dismissed from lap duties, I did manage to get some stuff done

A bit of a tidy-up on the raspberries / strawberries bed (probably shouldn't grow the two together, but it seems to work for us....)

The autumn raspberries are sprouting, honest!

One of the cloches repaired and in place over my lettuce seeds... so I've found a use for the spare tent pegs!

A few trugs-full of weeds taken down to the new compost area, and the working pile was turned and levelled a little
(As you can see, all garden work is regularly snoopervised!)

The eye bed was worked on too Spare and crowded lavenders from the left-hand path up to the circle were removed and moved to the more gapey right-hand side. I should do the same to the lavenders in the circle itself, but my back was starting to complain a little. A lot of the self-sown violets were weeded out - I love them, but it is supposed to be a herb bed! The apple mint runners were removed back to the edge of the sunken bucket, and then potted up, and offered as give-aways to locals. I will have to rationalise the chives a little too, as lots of self-seeded ones are starting to "fill out", and the bronze fennel has cast her seed far and wide!!

 

I like that Sian
Jenny