What jobs are we doing in the garden today 2016

Would you let me know how it goes with the Candytuft please @Anthony Rogers. I've tried to grow it for the first time this year and most of the seed has failed from two packets, both of them Unwins seeds which may well be the reason.

 

Hi Sheal,
How are you growing it ?

I've always found it one of the easiest plants to grow if sown direct, in fact it usually self-seeds.

This year is a first for me though, I've never tried it indoors before.

 

Hi Loofah,

What's a " hoolie " ?

 

I don't sow anything direct Anthony it would be a waste of seed here, I sowed it in trays indoors. The first lot was 95% failure so I checked the packet instructions, nothing there to shed any light (excuse the pun). I then had a look on the interweb and that said not to exclude light, I'd slightly covered the seed. So with the second packet I surface sowed, more germinated but still 60% failure.

Nearly all the seeds I have bought from Unwins have been failures two years running, so I will stick with Suttons in future.

I spell it differently but a hooley is a gale force wind.

 

Apart from getting blown away I have been preparing a small plot to sow more wildflower meadow. I am using my own mix this time having bought sheeps fescue grass seed to which I am adding annual flower seeds such as cornflower, poppies, corn cockle and some perennials too. I am aiming to sow in the next 10 days or so, weather and soil conditions permitting. Thanks for asking.

 

Hi Sheal,

I use Suttons Seeds and they say to cover with 1/4" if compost.

I've just had a thought ..... I'm talking about annual candytuft ( Iberis Umbellata ), I presumed you were the same however it might be different for the perennial shrubby one with white flowers ( Iberis Sempervirens ).

 

Sorry Anthony I'm talking about the perennial one. I want it for under planting.

This'll teach me to change! I've stuck with Suttons for years but for the last couple they haven't really had what I wanted seed wise so I thought I'd try somewhere else, a mistake!

 

I've never tried that one, sorry Sheal :(

I nearly always use either Suttons or Johnsons.

 

Not to worry, I'll see what happens with the ones that have come up, hopefully they'll develop into reasonable plants. Watch this space.

 

After the storm it was actually a nice day so made an unplanned trip to the allotment to try and sort the raspberry supports. Arrived to find many plants taken out by the storm...



Anyway, from this:



To this:



Not the best job in the world, the supports aren't deep enough really, but it'll have to do for now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Sowed some nigella, zinnia and white sunflowers. Moved the germinated seeds to the sunniest window sill. Made sure everything in the greenhouse was well watered as we are going on holiday tomorrow.

 

Haven't been in the garden as such, been potting up in the kitchen over the weekend due to rain... First and last time! Still cleaning the mess up

lillies, ranunculus, anemones, a floribunda chinatown rose, james grieve apple tree, dahlias.. so got some lovely bare pots on the patio atm!

sowing some things later on, no idea what I haven't got the room!

 

Treated myself to a couple of shrubs for the area I'm planting up next to the new fence today.

Had to visit three different nurseries before I found what I wanted, it was third time lucky though, so I came home with a Cotoneaster lacteus and a purple-leaved filbert (Corylus maxima 'Purpurea').

These have been duly planted in the new area, in time they will fill out and help to provide an attractive screen.

Spent the rest of the afternoon pottering about. Did the first outdoor sowing of the year in the veg patch; radishes, spring onions and mixed lettuce. Took some basal cuttings from a pale blue delphinium which puts on a great show every year and did a little more pruning and shredding.