What jobs are we doing in the garden today 2016

I was weeding the front garden yesterday and witnessed a child being knocked down by a van, already got police and ambulance on phone before driver got out of his van, fortunately child unhurt, despite being airborne, his scooter in a 100 bits, lots of children playing out today, the children come down the steep road leading across to my cul-de-sac like bats out of h£!!, seeing how far they can get. What annoys me is never any parents keeping an eye on them, I am probably known as the local moaner as always telling them off for vandalism and endangering their lives.

 

I've fed all the roses today and done some other general feeding and watering. Potted on 19 cosmos which I think are white, really not sure.
Noticed my clematis tangutica has come back from the dead again. If it goes as well as last year, it'll make 12ft by the end of summer.

 

Ok so went back out when husband got home and we mowed and edged the lawn then decided to destroy the massive pampas grass which looked nothing but scruffy 10 months of the year.
45 minutes later and it's trimmed right down and rocked/mattocked/pick axed out at the roots. Garden looks so different without it, really pleased.
At the moment we are considering a small tree there with a treehouse added (supported by stilts) in a few years time.

I do have a nice Ceanothus 'concha' that could go there. If it will like begin moved (been planted a year and currently flowering).
Or a magnolia 'stellata' but not sure which is faster growing.

 

Planted 3 grape vines today, 2 last week. After having enough last year, from the 2 vines to make a gallon of wine, I want to grow as many as possible. 5 different varieties of red now which should make good wine [emoji38]

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Thank goodness the child wasn't injured; but what a horrible shock for you to witness that! Hope *you* are feeling better today after witnessing that

Difficult one isn't it. I remember being sent out "to play" when I was growing up. The whole street sent their children out to play and we'd wander off to the woods (5 minutes away), or to the army assault course (10 minutes away). One year, my cousins came up from Cardiff and were excited because they had been told we live near the sea and they decided that we would walk there. "Near" being subjective I suppose. Our mothers were horrified when they learned we had walked 5 miles there and another 5 miles back ... and I was only 4/5yrs old at the time (I was the youngest, not the eldest!) My point being, thinking back, our parents didn't stay out with us and supervise back then either. Obviously the traffic wasn't as busy back then and it may be rose tinted glasses, but the drivers did seem to be "drivers" and not aspiring racing drivers. In fact, I had to cross a dual carriageway to get to school and back (as did many other children) and the only "fatal" in those years was a poor black cat!

 

Planted one Hydrangea "Twist'n'Shout", 2 peonies "Celebrity" and two roses. One called "Troika" the other "Amber Queen."

 

Planted up and potted on some small petunias I got from morrisons. Some have gone in hanging baskets and one in a pot with geraniums by the front door.
Did a bit of watering and feeding. Planted the heuchera and primroses that had come out of the baskets in the shady area at the back of the garden. Took more cuttings of verbana bonariesnsis and some dianthus ones too. Planted out another 3 dahlias into my dahlia bed.
Had a ponder over the area which is going to be a new border. I'm not too sure on how well it will work at present. Might start a thread to ask advice this week.

 

Got a few bits and pieces done today, in between reading the Sunday paper and relaxing in the summerhouse.

In the veg garden, I planted out the first batch of sweet corn plants, which were sown three weeks ago. Also did another sowing of radishes, a little hand weeding and a quick hoe in between the early spuds.

In the greenhouse, potted up the Rudbeckia 'Rustic Dwarf' seedlings, sowed some butternut squash and found several cockchafer beetles lurking among the pots and trays, so I put them all back out in the garden. Every year I get loads of them in the greenhouse, no idea why.

Gave the re-laid turf another good soaking this evening, it's doing fine despite the persistent dry wind over the last few days.

 

I started to 'build' an extension to a Perspex shelter at the side of my garage.
I'll show some pics of it when I get a chance

 

Missed that our kid

 

Just did a power hour in the garden. Planted out my nicotiana seedlings, potted up the canna divisions and some dahlias. One of the pots for the cannas had a heuchera, daffodils and briza media in so moved all of them into the main bed - hopefully they won't mind the root disturbance.

Also dug out lots and lots of tulips... I'm thinking they are not worth the hassle.

 

Hi Jack,

I agree with you on the Tulips. I grew some this year for the first time in years and I've made the decision " never again ". You grow them for months and they're gone in a fortnight.

PS... I only mean named varieties. I'm not getting rid of my T. Tarda they're beautiful and last ages, plus once the flowers die the leaves go with them.

 

Just found this piccy out @JackJJW



These have been in this container for about 5 years now and they just keep getting better. Think I will split them up a bit this year though when I put the summer plants in ( Probably Petunias ).

 

Added some water to coir bricks and left it to absorb and warm up til tomorrow. Will use my seed blocker to sow some wallflowers and perennials over the next week or so.
Potted on 5 hebe (midnight) cuttings which I rooted last year and planted out 2 more dahlias into the dahlia bed.
Really enjoying this weather we're having, perfect for pottering after work.