What jobs are we doing in the garden today 2016

Stop reminding me I need to wash all my pots . I have about 200 in the garage waiting for me . I think manyana is a good time to wash them

 

I'm just trying to get the veggies in the ground so I can get to work on the rest of the garden. I've got the polytunnels full, and the two beds at the top are full so today I WILL finish the veggie plot! I need to sow beans, weed the paths and the rasps. If the number of bees on the rasps are anything to go by I'm in for a bumper crop

 

It's a little cooler today, only 25 degrees, and so far no thunder! so I was able to get a little more done.

Roses deadheaded, some of the chillies put out for a sunbathe on the patio, Passion flowers pruned (looks like we have one that might regrow, and one dead), tied in the honeysuckle onto the same shared trellis, tied in the honesyuckle at the gate entrance, weeded and hand-edged around patio bed and island bed, tied in the cordon tomatoes and runner beans, admired the flower buds forming on the French and runner beans, admired the inch-long broad bean pods that are starting to form, wound in the mangetout peas, fed the toms, chillies and courgettes....

Now time for a cuppa! ....and also a body-check, as kept seeing ticks on the bottom of my trouser-legs, whilst weeding.

 

Hi Ben,

It's not too late to sow a lot of hardy annuals.

The ideal situation is that you sow three times a year ......

Spring = flowers from May through to about August

Late May/June = flowers from August to around late Autumn

September/October = flowers earlier the following year.

This way you could have say Poppies or Cornflowers flowering right the way through from April to October, rather than having just one main flush.

 

Strimmed down the scruffy daffodils and mowed the front lawn, it looks so much tidier now. This evening I've potted on young Irises and given the Lupins a soapy shower, I don't think the flowers will survive the aphid attack though. I'll see what they look like in the morning.

 

Deadheaded a few roses that had been destroyed by heavy rain. Met with the gardener and decided to go ahead with him weeding and tidying 2 hours a week.
Cut a few slugs in half which were munching on my lupins.

 

Cut the lawn, deadheaded and pulled a few weeds. My helper resting as usual.
My coffins painted and partially planted

 

I've been pruning some of the larger Rhododendrons. I've been brutal (mainly cutting away the lower side stems so they grow upwards rather than outwards). Hopefully it will help them fill out a bit more on top next year.

 

Potted on some dahlias, gave things a water and tied a rose on that was waving in the breeze.

 

Had a hedge cutting day today.

We have a fifty yard privet hedge running down the side of our garden, I borrowed the big petrol engined hedge cutter from work for the weekend, and got the hedge done and all cleared up this morning.

Then it was off to father-in-law's this afternoon to tackle his long privet hedge. I cut it a couple of times a year for him, he turned ninety a couple of weeks ago, so he's glad to have someone come in and do it for him.

I'd just about finished the hedge, when a few spots of rain began to fall. I only had a couple of minutes worth left to do, so I thought it wasn't worth stopping, carried on and duly got soaked as a thunderstorm came over and the heavens opened.

I consoled myself with the thought that at least the garden was getting some much needed rain, as it's been quite dry here for over a week now. Got home, two miles down the road, not a drop had fallen on my garden.


EDIT: About 20 minutes after I posted this, the heavens have opened and my garden is now getting a good soaking. The magic of GC.

 

Plant out the leeks and spring onions, waiting for the rain. Very dry recently

 

Oh bother! Zone envy now transitions to rain envy

We are looking at the driest june ever...

Thanks for sharing!