WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2017

Rained yesterday, and all night. Hope its stopped for a bit. have my tall garden boots. will tackle my one garden that needs so much pruning etc.

 

Seen early discussion regarding cats. Its all about location. Over in my world, cats free roam here. But most are caught and fixed and then let go where caught. But this is out in the country. There are also organizations that will go to cat colonies and leave food for them.

On my particular acreage of 3 with a protected woods of 5 behind me and 10 to the right. And my house sets way back from a hardly traveled street. It is a circled street, one way in, same way out, so its only the people living here that drive , or the once in a blue moon delivery truck. My cats have a cat door so free to come and go as please, they are oriented to the back of the house . Mostly you will find all 4 of them sunning on the deck. Or they sleep in the garden room. As far as birds, never seen one catch one in all the years of their lives. But the rabbit population and chipmunk population was kept at bay. I am sadly down to 4 cats now, all of which are ruffly 14 years old. The mother cat of the two is still with us, she was the most feral, but has come around. Then there is one that, just walked in 5 years ago and stayed. All are fixed. All get shots when needed and flea prevention as needed. Good dry food and some tablespoon of wet food. Always fresh running water. And with all my garden, none use it as their bathroom. or have never noticed.

 

Just been to Lidl for some tulip bulbs but unfortunately they didn't have any I fancied. To drown my sorrows I went b&m and picked up Nepata six hill giant I eyed up the other day. I am going to plant it up with rose golden celebration I picked out yesterday

Was out last night / this morning in the garden about 1am up to no good making plans for next year. Then I noticed horrific site hundreds of slugs around the lawn edge , I even took a picture of a little section, got dust pan and brush out to clear up. I tried squishing them with a 4 x 4 block cause I didnt want to get my trainers manky. The block didnt to work well to many slugs, end up stamping on them nearly broke my neck slipping on the slimy ******* . Next idea was chucking boiling hot water on them, seem to do the trick, hopefully I've wiped out the next generation but probably not . Think about it should of got the lawnmower out and mowed them down, neighbours already probably think I've lost the plot and everyone on the forum now
Look at them EVIL :censored:

 

Thanks for the reminder @Perki . I had a bulb order list started, now to find it. She who has over 100,000 bulbs will order more. LOL.

 

Oh no, @Perki! That looks horrific! I would feel very weirded out seeing them all in a clump like that.

There is a bit of land locally where the slugs sleep on one side of a path and in the morning go to the other side. It's on my way to the station. Usually see a good few there, but of late it's more like a good hundred or so! I feel a bit sick looking at them. :(

 

I made this bird feed station a few days ago, ive designed it to collect any spilt seed it will work .

 

Guess what?? Found another ground hive. Guess what, I got gas. Guess what and a match. Have to wait till dark.

 

Pottered about this weekend doing mainly routine stuff, really just keeping things tidy ahead of our upcoming move.

Yesterday - mowed and edged the lawn, trimmed some lavender and hyssop which has finished flowering, did a little weeding and dead heading in the herbaceous border and finished cutting the hedge down the side of the garden.

Today - fed and watered the pots and containers, lifted and potted up a few more herbaceous plants I'd like to take with us, harvested half a dozen small pumpkins from some self-seeded plants which appeared in the veg patch back in early summer and disconnected a water butt which we're taking with us.

 

Been away for a week so will have to visit my mower after the rain, more fruit and veg ready to pick.
Grapes are filling up nice so will see what they taste like yum yum, a blackberry and apple crumble is getting baked in the morning.

We have less slugs this year, but they are the large beige orange ones. The hedgehog has been visiting but he prefers the cats biscuits from what I have seen, but it's time to gather in the proceeds of my harvest.

 

Had some serious flooding in parts of Cornwall today.
Removed some over heavy dahlia flowers weighed down with the rain.
Not exactly a summer's day today

 

Spent a few hours on Saturday potting up a tray of white Scabious plug plants that I ordered from Amazon. D ' supervised ' me until he decided that sleeping in the sun was a more attractive option . Finally removed a Hydrangea from a patio pot with R's help. Pot got broken in the process so have replaced it and filled it ready to plant up - can't decide what to plant so may just cover it and wait until next year.

Still considering the new bed idea in side garden. As I cannot do what I intended to I have thought of a couple of alternatives. But for time being I have recovered the area until I have decided.

Moved one of the houses to a corner of one of the bun runs. I noticed has been going into the run if gate is left open, probably one I've released as I use the run as a soft release pen sometimes and they always remember where they have found food and shelter.

Rained for most of yesterday so no gardening done. Watched several episodes of My Cat From Hell with Jackson Galaxy. Very entertaining and very informative too. I've learned a few catty things.

We had the cat stuck up a tree thing last night . The tree was D's cat tree in the conservatory which he jumped up onto to get chicken bites I had put there. Whilst he was eating them Rubi laid herself out full length on the rug underneath the tree right in the area D would land when jumping down, thus preventing him from jumping down. She was then joined by Hartley. Both buns looked very smug. D sat on his tree looking decidedly peeved until R rescued him.

 

Love a bonfire Shiney......have fun