WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2017

No worries, hope it plays in Canadia Looks like it's sectioned to fit adverts in so it might do

 

Having barrowed all the bark chippings from the drive to the garden, they then had to be put in place. My original plan was to fill the base with rubble and lay some kind of rubber matting floor. Not having enough rubble and not trusting myself to level it off sufficiently I came up with a plan B. The bark chippings were easier to distribute, look a lot nicer, and were value for money. As mentioned above, there will still be sufficient left over (at least 2/3 of the bulk bag) to mulch into the garden.

Win, win I say.



G.

 

Mowed and edged the lawn today, probably for the last time if our planned house move happens before next weekend.

Doing a rough mental calculation while mowing, I worked out that over the 29½ years we've been here I've probably mowed the lawn about a thousand times. Taking the calculation further, it usually takes me around half an hour to do all the mowing and edging - that works out at 500 hours, which means I've spent about 3 weeks just cutting grass!

Also harvested the butternut squash today. I'm quite pleased with this year's crop, my half dozen plants have produced about a dozen quite large squashes which are now starting to ripen, so we'll take them with us, as they will keep for several weeks and provide us with some home grown veg until I get the new garden into production.

 

You were a star, no nerves and it was as if it was just you and Carol, and the crew weren't there. Also the house & garden behaved impeccably, you've got them well trained.

 

Aww thanks, very kind of you to say @taurusmmuk @Jack Sparrow did you watch the 97 year old chap? Bless him! He was great! Love watching GW.

Anyway-back to reality! Been out and pruned the wisteria (a bit late I know but needed doing) and took down the massive everlasting sweet peas (3 massive clumps).

Just looking at the rhodos...is this autumnal leaf loss etc or have I got issues?!

 

Quite normal Snorky .....worry not

 

Thanks @Verdun , also thanks very much for the recommendation of the Red River pub....went there after walking the woofers on the beach and it was fantastic. Had a huge bowl of mussels and they were delish!

 

Planted some fresh paving slabs, should be ripe for walking In a day or two

 

Glad you enjoyed it Snorky. I go there quite often; excellent I think
Jobs today? Lawns cut and edges trimmed. Lovely and warm, almost hot in walled garden
Moved a couple of plants, divided Hosta Liberty and Sanguisorba Red Thunder and planted out a few large wallflowers.
One big disappointment ......despite expecting flowers on leonotis leonorus I have yet to see them; I gave them a big talking to, finger pointing to emphasize my annoyance so they better flower soon Anybody got them flowering? Plenty of sun and in warm situations so I am disappointed
Trimmed some evergreen bushes incl pittosporums Irene Patterson, Garnettii and Tom Thumb.

 

Better than stale slabs jimcub

 

I finally finished the wallpapering today. I can't say I'm happy with it as it looks like I did it but it's done and that's a relief. A new carpet is due to be fitted tomorrow. Hopefully now I will be allowed to get on with the things I want to do outside. The current project is to lay some slabs along the edge of the lawn to connect the two existing slabbed areas. As I don't have the wherewithal or the inclination to trim slabs to size, they will have to end up as a series of stepping stones.

G.

 

Nice and dry in the Polyhouse.Seed collecting time.Asclepias curassavica Apollo and Tagetes Cinnabar (Great Dixter form) done.

 

I am hoping to collect a car load of horse manure this week. I intend to dig it in pretty much straight away. Then I will dig some more in in spring. Is this the way to do it?

G.

 

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@Jack Sparrow

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BBC - Gardening - How to be a gardener - Practical planting - Improving your soil
Improving your soil
With the ground preparation complete, it’s time to improve the soil. Improving the soil means making its texture and structure easier for roots to grow in and providing all the food a plant needs.
It’s a two-stage process:

• Dig in lots of well-rotted, bulky organic matter, such as horse manure or garden compost, about half-a-wheelbarrow load per square metre
  
• Apply fertiliser - a handful of a general organic fertiliser, such as blood, bone and fishmeal, per square metre

If you are starting afresh, do the digging and mucking preferably the winter before, especially if you are on soils that are clay dominant, but don’t worry if you’ve missed it. And fork in the fertiliser just before planting.
If the plants are already there, ‘mulch’ the beds with a 10cm (4in) layer of bulky organic and a scattering of fertiliser before the growing season begins – early spring.
Organic matter
Organic matter improves soil structure, as does the digging, and as it breaks down it releases small amounts of nutrients. That’s what organic gardeners mean by ‘feed the soil not the plant’.
You can buy a range of soil improvers in bags at the garden centre, but this is expensive. Much better is a ‘steaming pile’ delivered, and making your own with a compost heap.

 

[QUOTE="Verdun, post:
One big disappointment ......despite expecting flowers on leonotis leonorus I have yet to see them; I gave them a big talking to, finger pointing to emphasize my annoyance so they better flower soon. [/QUOTE]

Is that the secret @Verdun giving them a good talking to, I will try that next year.