WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Finally a sunny day that I didn't have to spend in work! Potted on lots of seedlings and sowed another batch of seeds in the empty trays, plus started the sunflowers and cucumbers in their pots. Planted up the small shadey bed and gave the sunny one a bit of a weed before the annuals start going in. Made a huge mess on the patio, and then cleared it all up while once again lamenting my complete lack of storage space. A productive day!

"Nursery corner" is looking pretty full:



There's a large square of concrete on one side of the lawn that has been bugging me; originally I planned to use it as a container veg garden, but when we tried that last year it just didn't get enough sun to really work. Since then it's become a bit of a dumping ground. Today I suddenly had the idea to put a bench there and try to utilise it a more (or at least stop me piling up rubbish there). A quick search on Gumtree and I found someone nearby giving away an old cast iron slated bench, so hopefully going to collect that next weekend. From the pictures the wood looks pretty rotton, and the metalwork needs a good paintjob at least, so I think I've gained a summer project!

And to round the day off, the fuschia I thought I had lost in the snow is finally showing signs of life again.

 

I had the sunniest day this year! During my show which ran from 8 to 11 I ran out every comercial break to prepare things for shifting. Put plants in the unheated greenhouses. Onions, brussels, etc. Sooo lovely. Then after my show..

Moved failing tomatoes to the cold frame. Buried the stems part ways to encourage new roots. It will work or it won't. .

I am one happy old broad. It doesn't get better than this!

 

Overcast, chilly and the odd rain shower yesterday . Removed the Heleniums from the overwintering pots and planted them in the front garden by the boat seat. One of the Helenium pots has a Jasmine planted in it. No sign of life from it. It wouldn't move despite a few experimental tugs, so I'm hopeful it's still alive. After a tidy up I put two Lithodora and a white Phlox in the pot. Bought two more Blue Fescues for around the pond but haven't planted them yet.

We've been putting the wildlife camera on the patio and during the night it's picked up two Mice and two Hedgehogs. I did have a hedgehog house on the patio but ' borrowed' it for my soft release pen. I have another one in a corner of one of the bun runs, so went to get it to put it on the patio and discovered it occupied . All my other houses show signs of use too. I need another house . A plastic storage box or flower pot can be used in warmer months but they are not suitable for colder weather as pick up condensation.

 

Good morning everyone
Impulsively ordered more sunpatiens.....not for me though. I will be tidying, planting, etc at my nephew's later this week so I will be taking a lot of plants with me.
More slug nematodes should arrive later
Busy elsewhere until mid pm but weather looks good for work in it later although the heat of recent days has disappeared alas
Will try neem oil on lilies later too...effective for lily beetles I think

 

Thats good Luci i have one camera i move round the garden, through the summer months you will be amazed how much moth and insect activity there is after dark.

 

Digging, sifting, carting, and dumping.... repeatedly!

 

Just a small but important job this afternoon.

We've had a pergola I built on the back of the house for thirty years. It was only made of softwood and ten years ago the two main supports were starting to rot, so I replaced them and the main beams. To prevent the posts from rotting, I made plywood "caps," for them. These I noticed last week were rotting despite having had a few coats of Woodsheen, in the intervening years. So I scraped them off this afternoon, gave the tops of the posts a good dose of Cuprinol, although there's no sign of any rot and made and fitted new caps. I Cuprinoled them and will give them a coat of Woodsheen tomorrow.



I'll also renew silicone bead around the "elephant's feet" of the bases. The posts are screwed to a bit of paving stone fixed to the York stone patio and the "feet" are fine concrete mix to protect them from any water. The problem with any post set in concrete, is that as the concrete dries, it shrinks and a very small gap between the post and the concrete occurs. Hence the need for a bead of silicone to stop any water getting in.



If you're going to fix a pergola to the back of a house, a good idea is to have a double beam at the front either side of the support posts. This one's "heavy duty," it easily supports my weight when I need to get up on the flat roof of the lounge extension at any time. It's as solid as a rock, despite being supported at the front by just two posts, the full width of the patio apart.



While I've got the Woodsheen out, I'll give these another coat. The problem with using a jigsaw to make decorative panels, is that the saw disturbs the laminations, so it's easy for water to get in. That happened to these a few years ago, when I replaced the twenty-odd year old originals. Two years later I had to re-make them, so just the panels get repainted every year.
However those on the tea-house have been fine for thirty years, but then they're made of much thicker marine ply, which I managed to find.



You know when you've got your wisteria pruning right, don't you?

 

I did a job I wasn't really looking to do yet but I needed to clear some pots to make room for new arrivals. Here I have planted both halves of the same original bergenia. I'm hoping the lesser half will catch up now it's planted in the ground. In between I have planted a hellebore Niger. I have left a space at the back for a bush of some kind, possibly sarcococca. There will then be room on either end for something else, possibly hellebore and room for the climber in the far right corner as we look at it. Hopefully in time these will all fill out nicely.


To my rockery I have added red saxifrage, white campanula, a wallflower (supposedly a small one) and 3 assorted primula Wanda.

I still call it my rockery although I am systematically remove all the rocks to make planting easier. I was considering making a raised bed with block pavers but that is no longer on the agenda. For now I am happy to leave it how it is and fill it with colour.


G.

 

Uncovered the "beast" .......Gunnera was hiding under a blanket of the very itchy loft insulation which is now bagged and ready for the tip.

 

Moved the last of the rubble today and dug another tree up that was under it just the big stump to get out now, then started leveling the soil to lawn level and lit a fire on my way in,

I might have to start raising the level theirs a lot of soil here but i do need some soil for some raised beds i am making for my small front garden well its just a drive at the moment but i do have room for a few borders and still get two cars on there,

I bought some concrete railway sleepers a while a go now for the beds £5 each ideal really for the job in hand, a coat of paint and they should look ok, only issue is is moving the dam things i do have some small bits of pipe to roll them into position on.

 

I think it's about time I washed the muddy hand prints off the wall.



G.

 

It needed doing Kaz it was just a big mess all the hard graft is nearly done now onto more enjoyable things developing it will make it all worth while

 

Made new sturdier supports in my greenhouse using metal rods along the roof and then tied the plant supports to it.
Potted up some chillies and marigolds.
Bought an acer from Wilko and potted it up.
Bought four more clay pots from Poundland.
Used rose and shrub feed all around my plants ready for the rain tomorrow.

 

At last! Passageway with 9 doors leading off it all painted since Sunday. Another job out of the way Drizzle for most of the day anyway so good day for painting indoors!
More painting to do but other stuff incl gardening to do now. We will be having the best summer for many a year so got to get my plants prepared