WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Sparrowhawks are quite clever. We've an eight foot fence between the corner of our kitchen and the corner of the garage. On the other side of the drive there's another eight foot fence between our drive and next door's. Several times they've trapped wood pigeons in this area, as they can't fly high enough to evade them in time.

 

It was quite frosty here first thing so I had decided that it was going to be a non gardening day. I went to the hardware store for more bark chippings and compost. Much to my delight they are now selling 50l bags of organic peat free compost. Previously I have had to buy the peat based compost. Frost had gone by the time I got home so spent an hour and half weeding and adding the compost and bark chips. Also top dressed the area around the pond with the new compost. I'm keen to make a start on planting there but A/ I can't make up my mind what to plant and B/ I think we might be due more frost.

 

@Doghouse Riley I didn't know they went after anything as large as a pidgeon .

 

It surprised me too!

 

Using a civil word, no! They self seed everywhere @luciusmaximus and difficult to get rid of, it doesn't help that they have to be dug out.

 

I have heard it said Bluebells can be invasive. The Bluebells in my garden are spreading but quite slowly. The lanes have Bluebells growing in Spring so possibly they self seeded into my garden. I thought they would have spread more quickly. I have planted a few extra as well. I would like to have a carpet of Bluebells across my front garden.

 

As I may have mentioned a few times before Spannish Blurbells are the bain of my life. Of all the many unwelcome visitors to me garden I think these are the top of my list. They will grow through the smallest cracks in the paths, easily go through really tough membrane and as @shiney has already mentioned, they are pretty resistant to weedkiller. I have had a little success spraying them and reckon if I was vigilant and kept spraying them I might....accent on the might, win. You have to crush the leaves to allow the weedkiller to penetrate through the tough glossy leaves and then add a sticking agent (think this is illegal) to the weedkiller.

I would be somewhat careful for what you wish for @luciusmaximus . Presuming your Bluebells are the dreaded Spanish ones, you will probably never get rid of them and they will appear everywhere. I personally would class these in the same category as the other introduced to the UK pains in the neck, Rosebay Willowherb, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam. There are probably others, not sure if Rhododendron Ponticum might qualify too. Maybe others can think of more suitable candidates?

 

I love the thought of bluebells but I can’t risk having them in my garden. I already have forget me nots which I may one day live to regret.

This morning I potted up my Dutch iris bulbs in the two troughs I bought. Everything always looks bigger in the shops and in your car than in does when in your garden. It’s a good job I bought 2 as I needed them both. They will now sit under the kitchen window, in the sun, until I find a permanent place for them.

I also took the opportunity to re pot my santolina and my hellebore niger. They both should now be in big enough pots to keep them healthy until such time when I’m ready to plant them out.

G.

 

Brought sacks of MPC and seed compost indoors so they don't freeze solid tonight and prevent me from continuing with potting on and seed sowing.

 

Oops,I seem to have sowed some Bluebell seeds last July when I managed to get to the seed pods before they fell to the ground so perhaps had better not put them into the ground.But then again I love the smell of them in the garden and the bees also love them so what is good for the bees is good enough for me PS mine are the proper Bluebells,not those foreign ones and I love them

 

Been busy sweeping and spraying the "wet and forget" this morning. Back is killing me. Wish the sprayer stick was a little longer so I could stand up straighter.



Will do the front and side tomorrow morning-it got too cold this afternoon.