WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Snorky, Agree about witch hazels...only the one here, Pallida Mollis, but the scent is awesome and the flowers wonderfully quirky. A must for the winter garden.
Also have Edgeworthia here...2 types....with buds teasingly (they usually flower in winter) about to open.....wonderful foliage too. Check out Coronilla Glauca Citrina .....scented, yellow pea flowers mainly over the darkest months but show at any time.
Pittosporum Tom Thumb shines in winter ...it has the blackest foliage of most anything

Cant wait to get into the garden soon.....the temperature is about 18 degrees here. Wonderful summer's day

 

That’s the way to do it, there’s no rush.
They do weigh a bit when full. I struggled the other day getting one in my van, full of wet leaves.
I’m still struggling after I broke some ribs the other year and never rested. Done something but I keep on going. They told me I had to rest But I just carried on working but boy it did hurt.

 

Today has been mulching one of the borders with the chipped trunks, branches and leaves from this years earlier ripping apart of the border.

Not quite enough to mulch all of the border but plenty of organic matter to go back into the soil

 

We ripped out the veggie raised beds, decision made to put the new polytunnel there and have started to level out the area. Carol has trimmed down the Brugs and put them into pots for over wintering having taken cuttings as insurance. The dogs have been trying to help (hinder).

I've assembled what I can of the polytunnel, prior to installation so we're getting there.

It's been a warm afternoon here after a very chilly start.

 

Today I trimmed my hedges. I found it a lot easier once I sharpened my shears. The beauty of a privet hedge is you can see where you need to be. I didn't worry too much. I just hacked off all the long bits and kept going until it looks reasonable. It's looking a whole lot better than it did before. Someone has always cut it every month but we haven't seen them for at least 3 months. Next year I might think about doing myself.

G.

 

Finished the last piece of duckboard for the greenhouse, dug out five virginia creeper wasn't sure what to do with them so I've put them in pots and cut up the rubbish left from from the demolishing of my summer house, ended up with an aching back.

 

A good tidy of my potting bench, put pots and trays in my now empty greenhouse. I gave it a good sweep, so much mess seems to accumulate on there! 2 inches of compost in one corner
I collected more cosmos seeds and sweet pea seeds.
Then I planted a very neglected photinia. It's a variegated one and has been in a pot, then planted, then dug up and shoved in a pot, then planted etc I gave it a good water and some growmore
Enjoy the dry weather people

 

I made a mid afternoon decision as the weather is closing in again, to go out and level the soil on the lawns where the tree stumps were removed. This was hampered by roots both attached and unattached, numerous large and small stones and bits of old fencing wire. Those removed the raking is complete and the soil will be left to settle over this winter before seeding in the Spring.

Pictures on the link below if anyone would like to see the progress.

One year on....

 

Not done much in the garden recently, the grass seed is coming along nicely but still thin in places.

I am fed up of leaves as well, I've been using the mower to pick majority up , I got fed up of emptying the box so just end up mulching them into small bits and picking them up after with the mower , excellent for making leaf mould rather quick this way this way I would of thought.

It a bit to often monthly cutting of privet hedge must of cost you a bit over a year @Jack Sparrow they are normally cut late May / June for the 1st cut and 2nd cut August / September

 

I haven't started on mine yet. My front doorstep is disappearing fast.

 

Last year I made a big thing about collecting leaves. When I got them I didn't know where to put them. I don't think I'll be bothering this year. At the most I'll possibly just brush the fallen leaves onto the garden to rot down naturally.

I'm not sure how often the privet hedge was trimmed. Maybe once a month was an exaggeration. I know it's cut several times. I doesn't change the fact that it was way overdue. It looked a mess. It's never looked that bad before. It looks a lot better now.

G.