What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2019

Didn't do much in the garden today, part from giving it "another coat of looking at"

 

I know and expect to removing shoots for the next few years. I've had to remove a couple of these recently as after 15years or so they decided to take over.
As for today continue to work way along overgrown bank, move rocks and start to create hard standing for large water tank.

 

Running out of things to do.

Our new Massarelli fountain is brown. It sits on this round stepping stone on top of the concrete rim of the old filter pump sump.
Rather a clashing colour.



I built up the plinth with sand and cement mortar, but it still looked a bit odd.



So today, I "painted" the plinth and the stepping stone.

When I say "painted" I made up a mix of silver sand and cement and added materials I had to hand. Good old Dulux mahogany Woodsheen and a bit of black Hammerite paint.
A bit pot luck when you mix it up as stuff always dries a different colour, but I think I've got away with it.

I had to pull back the ground cover plants to install the fountain, so I've added a bit of compost and hope they will spread back.



We're still waiting for the nine phlox plants we ordered from T & M in February. They are for the two beds I made out of the former waterfall. I drilled a 1" hole through the paving stone that forms the base of the lower part, so water can drain away and not run onto the new paving.

 

Nowt!!! ....I'm too sizzling hot!!

 

I must have become a right mamby pamby wuss....never use to suffer from the heat, until now!!! Just going back out now for a couple of hours.

 

Been another glorious day, repotted my two brugmansia cuttings and then started taking up the decking, managed to crowbar my leg somehow so I've give up for today and going to have a few medicinal beers.

 

Roasting day
BBQ, cider drinking and relaxing elsewhere over last couple of days but an hour or so ago I planted out salvia patens, salvia bluenote, dahlia Arabian Nights, potted on fast growing argyranthemums, cosmos, perennial heliotrope etc. Cosmos pinched out yet again....3 times now.
Planted up a container with aeonium Phoenix Flame and felicias.
Another roasting day tomorrow....boring all this sunshine, isn’t it?

 

It's not just you, we're the same must be our age.

 

My new nepeta proved to be too irresistible for it's own good. The 2 cats between them have virtually destroyed it in 2 days. Hopefully the mesh will protect until it's ready to be divided. Once the bits have established the cats will be free to help themselves as much as they like.

G.

 

Despite the heat, I managed to get a fair bit done today. Finished the next stage of the corral build, by stapling the mesh around the edges. Next came starting the main crop potatoes in their pots and moving both them and the earlies into the corral.



As you can see I've got plenty of space left, so might buy a couple more of the big pots and head to the local nursery to pick up some loose seed potatoes.

Finally, I started wrapping the bottom of the greenhouse staging with the remaining carrot root fly mesh, to give me a safe spot to grow them - before I was beaten by the sun setting.

 

A catastrophe Gary! :rasp:
You could place a few short canes in and around it ....it will deter cats and break their habit

 

Well I have just come in after managing 3 hrs in the garden this evening, much better temperature.
I have planted out ( albeit very late, should have gone in last month) my Gladioli and Peacock Orchids. I've done them the same way as I had experimented doing with my Tulips this year as they grew and bloomed fine. I planted the bulbs/ corms in upturned plastic bottles with their bases cut out , obviously left the cap off and made more drainage holes. Then the bottles were sunk into the ground do they couldn't be seen. Tonight I just had to go round removing the spent Tulips then replaced them with the Glads. This has proved a great success for me as I was always either chopping bulbs up in the ground when digging or storing bulbs and forgetting what they were. Now they can be left in their bottle to die back .

 

Same here, Agatha Christie's After the Funeral, Pinot Grigio and a loving glance over the spring growth. A bit of watering. The lawns are screaming, tomorrow will be the day when I initiate The Teenager into the fine art of using the mower. I promised her a tenner for each complete cut which should work out much cheaper than the current unearned money flow.