What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2019

More to do with watering plants than anything here. Very little rain yesterday and it looks the same today. Heading for a very warm, even hot, weekend so I need to make sure nothing dries out
Lots of planting to do though and the second batch of carrots needs thinning.
Fantastic time of year so hope everyone enjoys it

 

It's dry, so I'll be tackling a "re-roofing job."

When earlier in the year, I made this little bird feeder that the small birds could use, but the wood pigeons couldn't, I was scrabbling around for a bit of roofing felt, but could only find a couple of small pieces.




But a month or so ago I refelted "the rabbit shed" as we call it. No rabbits in there for decades, since our daughter left home for GOS nursing school.



I was looking out the French windows through the rain at the feeder last evening, when I realised there'd be some spare nice new felt left over from the shed, in the garage, I could use.

This is of course, an example of me "looking for things to do," as it's not a golf day and there's nothing pressing to do in the garden. The car's being collected shortly for its service and MOT, there's tennis on TV later and I want to learn to play a particular tune on my leccy piano I'd heard in a film the other night on the TV, so I'll not be idle.

 

Excellent wisteria DHR.....have one here growing over the garage but it’s not actually mine
A gorgeous morning spent on the beach. Water is still too cold for swimming just yet although Nico enjoyed it. A paddle for me though
Took a cuppa out in the garden for a few planting ideas

 

For me it was simply pegging out the washing, trimming back some of the dead honeysuckle stems without disturbing the wren nesting at the top of the dead stems, under the eaves, then waiting for the rain to stop enough (!!!) to bring the wetter washing in again.

Time to pot on some chillies....!

 

"For me it was just watching Simona Halep beat Ashley Barty in the Madrid Open quarter-finals."
It's a big modern complex, smaller than Wimbledon but with I think three courts that have a retractable roof. All the stand and seating structure is either aluminium or steel painted to look like aluminium. Just imagine how hot to the touch that must get in bright sunlight.

Unlike Wimbledon, the number of spectators is very small with at times huge expanses of the stands completely empty.
World No. 1 ranked Naomi Osaka is just starting against Belinda Bencic, in front of a few more, but it's never like Wimbledon with every seat taken.

 

Phew! Got to be a scorcher
Cut niece’s lawn....mine tomorrow

 

The rain cleared up this morning just as I was about to go on lunch break. Instead of spending an hour sitting in town twiddling my thumbs I decided to go home and do the jobs I've been itching to do all week.

I cut off the foliage of the heuchera and washed the roots. After all of that there doesn't seem to be much plant left. Even less once I cut it in half. I now have 4 pits of heauchera in pots.

I have also trimmed the lonicera red tip and repotted it.

Time will tell

G.

 

Just resist the urge to keep watering the divided heucheras though......leave them in a sheltered spot for 3 weeks or so.

 

Made a start on all the block paving...been crawling around on my hands and knees with my little pointy knife thingy and going between every block to remove moss and the odd weed...it's such a soothing satisfying job ...Yeah yeah yeah I know I could make the task much easier if I poisoned it but looking at dying yellowing moss and weeds gets on my ning nangs.

 

Planted a Queen Elizabeth Scarlet Rose.
Planted an Astilbe, that was in a container, in a shady part of the garden.
Then the heavens opened and I went in.

 

The weather turned decent so I rushed home from the office managing the rather big parcel of my third Climbing Iceberg which arrived today in the office. The parcel didn't have my name on it (it's a very large office) but the mailroom guys immediately thought that this must be the Global Warming or whatnot the mad lady has been raving about and called me

Potted the first two Icebergs (bareroot but very healthy looking) which have been soaking overnight in a bucket, punched some holes in the said bucket and threw in the potato (i.e. planted the only potato we are growing and buried it 10cm deeper).

The Iceberg project went as things usually go in this household, I carefully analysed what I want in the front bed and decided on a white climbing rose on obelisk. After narrowing down my options I sought advise from the experts here, and decided on Climbing Iceberg. A month or so of patient hunting, and finally found a decent priced plant from a well recommended nursery.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Comfort buying plan B i.e. Clematis and Jasmine in case the rose doesn't make it. Contacting the nursery to hear they are out of stock and the next lot will be ready in November. Abandoning all sense and purchasing twin pack of bareroot ones from unnamed Amazon seller, knowing they are likely to be twigs potted up in September. Then the nursery calls me to say they actually found an Iceberg in their sister nursery, would I like to have it instead of a refund?

So here I am, with 3 healthy looking rather large growing climbing roses, an extra Clematis and a Jasmine, with a postage stamp of a urban garden. Probably I'll need a new house. Must browse Amazon tonight...

Lovely evening, things are getting on well in the greenhouse and everything has survived the very cold week. Looking forward to the weekend!

 

I'm not sure avoiding watering is an option. It has been raining on and off since Wednesday. This afternoon cleared up nicely but now its absolutely chucking it down.

G.

 

I played golf in dry weather this morning, it didn't start raining until I was on my way home around 2.00pm. Then it rained for most lf the afternoon. Stopped for lomng enough for me to have a walk round and take a few photos.

One of our newer azaleas. It's a bright orsnge.



The other one. Very similar. I "de-bluebelled" this rear bed on Tuesday.




Tree azaleas in full bloom



As are these. Lawn is looking quite good. I resist the urge to practice my "short game" on it.



The white azaleas are trying to force their way through the red ones.



These hebes which took a battering when the pool was being filled, I was having to pick bits of hardcore out of them have recovered well.



I need to get the ladders out tomorrow to tie down the wispy bits of this Mayleen. Plants are uncooperative, they like to grow upwards, not hang downwards.

 

Cut my 2 lawns, moved runner bean plants outside in their pots, watered gh and conservatory as well as plants outside in their pots. Planted out salvia patens Oxford and campanula Iridescent Bells as well as a small group of cosmos.
It is a very warm day....in the garden it is positively hot

 

Mowed the lawns,did a bit of weeding,also have two small lawned areas approx 3mtrs x4 mtrs which I decided to remove to make two new flower beds...cor innit hard work removing turf ,I'm absolutely jiggered. Now time to wrap all the little green darlings up for the day,going to be 3 degrees tonight in these parts...Grrrrr