What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2019

@luciusmaximus your garden sounds a fabulous wildlife haven. I am so sorry to hear about the hedgehogs that is so sad, but you're doing a wonderful job of trying to care for them.

We get two hedgehogs visiting us, started last year and I was so happy to see my first ever hedgehog in real life! They are lovely little creatures and really need all the help they can get, so keep doing what you're doing because it will make a difference.

 

Well, I’ve managed to cut the grass, leaving much of the upper area uncut, to encourage wild flowers. Still was hard work, as I had to cut round the veg beds, and mow “paths” to the pond.

 

Just cut 2 lawns....3 if counting my niece’s at lunchtime
Couple of plants on my doorstep .....a variety of A. Frikartii Monch, Wonder Von Staffa, and a new, to me, grafted tomato Honeycombe.
Another sign of summer here are the Swifts. Delightfully darting birds whizzing across the garden today
Took Nico to local woods earlier......cooler for him although he does love the beach There is a secret garden being developed there complete with seating etc. Lovely in such a hot day as today

 

Finished trimming my parterre and now I'm bent like a hair pin..my back is killing me..Hubby got me a real snazzy stool thingy on wheels to make the job easier,tried it but you need to keep standing back and looking to see how wonky you've gone so a waste of time...don't think I'll be able cook tea tonight so I'm afraid it may have to be a chicken Naga from the local village restaurant ...

 

I can well believe it.

Well into my sixties I errected a new six ft concrete post and waneylap fence down one side of our garden... On my own! This one. It replaced a tall timber and green mesh fence I'd errected twenty years before.



It was only six panels, but the concrete posts are at least seven and a half feet tall. I did have my trusty four wheeled dolly to bring them up from the front of the house.

The problem with doing it on your own, is that you only get one shot of getting the posts set right they are so heavy. I'd never have been able to pull one out if I'd got it wrong.
Having dug the first hole, tamped down the bottom and put half a brick in the bottom of the hole, I stood a length of 3" X 2" timber I'd cut to the exact length of a concrete post. So I could make sure it would be at the right height. Then I dropped the first post in. As it was sitting on the half brick I was able to wiggle it straight, support it, check the perpendicular and put in the postcrete.

The concrete base panel in situ was the measure for the next hole, which I dug out. After putting in the half brick. I was with the bit of wood able to check that the hole was the correct depth and adjust it if it wasn't, as I ran a line from the top of the first post to the corner of our shed. I took the timber post out, then put in the wayney lap panel on top of the base panel, then dropped in the concrete post. The base and the waneylap panel became a guide and it was easy to wiggle the post square and upright.Then drop in the postcrete. That stuff sets fast!
I repeated the process until I'd finished the lot.

I've also a system for replacing the panels in six foot fences without ladders or damaging plants in a border. But you do need two people.

I used a thick piece of dowel about six and a half feet long with a big hook screwed into the end. I screwed a matching eye into the middle of the top of the panel. Attaching the dowl to the panel, two of you raise the panel and rest the bottom end of the panel on the top of the two posts. The dowl hanging down will support the other end so the panel is horizontal. One of you then starts to raise the panel using the dowel, whilst your partner steadies the base and guides it into the slots. You can then push the panel up until it is vertical. It won't fall into next door's garden as long as you hang onto the dowel! Your partner can steady the descent of the panel between the slots of the posts so it dosn't hit the base panel with a thump.
Using that method, with the aid of my son we replaced all the panels on the left-hand side of our garden several years ago. I've kept the dowel and the big hooks and eyes, as some may need replacing again in the future.


Didn't do much today. Did a bit of wisteria pruning I want this new one on the side of the garage and the bits of the old one which died, that layered themselves, to fill out. So I cut the ends of all the new stringers, so they'll "double up" during the year.



Sprayed the roses again. Greenfly are persistent. Pruned off the last of the wisteria blooms.

The lawn's looking dog rough after the scarifying, but give it a couple weeks and a bit of a feed and it'll be fine.

 

off work, next five days, yeah. have lots of little jobs to do in lots of areas in my garden.

 

Took a day off Carol's kitchen today, potted on my tomatoes (only 26 this year), cucumbers and courgettes....... I know I'm a few weeks late but comfrey and nettle soup will help me catch up eventually!

 

Another busy day yanking out Ground Elder at my Dad's......I dream about it now

Took another box of plants round to plant up.....still hundreds to go!!

Pleased to say his newly sown lawn is coming on well , they are coming back to check the germination


Small pond with a Ground Elder backdrop!! I can't swim!

Big pond...haven't done here yet.

Borders sorted today ( don't look to close G E is lurking!)

Wooded walk ( not done yet either!)

 

My favourite part of the garden is right down the bottom behind his big pond . It's like a little cosy corner to escape to and chill with the waterfalls babbling away. Haven't done much here yet either!

This is my job list next week!!
Front garden ...on the to do list also

We'll get there!!

 

You’re doing well there Upsy

Planted out a couple of dahlias, agastache Summer Sky, took cuttings of aeoniums, potted on zaluzianskya and pelargoniums and planted up 2 containers to take to my nephew’s next week. Also taking argyranthemums, Gazanias, gauras, salvias, Felicias and more to him

Looks like minimal rain to come so plenty of watering to do later.....can’t complain cos weather is fantastic but rain is needed now

 

My wife was watching the BBC Chelsea Flower Show programme and saw these featured and asked me to find some.

So I did.

Three for £16.99 free postage

Loropetalum chinensis 'Fire Dance' Chinese Witch Hazel | eBay

I had to remind her that we had two in pots we bought about ten years ago, but they only lasted a couple of years. (we've still got that brush).




I'll squeeze these new ones into the borders...somewhere!

 

That garden is absolutely beautiful @Upsydaisy Thanks for sharing the piccies. I love love love looking around gardens Beautiful ponds and lots of levels of height with the trees and shrubs etc - really nice

 

Indoors sorting out. We'll have guests next week so the guest room had to be transformed from "it'll fit on the windowsill if we just move this here"- room into a human habitat. Several no-hope pots were moved out into the forget-and-hope-for-a-miracle corner in the patio, the lemon tree went out as well and the Abutilon seedlings came to kitchen. The Abutilon are growing nicely, this is a nostalgia trip to my Grandmother's home, she had Abutilons flowering all year round

Watered all the pots outdoors, next week most of them will go into the beds or in permanent containers. Cosmos, Anthirrinum and Dahlias are all ready to go, as well as the herbs. Checked all the borders, amazing growth in just a week of some decent weather.

The grass is knocking on the door, it has been growing madly thanks to the nice weather and some feed, and a lot of work commitments which have allowed me maximum half an hour after work every day. Tomorrow the scythes will be a-reaping!

Hello summer

 

Aww thanks @Verdun and @Snorky85. It really was a stunning garden back in the days when we still had Mum with us, she spent most of her days out there . She even dug out the ' small pond' !!

I will be happy just to give an overall impression of neatness ( I can't win the G E battle I know) and add additional pops of summer colour here and there.

 

not usually a veggie person for planting. but my neighbor has some tomato plant babies to give away. got three of them, put them in a huge pot and did have a tomato cage already so we shall see. I can have more he says, so tomorrow will put together a second big pot for three more. maybe I can join the tomato contest, LOL.