What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

... photo of mine herewith. That might have to be tomorrows Project Episode ...

 

Escaped from the office for a couple of hours this afternoon. Despite the lockdown a lot of our customers are still working but arranging their collections is more difficult due to our suppliers not working at 100%.

Managed to empty one of the compost bins - I have 4 cubes made from pallets. I usually tow the trailer behind the tractor mower but I cant get the mower where I wanted the compost so I had to convert the trailer into a two wheeled barrow and lug it up the garden and over deep chippings. I'll feel that in the morning !
The plan is to cover the veg patch with a good layer of compost to loosen up the soil. 2 cubes to go.

 

Luke warm by the time I got it sorted @shiney

 

Hmmm! that could become a sore subject @KFF when my hubs realises I'm on the last kitchen roll....sssh don't tell him

 

Yesterday watered the polyanthus everything is getting dry now, could do with some rain.

 

A cool set of new wheels @shiney

 

Yes, 450X (I think the X just means you get the Phone APP connection ... which I think? is included on all but the small one (where it is an an option)

Naturalised bulbs is an issue, but I have "zones" for them, and a Summer/Winter switch which disables the Spring Bulb Areas. But that's no good if you carefully mow around each individual Cowslip where it springs up in your lawn


I'll do a write-up when I have a mo. There is some good, and some not so good, but in the main I'm at the "thrilled" end of the spectrum.

Neighbour has a John Deere ride-on with a hose attachment (like yours). I've borrowed it a few times, and when done hooked up the hose to clean-it-before-return. It was useless ... maybe it removed some stuff, but I still had to do plenty of cleanup of my own and not sure whatever it did do made any tangible difference. Hopefully YMMV

Surprised you aren't seeing that as an advantage ... I can imagine that flat-battery would be a pain, but easy-start must be more of a gain surely?

At the least it means that you could get someone a lot less Hunky, than your good self , to do the mowing.

 

I've been out weeding - so many violets this year. I love the little ones but the biggies are a pain and go everywhere. I like ground cover but you can have too much.
Also pulling out vinca which is spreading it's wings too far and cinqfoil with roots that go on and on.
I found some treasures among the trash and have potted up bay, hellebores and some unidentified seedlings. It's a gorgeous day and there's nothing better for the spirit than listening to the birdsong and making friends with the earth.

 

@Kristen - a few years back you advised me to scrub the bark on my betula pendula Youngii after a tree seat was put round it. When I saw you pop up on GC again it reminded me. That's on my "to do" list for today

 

I do mine in the Autumn, so that the white bark looks good over the winter ... although mine are the Himalayan birch variety, grown for their bright white winter bark ... there are some nice ones in the Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey


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By the by, those are probably Grayswood Ghost or similar. Being a plant-snob when I planted mine I ordered Grayswood Ghost from a fabulous tree nursery down in Devon (sadly no more ... ) and he said "What do you want them for?" I patiently explained I was making a Winter garden and the effect of the white bark was very important ... blah blah blah ...

"Hugely overrated, fussy to look after, and a lot more expensive then bog-standard Betula utilis jacquemontii. I challenge you to tell the difference"

So, grateful for the advice , I planted the cheap common-or-garden variety

 

It is 18c and sunny here. I planted my Fuchsia triphylla which arrived yesterday in a giant pot by the front door ... it looks silly at the moment as it is only 30cm tall. I also sowed Ipomoea Mina lobata and Salvia horminum (Painted Sage) in the trough next to it. Trimmed my bonsai Bougainvillea and a trailing Geranium on the front patio. T'other Half kindly topped up the giant pots out front containing the Thevetia peruvianas with compost. Now we are ready for the anticipated showers tomorrow.

 

Yup, they definitely have a large planting of young'uns the other side of the hedge

 

Watered 25 pots of blueberries.