What jobs are we doing today in the garden ?

Cut the grass again!!, think I've cut it more than last the whole of last year already ; as last year was so dry it didn't grow at all..

 

Planted out tomatoes and squash over the weekend. Expecting hail so covered them up this morning. I'm glad it's started to rain as I was reluctantly planning to turn over the compost bins, not a job my back enjoys.

 

The weather stopped play here again. Wind and hailstones, so another day abandoned in the garden. My young Ipomoea plants are looking sad in the greenhouse but it's to cold to bring them out yet.

 

Weeded the veg plot, sowed some more Spring Onions and fed the Pelargoniums, Fuchsias etc.
Keeping toms and bedding in as there could be a frost here tonight possibly down to 3c.

 

Planted out another two courgettes, potted up two begonias and placed in GH
General watering duties
Then went to daughter no1 and jet washed the decking, whilst accountant hubby who has not got the time, watched eagle eyed, and offered advice whilst drinking coffee, commented on the amount of pressure I was using, and when would I be back as he was not keen on leaving it un oiled for more than 24hrs (The Jet black slippery decking had nothing done for three years and it was actually a nice light pine colour)
Daughter was fine, managing the babies and supplying tea and biccies, Hubby asked if she had nothing to do could she do etc etc

Went on to daughter number 2, to Jet wash the flagstone patio, much bigger job
Started with coffee and biscuits,
The black patio was as it turned out red, yellow and green slabs :-)

More tea/coffee and biscuits, and could I leave some left to do as they want a go themselves. Hubby Leading fireman and on watch, presently at an RTA on the Motorway

Got back home to find someone parked in my drive, so I parked up, and inside was one of my wifes friends, so I excused myself to the garden as I was in wellies and gardening order
Greenhouse duties, one tomato was sort of wilted, so as I was removing the bits between stem and branch, it came out, about four inches down no root just a withered stem, I cut it back to clean stem and stuck it back in about six inches,with plenty of water and this evening it seems to be in good health
Destroyed the Vetch that was amongst my sweetpea seedlings then called it a day

Jack McH

 

It's a good job you've finished work Jack....you'd never have fitted all that in aswell

 

You beat me to it Lolimac. I was about to say, and you thought you'd retired Jack.

 

I'm busy with 3 jobs at the same time .... biggest being a pub that is a total garden refurbishment

received a call a short while back saying all the david austin roses have arrived plus several others

had to stop the other job and rush home .... having a quick coffee then back to work ...

delivery was quick ... plants were ordered on monday afternoon .... will work till late today/night but at least it's not raining

 

Lined the base of the garage wall with a compost bag, removed soil(a trench worth), sprinkled fertiliser pellets and moisture retaining granules in trench base,planted 20 "Fragrantissima" sweet peas - grown in toilet roll middles. Then put 1/2 bag MCP around them and watered them in. Weeded rest of bed,removed forgetmenots and hand forked bed over. A new brood of baby blackbirds were never more than 2 feet away and ate all the life that had been dossing down over Winter and Spring. I think it's their first day out - so vulnerable today but no cats or dogs here.There is plenty of low Cotoneaster cover to shelter in overnight.Planted out the Allegria dwarf beans(piccies in "Beans" thread) in a container - will keep them inside until the nights warm up a bit. Removed clumps of a dwarf astilbe that has spread too much. 2 or 3 things need potting on and then there are the hanging baskets....... Amazing how you feel more inclined when the sun comes out.

 

Sun's out here but I've been in work, then went food shopping, then came home and fed the cats, dogs and birds in that order, then potted up three Fuchsia cuttings and then made myself a sarnie. Last in the pecking order, that's me

Grass wants cutting but I don't have the motivation. I'd rather sit here and look at my Rhododendrons flowering (Marcel Menard has just opened his first one).

 

all done for the day ... having a beer now ... David Austin roses are bare root (thought they were in leaf already at this time of the year) ... planted them well though (deep wide holes, rootgrow, plagron bat mix compost, volcanic rock dust, and some worm humus) ... also mowed the lawn (they open tommorow night for the directors/owners and friday for the public) ...

hosepipe is too short, so ended up walking to and fro with a watering bucket (nearest tap is in the back of the pub

 

Moved just under a ton of topsoil around the garden.....now i'm far too tired to cook the tea....i feel an Indian coming on:WINK1:

 

Weeding the wildnernessy (ie neglected ) back corner of the garden. Hasn't been weeded for a long long time and discovered some what I think are probably Irises which might have a chance at doing something now and Pulmonaria in flower.

 

Made a oblisk, went to the garden center at weekend and saw 1 that gave me the idea for this, but cost £39.99. Cost me £15 and i had material left so i made a trellis.