Got the soaker hoses settled out into the veg beds and set up with the timer switches. Also did a bit of weeding. Our lawn is getting progressively worse.. large dead patches and dying grass in many places. I don't mind the weeds, I just want green.. but even the weeds are dying off. A mystery.
At last a break from the rain, well, didn't rain all the time at the weekend but I was away. Weeded in flower garden yesterday and planted some annuals in the gaps.
This morning I potted up gazanias and dahlias (grown from seed) to sell at my Open Day on the 17th.
Weeded the onions, could hardly see them despite the weed fabric all around. As soon as you cut a hole in it the weeds shoot through!
Broad beans have blackfly, forgot to pinch out the tips.
Planted purple sprouting broccoli, butternut squash x 2 and 3 more cucumbers. Potted on the other butternuts, cucs and courgettes to sell on my Open Day. I had potted on some purple sprouting to plant out, but something had been eating them so I used the ones that were still in the seed tray and had grown on quite well.
The cut flower bed is really disappointing. Only 4 calendulas, 2 nigella and 4 nasturtiums had come up, one plant might be an Ammi. No cornflowers or clarkia or anything else. Loads of weeds, especially thistles, bindweed and grass. The sweet peas are bushy, don't seem to be climbing, hardly any tendrils. Could I have bought the dwarf ones by mistake?
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
It looks like you have been extremely busy Busy! We did open gardens 3 times, lots of work but very rewarding (providing it doesn't rain), but I am sure that won't happen to you, it sounds like you have had your allotted share of it.
We sat with a neighbour who admired the pond, for an hour, fed some of the containers and planned what to do next (tomorrow), so nothing too arduous today. Sometimes it's good to sit back and take stock, and discuss which direction to go in next.
I was wondering how you were getting on Busylizzie. We're nearly there, the veg beds are at last finished and planted up, the peas this year seem to be doing really well, much to our surprise. I have made a small herb bed near the strawberry table and the collapsed log pile has been taken away. Like you, there's bindweed growing a mile a minute and tonight the wisteria leaves look a bit shrivelled so got the hosepipe out. I now aim to keep weeding and weeding for the next week! I can hardly walk at the moment. Hope to post some photos next week. Good luck with your Open Day.
Pinned five arches to the fence moved arch from rear of garden to front moved lights from tree to front arch tied in grapevines and sweet peas to arches created tripods to replace gap at rear where arch was and planted more sweet peas weeded borders dead headed walled bed attempted to rerope swing mowed lawn shredded cardboard for compost fixed garden gate lock rearranged pots tidied away loads of stuff so table was usable watered everything properly
anemonaes have bloomed, everything has taken a bit of a pink/magenta to the gardens...
I have some of those jobs to do too Tin Pot🤔 Not yet attempted though😔
I chucked lots of plants away today, now I'm shrinking the planting space (increasing driveway and lawn) everything has to do a backflip to impress me.
Got rid of my front hedge, euonymous alatus, it wasn't really a hedge. Noticed they had some scales, never noticed them in the garden before. Also got rid of a virburnum tinus, felt a bit guilty about that as it was perfectly healthy and lived in dry shade but it didn't have a huge season of interest. Going to replant the dry shade border with geranium phaeum, hellebore and various bovine ~slips.
Got rid of a globe flower too, nice colour but only for a couple of weeks, replaced with a purple loosestrife that was getting bullied in it's previous space.
Did some plant planning and moved some council slabs from the front garden, used two going to have to smash up and tip the others I reckon.
We got the last two roses in, as well as the remaining bedding plants. We have a vine that was planted last year, and I tied on a wire to guide it from the trellis to the pergola. From this forum, I’ve been given loads of suggestions today about plants for the mini stone wall and a very shady area. Loads more planning to do!
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Cicero
Dug out a self seeded buddleia (never can spell that!). Dug out and relocated a two year old liquid amber. All to make space for new buildings in garden (a summer house and my greenhouse with shed attached to the back - so excited about having a greenhouse at long last). Move a hydrangea to a pot (nowhere to put it in the garden), moved monarda and rudbeckia, also vinca and lots of other bits n bobs for the bin/compost. Oh yes, had ant trauma when i emptied the compost bin. Painted preservative on shed floor and roof. Watched OH do all the stuff fto prepare shed floor etc. Made drinks, lunch and tea, visited FIL. Watered everywhere, asked OH how leaky hose works ready to set up tomorrow. Gin time next.
Planted a lily that I bought in the supermarket yesterday.
I've fallen into the 'oh, I like them. I'll have them' trap of gardening! despite all my plans that I had drawn up over the winter. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's my garden so I'll have plants I like in it.
Can you divide lilys and get free plants?
Will be howking my rose bush up soon if it doesn't get it's backside in gear and start opening up all it's buds! Only two opened so far and one of them needed a tiny bit of coaxing. It's got loads of buds as well, would be really pretty to look at if it would do what it's supposed to!
Posts
At last a break from the rain, well, didn't rain all the time at the weekend but I was away. Weeded in flower garden yesterday and planted some annuals in the gaps.
This morning I potted up gazanias and dahlias (grown from seed) to sell at my Open Day on the 17th.
Weeded the onions, could hardly see them despite the weed fabric all around. As soon as you cut a hole in it the weeds shoot through!
Broad beans have blackfly, forgot to pinch out the tips.
Planted purple sprouting broccoli, butternut squash x 2 and 3 more cucumbers. Potted on the other butternuts, cucs and courgettes to sell on my Open Day. I had potted on some purple sprouting to plant out, but something had been eating them so I used the ones that were still in the seed tray and had grown on quite well.
The cut flower bed is really disappointing. Only 4 calendulas, 2 nigella and 4 nasturtiums had come up, one plant might be an Ammi. No cornflowers or clarkia or anything else. Loads of weeds, especially thistles, bindweed and grass. The sweet peas are bushy, don't seem to be climbing, hardly any tendrils. Could I have bought the dwarf ones by mistake?
Pinned five arches to the fence
moved arch from rear of garden to front
moved lights from tree to front arch
tied in grapevines and sweet peas to arches
created tripods to replace gap at rear where arch was and planted more sweet peas
weeded borders
dead headed walled bed
attempted to rerope swing
mowed lawn
shredded cardboard for compost
fixed garden gate lock
rearranged pots
tidied away loads of stuff so table was usable
watered everything properly
anemonaes have bloomed, everything has taken a bit of a pink/magenta to the gardens...
I chucked lots of plants away today, now I'm shrinking the planting space (increasing driveway and lawn) everything has to do a backflip to impress me.
Got rid of my front hedge, euonymous alatus, it wasn't really a hedge. Noticed they had some scales, never noticed them in the garden before. Also got rid of a virburnum tinus, felt a bit guilty about that as it was perfectly healthy and lived in dry shade but it didn't have a huge season of interest. Going to replant the dry shade border with geranium phaeum, hellebore and various bovine ~slips.
Got rid of a globe flower too, nice colour but only for a couple of weeks, replaced with a purple loosestrife that was getting bullied in it's previous space.
Did some plant planning and moved some council slabs from the front garden, used two going to have to smash up and tip the others I reckon.
I've fallen into the 'oh, I like them. I'll have them' trap of gardening! despite all my plans that I had drawn up over the winter. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's my garden so I'll have plants I like in it.
Can you divide lilys and get free plants?
Will be howking my rose bush up soon if it doesn't get it's backside in gear and start opening up all it's buds! Only two opened so far and one of them needed a tiny bit of coaxing. It's got loads of buds as well, would be really pretty to look at if it would do what it's supposed to!