After yesterday’s expedition into the various garden tasks, I did other things today, other than marvel at how all the organic slug pellets had disappeared around the dahlias. All of them! That, and the bonus there was no more damage to the dahlias. I’m not a fan of restrictive scientific thinking, but one and one equals two on this occasion?!
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Cicero
Not done anything today, however, I'm seriously contemplating going outside with my umbrella all night to shelter my scabiosa from this wind and rain. The poor bugger had only just started to look quite happy in my border and now it's looking rather bedraggled and in need of a wee bit of shelter.
Just removed branches of Bay tree infested with 'bay sucker' (see problem solving thread!) Then gave it a damn good blast with the hose, also removing the scale insects. Cat wasnt best pleased. He had sneeked under the red robin next to it and i didnt notice. He is now drying off and giving me dirty looks!
Gardening. The cause of, and solution to, all of my problems.
Is it just me or is anyone else feeling they are going flat out just to stand still. EVERYTHING seems to need attention at the moment. Consoling myself with plates of fresh Broad beans salads & strawberries from the plots while catching up slowly. Too many jobs to list.
Spent all day yesterday in front garden, not that is that big but soil was like concrete so hard to weed & clear up. Looks much better now but I keep saying it really needs a major revamp but somehow we never seem to get to it.
Did some fun gardening this weekend, planned my new dry shade border, had the first lot of plants delivered, Geraniums and am waiting on a delivery of hellebores. For ages I've wanted a pink and a yellow hellebore but have never found ones I like in stock. My taste must have changed because I found both this week🙂
Mended the garden after Hector, had to scaffold some things up and just abandoned some other things. It's completely snapped one of my new Heleniums off at the base leaving the top of the root stump, I don't know if that will come back.
Planted up a border of geums from elsewhere in the garden. It was supposed to a mix of things but once the geums were in there wasn't room for much else.
Sowed some lupin seeds just in case I lose more, lost some over winter and I need to move some next winter.
Chopped down a flagpole cherry and took advantage of my chain of waterbutts being empty to shuffle them all closer together.
Did some work around my parents garden. Weeded a seeded flower bed. My dad isn't fussed about seed trays, so over-seeds a mix of flowers onto bare tilled ground with the idea some things will survive, grow, and flower. Lots of weeds also enjoy the bare soil, unfortunantly, which leaves me guessing what he planted and what is weed.
I also had a hack at their lilac bushes. It was way over grown with lots of mostly dead older pieces. I cut it back by over half, expecting it to stimulate new growth and fill in empty gaps. A tree surgeon came by this spring and thinned out the branches of the poplar that was shading it, so I do expect a good recovery.
Now my Open Garden has been and gone I am having a break from gardening, apart from watering and picking broad beans. Hands are swollen and aching from the rush of work in the last 2 weeks. There was so much rain before that I just couldn't get on with it.
It can take care of itself for a bit!
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I wish I could get on with my little patch,but we've had non stop drizzle for the last four days! Only able to pop out and top up the bird feeders,but noticed some pretty tall weeds out there!!!
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
Very pretty B-L, enjoy your well deserved rest! Potted on verbascum plants grown from seed, also hardy geraniums. Planted out last of the cosmos, and also some pinks and a campanula that l spotted at the GC this morning. Disturbed an ants nest in the process, blackbird had a feast with the ant eggs.OH cut some of the box hedge as it was cloudy this morning, made a bit tricky by the breezy conditions. Baby robin (or possibly sparrow), managed to fly into the garage and perch on top of the fuse box, flew out after about 20 minutes. Sun came out this afternoon, temperature rocketed !
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Bloody rain!
Mended the garden after Hector, had to scaffold some things up and just abandoned some other things. It's completely snapped one of my new Heleniums off at the base leaving the top of the root stump, I don't know if that will come back.
Planted up a border of geums from elsewhere in the garden. It was supposed to a mix of things but once the geums were in there wasn't room for much else.
Sowed some lupin seeds just in case I lose more, lost some over winter and I need to move some next winter.
Chopped down a flagpole cherry and took advantage of my chain of waterbutts being empty to shuffle them all closer together.
Mowed.
I also had a hack at their lilac bushes. It was way over grown with lots of mostly dead older pieces. I cut it back by over half, expecting it to stimulate new growth and fill in empty gaps. A tree surgeon came by this spring and thinned out the branches of the poplar that was shading it, so I do expect a good recovery.
It can take care of itself for a bit!
Potted on verbascum plants grown from seed, also hardy geraniums. Planted out last of the cosmos, and also some pinks and a campanula that l spotted at the GC this morning. Disturbed an ants nest in the process, blackbird had a feast with the ant eggs.OH cut some of the box hedge as it was cloudy this morning, made a bit tricky by the breezy conditions. Baby robin (or possibly sparrow), managed to fly into the garage and perch on top of the fuse box, flew out after about 20 minutes. Sun came out this afternoon, temperature rocketed !