I went up to Hilliers with daughter for coffee and mincepies. We bought several small metal pots with primulas in at £2.99, 2 tiny ferns and 2 tiny firs at £1 each - bargain! And a pot of snowdrops in bloom.
Went to Allotments to gather the Christmas harvest. It took 3 times longer to wash the mud off the parsnips as it did to dig them. Got Cauliflower, Sprouts & some salad leaves from Greenhouse. Brought another sack of spuds from the store shed. Happy Christmas everyone.
Opened up the blow away as usual, it can get damp without any means of ventilation it is a must everyday, except when very cold. I only keep a few borderline tender plants, and potted clematis like Alpinas to protect from winter wet until they are bigger.
I also moved a large tray full of seedling Cyclamen coum with various leaf colours up into better light. Very excited but wish I had filled the tray with compost when I sowed them. I was short of compost at the time. I didn't expect so many would germinate, so have a little pricking out job on the "to do" list.
Got back from Bournemouth (grandchildren visiting) at lunchtime and as it was still sunshiny and up to 12 deg. decided to have just 30 mins in garden. Cleaned up Bed no.7 which is on the driveway slope. Delighted to see plummy coloured hellebores coming up as well as snowdrops and daffs. The white winter flowering heather's nearly out as well. Only 9 more beds to do, weather permitting!
Went to allotment this morning for a couple of hours dug out another load of old concrete and rubble, raked over a different area will so some winter green manure next week as its so mild.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
Tided up some tatty looking roses, and trimmed back a very leggy salvia in the front garden. I normally leave the salvias, but this one looked vulnerable to any high winds we are likely to get, so l decided to take the risk. Reading back over the last couple of days, l realised l haven't checked the hellebores, so will do that after a cup of tea. Don't know about anyone else, but l am finding it hard to get going !
Know how you feel @AnniD ! I think the holiday and good food must have slowed us down. I have so much clearing up to do I really need to get back my enthusiasm. I have a house full at the moment so that's my excuse but after they have left no doubt I will get motivated and weather permitting of course.
We repotted a shrub into a larger pot/urn in front of our house - the shrub was certainly pot bound. I used compost, last years leaf mould, house manure, top soil, peat, grit and some polystyrene at the bottom. I am hoping it won't get too cold - the test will be in the flowering in Spring/summer. I also potted up 9 loganberry and 8 blackberry stalks that had rooted next to the mother plants. All had a good root system.
Luckily the weather was sunny, calm and dry, so no problem motivating myself to go outside and get gardening.
Some of my new seeds arrived today, so I have spent the day sorting them out and all my old packets
I have taken all the old annual (some two or three years old) seed and mixed them all up in a paper bag In March I will mix them with silver sand and just direct sow them in a patch at the allotment they can do what they like.
With a bit of luck I will get a sort of meadow effect and lots of insects.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
Been out pruning one of my cherry trees now all the leaves have gone.Just thinning it out a bit,removing crossover branches etc. but keeping the general shape. Had to come in as it got too dark but from the house I see there is still more to cut off! First time I have managed to get in the garden for well over a month and it was lovely!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
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Happy Christmas everyone.
I also moved a large tray full of seedling Cyclamen coum with various leaf colours up into better light. Very excited but wish I had filled the tray with compost when I sowed them. I was short of compost at the time.
I didn't expect so many would germinate, so have a little pricking out job on the "to do" list.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
I have taken all the old annual (some two or three years old) seed and mixed them all up in a paper bag In March I will mix them with silver sand and just direct sow them in a patch at the allotment they can do what they like.
With a bit of luck I will get a sort of meadow effect and lots of insects.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
Had to come in as it got too dark but from the house I see there is still more to cut off!
First time I have managed to get in the garden for well over a month and it was lovely!