I've just spent a compulsory hour in the garden wrapping my Rhododendrons in fleece,putting more compost over the tulips which are half an inch above the soil (In urns) because the forecast is for very low temps. Also sorted out the Coreopsis cuttings that are being attacked by greenfly! Must keep a closer eye on them!!
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
Some more general titivating, heartened by the sight of snowdrops etc. pushing through. Put some fleece over my treasures in the coldframe, and tided through the other coldframes and shut them down. Some chilly nights forecast for the next few days.
Yes! I did some garden work today! Only cut back a small hedge and a shrub in the front plus swept and moved some pots about but it was great to be out and doing stuff. Plenty of daffodil shoots peeping up already.
Okay, just about managed to get the posts in, pin the edging, plant the dogwoods, and added a little experiment with painting a small raised bed (should make more sense once the white picket fence is up).
And a pic of the haul of corms and tubers.
Anemones looking a little straggly in planters now.
Also got some mulch down ahead of wednesday nights frosts. Will finish once the other dogwoods arrive.
Exhausted now. Not sure when I’ll have time to do more though.
Not yet but yesterday I went to Kew to see the Christmas / new year lights very well done. Does that count? If not off to the Allotment to get the rest of the Gladiolus corms out, following another thread I decided to take them out this year. I left them in last year they did flower but rather late. I will move them to a new spot when I replant as the old area was getting invaded by couch & bindweed.
Popped outside to have a look at how it's all looking. Trimmed old leaves off my various coloured hellebore plants, all are flowering beautifully this year, my hellebore Tutu are bulking up well after l split it last year. I didn't know you aren't meant to split them really but I've got away with it it seems. Did some weeding, lots of little dandelions appearing already, also lots of ash seedlings. Had a good long stare at the "lawn", bare patches aplenty from the drought last year, but mainly due to my now nine month old puppy. Have decided the lawn needs doing this spring, so will plan ahead and get things for temporary fencing to keep her off for a few weeks. Had a look at the health of my soil. It was looking very poor last Autumn after the long hot weather we enjoyed last summer. I added lots and lots of well rotted horse manure and added all my homemade in bin bags leaf mould and forked it into the soil, around all my plants. I then used more manure on top as a mulch. I think it's worked well as there's lots of worm activity already. I think I'd added too much grit over the years to give better drainage to my once heavy clay soil. Hopefully now it will hold more moisture. Bulbs are well up now, crocus, little daffs and lots of Allium and iris. Signs of life from many perennials and the clematis are shooting from the base. One of my peonies buds has unfurled into leaf already, way to early. The native primroses l divided last Autumn are all in bud or flower. No sign of the two pots of snowdrop l planted last year though. Trimmed the yellow leaves off some of my potted agapanthus. Moved the evergreen agapanthus next to the house wall. Removed all the slugs that were hiding under the pots and checked the hostas in pots for vine weevil and more hiding slugs. The robin hopping around after me turned his beak up at a slug lunch, and was pulling up little worms instead. Had to get my special slug scissors out of the shed. Had to come inside now because it's turned very cold suddenly.
We built my new portable shelving rack in the conservatory/greenhouse this morning. Four shelves roughly each 18 inches long . However I should be able to stand 100 3" pots on them - photos to follow. Weeded the veg. patch - which is being hoed once or twice a month at the moment, so should have a fine tilth by the time we are ready to sow seeds/plants. I spread another bag of woodchip on the bog and borders and we carried on preparing the wild flower area for spring seed sowing.
Started to have a good sort out in the poly tunnel one end has been a work space this year for prepping and treating all the new timbers for outside now that's all done I need to get it ready for spring.
Took out the last of the new potatoes I had growing in two large pots in the tunnel had five or six meals from them so will do that again for next Christmas it's not long now!!
Generally tided and pottered about
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
Posts
Placed some edging on the front garden, looks like it will work to keep soil in off the street but needs pinning to new posts.
painted new posts
dug up gladioli, weeded whole I was there, chopped up leaves for compost
Dug up dahlias as well. One is huge. Will put in dry soil in shed.
Compost heaps are thriving with creepie crawlies
Soooo much more to do!
Cardboard to compost, move flowers, place posts, pin edging, plant dogwoods, etc!
And a pic of the haul of corms and tubers.
Anemones looking a little straggly in planters now.
Also got some mulch down ahead of wednesday nights frosts. Will finish once the other dogwoods arrive.
Exhausted now. Not sure when I’ll have time to do more though.
If not off to the Allotment to get the rest of the Gladiolus corms out, following another thread I decided to take them out this year. I left them in last year they did flower but rather late. I will move them to a new spot when I replant as the old area was getting invaded by couch & bindweed.
Bulbs are well up now, crocus, little daffs and lots of Allium and iris. Signs of life from many perennials and the clematis are shooting from the base. One of my peonies buds has unfurled into leaf already, way to early. The native primroses l divided last Autumn are all in bud or flower. No sign of the two pots of snowdrop l planted last year though.
Trimmed the yellow leaves off some of my potted agapanthus. Moved the evergreen agapanthus next to the house wall. Removed all the slugs that were hiding under the pots and checked the hostas in pots for vine weevil and more hiding slugs. The robin hopping around after me turned his beak up at a slug lunch, and was pulling up little worms instead. Had to get my special slug scissors out of the shed. Had to come inside now because it's turned very cold suddenly.
Took out the last of the new potatoes I had growing in two large pots in the tunnel had five or six meals from them so will do that again for next Christmas it's not long now!!
Generally tided and pottered about
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog