No rain today but very cloudy and dull. As long as it's dry you can get on with something. Yesterday's rain was really heavy and you can tell by the ground. Good to hear you got your plants out @AnniD. I didn't find the ground easy to dig after the rain. Although it was sodden it was compacted and turned over in lumps. Decided to start on the bed where I am planting my hydrangeas. One third of it still has all the spare topsoil on it so have started removing it to another area. (Loads of baby worms in it?) A bucket at a time is taking a lot longer than I thought but the wheelbarrow is full of apples! After two hours I thought enough was enough for one day so if it's dry tomorrow I hope to get it finished. Then I can plant out any hydrangeas I feel will be mature enough to withstand the cold weather ahead. I think there will only be room for three more on the plot if I keep to my leaving enough space for them to spread. Thought to get some more verbena as they have lasted so long but the ones I wanted on SGC are "sold out". Seem to see a lot of it in different gardens in GW. Have plenty of self seeded ones which I should collect and pot up. Not being too near the bird feeders when working the goldfinches were able to fight it out amongst themselves. Don't know what I am going to do with the grass underneath the feeders. At least the seeds don't germinate but make such a mess. Can't do much until the ground dries out. Got plenty of time to think about it probably all winter at this rate. Rain for you as well @Valley Gardener and @Purplerain ?
Grey and gloomy start, but l was determined to get the tulips potted up. Everytime l went indoors l took the unpotted bulbs in with me, much to OH's amusement . There's a squirrel around, and l wasn't going to give him a free lunch ! Finally finished after lunch by doing the 2 big pots, which meant digging them out, and in one l found.....a vine weevil . Granted, it was the tiniest one l have ever seen, but nevertheless l am going to order some more nematodes if l can. I couldn't find any more but l'm taking no chances. OH got the coldframe assembled for me, the pots are so wet l'm hoping they will dry out a bit undercover. I need to do a bit of cutting back stuff to fit it in, but that's a job for another day. The sun came out this afternoon, still some warmth in it so we had a cuppa on the patio (and a piece of cake). I was traumatised by the weevil, only cake would help. That's my excuse and l'm sticking to it 😁.
Like you @AnniD it started off dull and gloomy here but this afternoon was really bright and the sun was really warm. Good to hear you have now got all your bulbs planted up and no free lunch for your squirrel friend. One small vine weevil today could mean a lot more later on. I have never seen one yet so had better get familiar as to what they look like. Hope you get your nematodes soon. I went back to my bed of hydrangeas and actually managed to move the rest of the topsoil. I planted up two more hydrangeas. The one I wasn't very happy with when it arrived (which doesn't look much better now) and one of the three smaller ones to see if it remains happy. In fact the smaller one looks healthier that the other. Now I am just hoping my "vision of loveliness" appears as I imagine next year. After that I started on the rose bed. There are still quite a few roses but don't look much as there aren't many leaves apart from one bush which has excelled itself. Think I shall dig up the briar roses. Have pruned them down so will wait till next year to see what happens. They do take up a lot of room with very little colour to make up for it. There aren't too many weeds with the bark covering but hard to get in between without getting caught on the thorns. Will put some more bark down when I have finished. Around 3.30 it went very dark so decided to pack up before the rain came down. It didn't come down until quite some time later. If it's dry tomorrow it will be back to the rose bed. My canna is still struggling to produce a flower for the first time in three years. It obviously didn't want to be dug up although the leaves are rather moth eaten.
I don't think the weather of late has allowed for much gardening. I did actually finish tidying up the rose bed. After that I started trying to remove a privet hedge. Not the "nice" type of privet but a very invasive one. Didn't get very far before I had to finish. Yesterday it was too wet to do anything apart from making sure the birds didn't go hungry. Today was quite different although there were showers and heavy ones at that. Went back to attack the privet and had to use the saw. It was only planted earlier this year. Was interrupted by a downpour so the thing is still standing. Have had the garden fork under the roots but it does not want to cooperate. Maybe tomorrow. I was surprised at how many plants are still flowering and the sparrows seem to be back.
The sun is shining at last Managed to get out in the front garden and trim back pyracantha and cotoneaster, trying not to lose too many berries. The Robin was very interested, especially when l forked over the front beds under the windows. I couldn't see any worms, but his eyesight is better than mine! Hope to get some bark on there this afternoon . So nice to have some dry weather 😁
I agree, they are beautiful - l think the sheep is my favourite, but it's very hard to choose ! How many cards are you planning to paint @Valley Gardener ?
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Thought to get some more verbena as they have lasted so long but the ones I wanted on SGC are "sold out". Seem to see a lot of it in different gardens in GW. Have plenty of self seeded ones which I should collect and pot up.
Not being too near the bird feeders when working the goldfinches were able to fight it out amongst themselves. Don't know what I am going to do with the grass underneath the feeders. At least the seeds don't germinate but make such a mess. Can't do much until the ground dries out. Got plenty of time to think about it probably all winter at this rate. Rain for you as well @Valley Gardener and @Purplerain ?
Finally finished after lunch by doing the 2 big pots, which meant digging them out, and in one l found.....a vine weevil
Granted, it was the tiniest one l have ever seen, but nevertheless l am going to order some more nematodes if l can. I couldn't find any more but l'm taking no chances.
OH got the coldframe assembled for me, the pots are so wet l'm hoping they will dry out a bit undercover. I need to do a bit of cutting back stuff to fit it in, but that's a job for another day.
The sun came out this afternoon, still some warmth in it so we had a cuppa on the patio (and a piece of cake). I was traumatised by the weevil, only cake would help. That's my excuse and l'm sticking to it 😁.
I went back to my bed of hydrangeas and actually managed to move the rest of the topsoil. I planted up two more hydrangeas. The one I wasn't very happy with when it arrived (which doesn't look much better now) and one of the three smaller ones to see if it remains happy. In fact the smaller one looks healthier that the other. Now I am just hoping my "vision of loveliness" appears as I imagine next year. After that I started on the rose bed. There are still quite a few roses but don't look much as there aren't many leaves apart from one bush which has excelled itself. Think I shall dig up the briar roses. Have pruned them down so will wait till next year to see what happens. They do take up a lot of room with very little colour to make up for it. There aren't too many weeds with the bark covering but hard to get in between without getting caught on the thorns. Will put some more bark down when I have finished. Around 3.30 it went very dark so decided to pack up before the rain came down. It didn't come down until quite some time later. If it's dry tomorrow it will be back to the rose bed. My canna is still struggling to produce a flower for the first time in three years. It obviously didn't want to be dug up although the leaves are rather moth eaten.
I did actually finish tidying up the rose bed. After that I started trying to remove a privet hedge. Not the "nice" type of privet but a very invasive one. Didn't get very far before I had to finish. Yesterday it was too wet to do anything apart from making sure the birds didn't go hungry. Today was quite different although there were showers and heavy ones at that. Went back to attack the privet and had to use the saw. It was only planted earlier this year. Was interrupted by a downpour so the thing is still standing. Have had the garden fork under the roots but it does not want to cooperate. Maybe tomorrow.
I was surprised at how many plants are still flowering and the sparrows seem to be back.
Managed to get out in the front garden and trim back pyracantha and cotoneaster, trying not to lose too many berries. The Robin was very interested, especially when l forked over the front beds under the windows. I couldn't see any worms, but his eyesight is better than mine!
Hope to get some bark on there this afternoon .
So nice to have some dry weather 😁
Here are the first lot.
How many cards are you planning to paint @Valley Gardener ?