Although it was sunny, the wind was too cold to tempt me out for long. I just brushed one of the paths clear of the fallen pittospernum blossom (makes such a mess) and OH pruned an odd leaning branch off a viburnum. I'm hoping that by taking it down below the top of the fence, it will shoot out lower down so we get flowers at eye level. That's the theory anyway!
Cleared all the odd bits of wood from the garden and sawed up for the log burner. Mowed the verge at the front of the house.
Set too with the wife and started planting out perennials candelabra primulas, aricula primulas, lupins, hollyhocks, aqueligia, salvias, phlox, cardoons, foxgloves and a tray of pansies. 1 bed done and the 6 big ones to do now.
Insomnia lead to plant shopping at 3 in the morning so a collection of pond marginals are on the way, oh and some bananas, oh and a collection of ferns. My wife doesn't know so she'll love the surprise, who am I fooling 🤣🤣🤣
It was quite cold today, so got some serious digging done that I've been putting off for a little while (about 2 years!) This border had bindweed, ground elder and, to top it off, Honey fungus rhizomes everywhere, so everything still alive is being sacrificed:
Notice the H shape where these 2 HF 'bootlaces' join, below. Seeing that is diagnostic as plant roots do not connect across to each other like that, only fungal rhizomes do:
The slabs at the back are necessary to try and stop the HF and the pernicious weeds mentioned above from coming in from next door - a peek over the fence shows this horror, a 'lawn' almost entirely consisting of Ground Elder:
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
We started off with a frost first thing, but temperature has risen this afternoon and it's turned into another lovely day (could really do with some rain though). Cut back the forsythia that l acquired when my neighbour had a new fence installed (they put the panel right through the centre of the shrub !). Tided up potted cordylines that have been up against the house wall all winter and moved them out into the flower beds. Deadheaded some more pots of narcissi and moved behind the greenhouse. Deadheaded pulmonaria and dug out some bellis daisies and polyanthus that have succumbed to the drought.
It got warmer after lunch, so I just pottered, tying in clematis, pulling up bindweed (looks like triffids already - a result of the wet weather earlier?) and pruning various smallish plants. OH got up on the stepstool on top of the big raised bed so he could cut down next door's bushes poking through our fence ( gardens have different levels). Then we got the hosepipes out, I did the front and he did the back garden.
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Set too with the wife and started planting out perennials candelabra primulas, aricula primulas, lupins, hollyhocks, aqueligia, salvias, phlox, cardoons, foxgloves and a tray of pansies. 1 bed done and the 6 big ones to do now.
Insomnia lead to plant shopping at 3 in the morning so a collection of pond marginals are on the way, oh and some bananas, oh and a collection of ferns. My wife doesn't know so she'll love the surprise, who am I fooling 🤣🤣🤣
Cut back the forsythia that l acquired when my neighbour had a new fence installed (they put the panel right through the centre of the shrub !). Tided up potted cordylines that have been up against the house wall all winter and moved them out into the flower beds. Deadheaded some more pots of narcissi and moved behind the greenhouse.
Deadheaded pulmonaria and dug out some bellis daisies and polyanthus that have succumbed to the drought.
Then we got the hosepipes out, I did the front and he did the back garden.
Ah! Now I know what Ground Elder looks like and also why gardeners dread getting it.
I wouldnt like to clear that lot!