Moved some overwintering perennial plugs I potted last autumn from the potting shed to the GH then prepared the heated bed in the PS ready to start some bedding plant seeds and maybe a few chillies to see how they fare. Got distracted doing more weeding, tidying, planning, and quite a bit of general pottering as it was lovely when the sun came out.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Had a full day, sowed some sweet peas, planted three clematis, realised how crap my soil is and generally pottered around doing little bits and bobs. Was a good day.
Had such a good day! Sowed a whole bunch of annuals and perennials. Cleared a load of huge annual meadow grass clumps from around the pond (took two of us to pull the bleeders), as well as a bunch of brooklime that was getting a bit too enthusiastic IN the pond. Watched the newts for a while who were dancing around each other. Re cut some of the turf edges to neaten them up, dug out a few thistle etc in the grass, divided 3 verbascum plants that I bought at the GC yesterday into 19 smaller ones (bargain!), cut out an area of turf ready for digging a hole tomorrow so I can move a young tree, moved a load of perennials into a temporary bed as I'm re-landscaping a large bit of the garden. Hubby extended and raised one of my veg beds and did a bit of weeding....hot bath and a gin and tonic! Very very happy day!
Cut down Eccremocarpus scaber (Chilean Glory Vine) to about 30cm - they climb netting on the wall of the garage. I looked for other mentions of the plant on the forum: people mentioning difficulty germinating the seed - well I must have done it years ago, but they re-seed themselves, and get through winter still green (and even growing) - nr. Cambridge UK. I'm not sure I like the plant any more - flowers are fine, but I find them a bit too rampant for this situation - they reach to top of the garage, and attempt to take over the hanging baskets above. I cut them back because I certainly don't want them starting the year already at the top!
Cleaned out swift nest-boxes (is that 'gardening'?). They'll arrive from Africa about 1 week into May. You don't have to clean the nest-boxes, and I don't remove the (insubstanatial) nest, unless insect life has already demolished it - they re-use it. So I'm more just tidying for my own satisfaction: droppings from last year's chicks, and pupae of the swift-parasite Crataerina pallida (Louse-fly, Flat-fly), which is fascinating in itself (and not really any evidence of it harming the swifts, despite sucking their blood).
I remember having to pick up a swift that was grounded and move it off the path (visitors were very concerned about it), it was crawling with a parasite and these things were quite big, like a flat dragonfly larva...gave me the shivers....still does lol!
Yes - swifts shouldn't ideally become 'grounded' at all, though I've seen a few come down in the garden and take off of their own accord (so the old tale that they can't take off isn't true). These are ones that have become grounded due to a 'flying error' or else maybe a tussle with a starling. You can also get fledglings on the ground - either an error in their first flight, or else left the nest a bit early - those ones might need help to survive.
I've not seen the parasite Crataerina pallida in the flesh, but seen them on the swifts via nestbox camera.
I said they're fascinating: bit of a 'chicken and egg situation', but at this time of year, their pupae from last year are waiting in swift nests. When the swifts arrive, the adults emerge from the pupae and set about sucking swift-blood. The Crataerina can't fly (despite being a 'fly'), so can only get from one place to another by hitching a ride on a swift. During the swift breeding season, they lay eggs, which hatch and almost immediately pupate (they look like shiny black 'seeds'), to await the arrival of swifts the next year. There's no evidence that Crataerina adults could hang onto a flying swift during its 8 months or so away in Africa. How did such a life-cycle ever evolve?
More work at the Allotment getting ready to renew the raspberries. I seem to have a lot of lesser celandine in the front garden. I think it came in with some mulch I used about 18 months ago.
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I seem to have a lot of lesser celandine in the front garden. I think it came in with some mulch I used about 18 months ago.