With help from the Under Gardener (aka OH), managed to get a box plant out from a large pot. Poor thing was pot bound and dry as a bone in spite of regular watering. Replaced with a phormium that was equally pot bound but much damper. Found the label, it was one l grew from seed back in 2016. Planted the box plus another section of box that came out of the ground a few weeks ago. Anything that requires any depth to speak of requires a pick axe, so Under Gardener pressed into action again . Both plants well watered in . Time for a restorative cuppa .
Taken a risk and moved a Helenium to give it more room. Faffed about with a few other things but not loads to do at the moment so more time to just enjoy the garden and watch the tennis.
Weeding the green peppers and tomatoes. Pinching the laterals and tying up the ones that are getting away on me. No fruit ready yet and only flowers on the peppers. Aubergines still growing. All good though.
Got these in the ground today I've been using JA Bowers compost this year, bought at two different times. The first batch was dark and looked normal, the second was alot lighter, more fibrous. I had to rescue the tomatoes today, as they were wilting, the new compost is not holding onto the water, I put trays under the pots and watered as usual into the tray, it all soaked into the pot and the plants perked up. I will just have to watch they don't drown now after it rains.🙄
As many of you can relate - painful back meant minimal gardening today. My tomatoes in the little poly house have grown into monsters! I had to bite the bullet and move the large tub that two are in so I could tie string from the highest part of roof. I should have probably trimmed some side shoots as some are very heavy. Hopefully actual tomatoes will develop now 😅
One sweet pea has opened and I harvested some strawberries:
I also harvested strawberries (and ate them) together with a handful of raspberries which I've frozen. My gooseberries look ripe but it's difficult to really tell. They'll have to wait. At least the garden's had a good soaking this afternoon which has saved me having to water it before we go away.
I planted two Zepherine Drouhin climbing roses in very large pots I placed at the uprights of my steel arch. The arch is secured deeply in the ground on one side and cabled to the fence it flanks on the other end. I hope the ZD's will do well on this arch. It is only partly sunny there all day long, but if it was enough light for the wisteria, it should be adequate for the roses, I hope. There is a tall hybrid tea rose behind the yaupon holly dead center of the photo and it blooms nicely in the spring and summer, so I'm hoping for the best future for these two new climbing roses. As you can see, the arch formerly supported a wisteria I just removed this month as it was jumping onto the house roof and gutters monthly. At removal, it had a 4' spread up top and was very dense and unruly. That issue aside, we are in our 70's and neither of us like climbing ladders anymore. My husband has a bad knee and I get real dizzy when I'm working up that high (7-8') overhead. This is a very old photo of the arch I'm using for these roses. I was very pleased to read somewhere recently that ZD's are nearly thornless. That was a most pleasant surprise. I also planted a Blue Moon Tea Rose in my front garden and potted another Blue Moon for my rear garden. Those are positioned so they'll get full sun around 7 hours a day, so they should do well there.
Not gardening as such, started the 2 big curved pergola that's going to cover the pizza oven. I've had the gear ages and it was a treat to myself (I'm a joiner who spends far too much time laying bricks) to be messing with big chunks of wood
Changed the soil on the Lemons, one pot had loads of ants in it. The other plant seems to be suffering some kind of fungus on some roots, a lot of the roots just fell away when I broke the soil away. Hope it will be OK, plant has lots of fruits on.
Added long canes to all the sunflowers and tied them in, they are just beginning to flower with a lovely burnt orange colour. Dead headed the remaining aquilegias, roses and lupins. I also tidyed up the alchemila mollis which took a hammering in a storm last night. We are in our slight lull of colour at the moment, all the lupins, aquilegias, fox gloves, pulmonaria are gone now. Took delivery of 2 wheelie bins of garden waste for the compost heap, is it sad that my compost obsession means people bring their waste to me rather then put it out for the lorry 😜. Bought a sensitive fern today (that's it's proper name) hopefully it will like it down near the pond, also got India bean tree Bignonioidies nana it replaces 1 which got smashed by a storm last year.
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Planted the box plus another section of box that came out of the ground a few weeks ago. Anything that requires any depth to speak of requires a pick axe, so Under Gardener pressed into action again .
Both plants well watered in .
Time for a restorative cuppa .
I've been using JA Bowers compost this year, bought at two different times. The first batch was dark and looked normal, the second was alot lighter, more fibrous. I had to rescue the tomatoes today, as they were wilting, the new compost is not holding onto the water, I put trays under the pots and watered as usual into the tray, it all soaked into the pot and the plants perked up. I will just have to watch they don't drown now after it rains.🙄
One sweet pea has opened and I harvested some strawberries:
I also planted a Blue Moon Tea Rose in my front garden and potted another Blue Moon for my rear garden. Those are positioned so they'll get full sun around 7 hours a day, so they should do well there.
Yesterday I planted 2 peach/pink colored Cana x generalis 'Los Angeles' https://www.hollandbulbfarms.com/spring-planting-bulbs/canna-lilies/los-angeles-dwarf-canna in the rear garden. Tomorrow I'm planting out some white Lilium 'Pretty Woman' https://www.hollandbulbfarms.com/fall-planting-bulbs/lilies/pretty-woman-orienpet-lily near those peach canas, as well as a number of the tall white ones in my front garden. The owner here before me planted mostly non-blooming green plants and shrubs, so the white and peach flowers will be a welcome and dramatic splash of color.
Took delivery of 2 wheelie bins of garden waste for the compost heap, is it sad that my compost obsession means people bring their waste to me rather then put it out for the lorry 😜. Bought a sensitive fern today (that's it's proper name) hopefully it will like it down near the pond, also got India bean tree Bignonioidies nana it replaces 1 which got smashed by a storm last year.