I had a quick look see round the garden in the sunshine and found several patches of crocus coming up which the squirrels haven't yet found. Hastily pinned cloches over them to ward off the inevitable! Then I pruned a Clematis texensis Princess Diana down to about a foot, probably too early I know but it was already sprouting further up. That was all I had energy for today. Slowly, slowly.
It maybe cold but I had a couple of primula to plant out. The soil was bone dry, so watered the roses in tubs from the butt, I have never had to water in February!
Nothing much today - hard prune of too big for its boots euonymus and probably never been properly pruned abelia, and annual hard prune of buddleia, dead headed a couple of hydrangea, moved the last bit of the mower's wire to make way for the new strip of bed on the drive, stopped and had a cuppa and a slice of custard pie. Always leave the best till last I say.
I deadheaded my hydrangeas too today, so lovely to see all the big fat buds. I’ll pop the covers on them again if it looks like we will get any more hard frosts,, but they needed more light and air. Emptied some of the window boxes that did not make it through the winter and stuck some primavera in to boost my mood. Got to tackle the greenhouse tomorrow as a bunch of stuff has not made it, yet other things are going crazy… really don’t know why, such a mixed bag of success and failures this winter. I did notice some seedlings popping up in the indoor propigators, so that’s nice too.
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
I started weeding the first of my 19 flower beds. Originally called the Boggy Bed because when it was created due to different grounds levels when our new garage was built some years ago, an unknown spring suddenly erupted under a garden wall. It's now not as damp as it had been so last year I planted more bulbs which are now popping up. I'll mulch with bark as soon as it has rained, which it might do later tonight.
Cut my two Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' grasses down to 6" and cut all 50 or so old flower spikes out of my Stipa gigantea. Shredded down, this all made a useful contribution to my compost heap. Still got various Miscanthus & Pennisetum to do.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
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That was all I had energy for today. Slowly, slowly.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful