It is a relief to have rain after so many dry days and a good time to either put your feet up or catch up with various other chores. There is nothing we can do about the rain except watch it falling and hope it doesn't last too long. It was surprising to see how many birds decided to have a bath in the pond whilst it was raining.
Some light rain here today too - it is a pity on the Bank Holiday - that is three bank holidays where it has rained so far this year.
Overnight and morning rain here GD, but really needed it badly - the recent rain kept missing my area. It stopped for a couple of hours earlier this afternoon so I managed to get my slug nematodes watered in which have been sitting in the fridge for a few days as the ground was dry as a bone. It's just started spotting again, so that will help the nematodes get to work.
I did wonder what the neighbours thought though, seeing me take 20 trips with the watering can to an already drenched garden! "Look - Mad Old Bob is watering his garden.. in the rain!"
Last edited: 29 May 2017 14:12:14
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Hasn't anyone done any gardening since last weekend?? Neither have I...
Was in a tidying up and snipping mood this AM, even cut down some dead things from last year that I somehow missed.
Millions of bees in the garden today, mostly bumbles, great to see. Did a rescue watering of a couple of things that have been in the ground for months now but are succumbing to the dryness☹️ ID 'd the seedlings in the sunny border, think they are nonea lutea, good, because after they flowered in the middle of winter and then died I didn't think they would have seeded. They've migrated to the front of one of my smartest borders though, like all tricksy plants - going to have to move some of them anyway as making a new path.
Started making a list of my grand winter project, extending my pond on a slope (?) making room for a bench at the waterside, moving some treeish shrubs and a million other plants. Found a medium sized frog today, well I didn't find it, I disturbed it, so they must be breeding somewhere...not my pond I don't think and I don't know who else has one round yonder
That's the beauty of the garden, planning for the next season, gaining ideas from other forum members gardens and hopefully learning from their mistakes or tweaking their ideas to fit your own garden dimensions.
OH's big 65 today so not much work done in the garden - and he will be able to help me on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ....... instead of just on Saturdays. However we did lop the overhanging branches of trees that were being caught by passing lorries and buses along the roadside. So OH can now shred the smaller branches and twigs that were cut down today, during the autumn/winter.
Happy birthday to GD's OH. Is he retiring now, then?
No gardening today, raining. Yesterday did support for the broad beans, tied up tomatoes, staked some perennials, tied up a clematis and did a barrow load of weeding. Oh, and Chelsea chopped the very tall double rudbeckias.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I saw that Monty was giving the Chelsea chop to some of his plants on GW last night, and thought I must try that again - it was a bit of a failure last year, most of the plants I cut didn't flower at all. I will try on my wild flower area, as not many have flowered yet.
Yes OH retired yesterday, so now the real work begins.....
Visited an apiary owned by by Newcastle bee keepers this morning, was really interesting, they were going through queenless colony hives looking for potential new queen cells.
Potted on/ thinned out some seedlings. Had real problems this year getting things to germinate...but now the trays are outside on the ground everything is coming up, just normal things like snaps and tagetes. Quite behind on the annuals for containers, but most of the bulbs haven't died back yet so never mind.
Did some watering as the rain forecast was exaggerating again. Got one butt left now☹️ Good news though, I found my newish raspberry something monarda struggling under the bulb leaves, thought I had lost it with the drought
I would find looking at the bees in their apiary interesting too, OH isn't so keen, but we live in the ideal area for a few hives. There is such a shortage of bees, so the more people who can take up this great hobby the better.
We didn't garden today, but made plans for tomorrow - the first day of OH's retirement. No alarm clocks ringing in my ears tomorrow morning!
Finished weeding the end bed and have weeded half the upper middle bed. Planted dahlias, rudbeckias, salvia Farinacea, salvia Wendy's Wish and Gaillardias.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
It is a relief to have rain after so many dry days and a good time to either put your feet up or catch up with various other chores. There is nothing we can do about the rain except watch it falling and hope it doesn't last too long. It was surprising to see how many birds decided to have a bath in the pond whilst it was raining.
Some light rain here today too - it is a pity on the Bank Holiday - that is three bank holidays where it has rained so far this year.
Overnight and morning rain here GD, but really needed it badly - the recent rain kept missing my area.
It stopped for a couple of hours earlier this afternoon so I managed to get my slug nematodes watered in which have been sitting in the fridge for a few days as the ground was dry as a bone. It's just started spotting again, so that will help the nematodes get to work.
I did wonder what the neighbours thought though, seeing me take 20 trips with the watering can to an already drenched garden! "Look - Mad Old Bob is watering his garden.. in the rain!"
Last edited: 29 May 2017 14:12:14
Hasn't anyone done any gardening since last weekend?? Neither have I...
Was in a tidying up and snipping mood this AM, even cut down some dead things from last year that I somehow missed.
Millions of bees in the garden today, mostly bumbles, great to see. Did a rescue watering of a couple of things that have been in the ground for months now but are succumbing to the dryness☹️ ID 'd the seedlings in the sunny border, think they are nonea lutea, good, because after they flowered in the middle of winter and then died I didn't think they would have seeded. They've migrated to the front of one of my smartest borders though, like all tricksy plants - going to have to move some of them anyway as making a new path.
Started making a list of my grand winter project, extending my pond on a slope (?) making room for a bench at the waterside, moving some treeish shrubs and a million other plants. Found a medium sized frog today, well I didn't find it, I disturbed it, so they must be breeding somewhere...not my pond I don't think and I don't know who else has one round yonder
That's the beauty of the garden, planning for the next season, gaining ideas from other forum members gardens and hopefully learning from their mistakes or tweaking their ideas to fit your own garden dimensions.
OH's big 65 today so not much work done in the garden - and he will be able to help me on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday ....... instead of just on Saturdays. However we did lop the overhanging branches of trees that were being caught by passing lorries and buses along the roadside. So OH can now shred the smaller branches and twigs that were cut down today, during the autumn/winter.
Happy birthday to GD's OH. Is he retiring now, then?
No gardening today, raining. Yesterday did support for the broad beans, tied up tomatoes, staked some perennials, tied up a clematis and did a barrow load of weeding. Oh, and Chelsea chopped the very tall double rudbeckias.
I saw that Monty was giving the Chelsea chop to some of his plants on GW last night, and thought I must try that again - it was a bit of a failure last year, most of the plants I cut didn't flower at all. I will try on my wild flower area, as not many have flowered yet.
Yes OH retired yesterday, so now the real work begins.....
Visited an apiary owned by by Newcastle bee keepers this morning, was really interesting, they were going through queenless colony hives looking for potential new queen cells.
Potted on/ thinned out some seedlings. Had real problems this year getting things to germinate...but now the trays are outside on the ground everything is coming up, just normal things like snaps and tagetes. Quite behind on the annuals for containers, but most of the bulbs haven't died back yet so never mind.
Did some watering as the rain forecast was exaggerating again. Got one butt left now☹️ Good news though, I found my newish raspberry something monarda struggling under the bulb leaves, thought I had lost it with the drought
I would find looking at the bees in their apiary interesting too, OH isn't so keen, but we live in the ideal area for a few hives. There is such a shortage of bees, so the more people who can take up this great hobby the better.
We didn't garden today, but made plans for tomorrow - the first day of OH's retirement. No alarm clocks ringing in my ears tomorrow morning!
Doghouse , well , looks complicated , I have a cousin in B'ham that has koi carp
Ground covering geraniums where full of bees , then they go to lavender bushes , always nice to see
Finished weeding the end bed and have weeded half the upper middle bed. Planted dahlias, rudbeckias, salvia Farinacea, salvia Wendy's Wish and Gaillardias.