Happy birthday, AnniD! "Graham Thomas" is a lovely birthday present.
I've been gardening in the park this morning, with the local volunteer group - planting hardy geraniums, japanese anemones and lavenders, and then clearing brambles from the banks of a small stream. Maybe I'll do some in my own garden this afternoon.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I finally got around to sowing the sweet pea seeds.......I'm unsure about them as I mixed 3 packets together in a glass of water but it looked as if just 1 packet swelled. I left them in water for 3 days before planting them.....all but 1 seed swelled. Not feeling very optimistic about them.
Thanks Liri and Mark, l am having a good day so far ! (Mark, l think l managed to save a bumble bee this morning with the sugar/water solution !). Husband cooked breakfast this morning and he's also cooking tonight so I might have a sort through the seed packet tin with glass of bubbly to hand
Busy volunteer day back at Capel Manor today. Spring really has sprung there, huge change since I was there in Feb. Unexpected treat OH asked me to go to Clock house nursery to buy a Magnolia (its a leaving present for someone where she works) I'm not usually allowed to go without her. Hope it stays dry tonight I want to rotavate the manure into my Allotment tomorrow if I have the energy after today.
More seeds arrived yesterday. This time from Chiltern. Waiting for some RHS ones that I ordered some time ago too. Have already sown cosmos and zinnia way too early and they have carked it! I do it every year since getting a heated propogator - I'll never learn! All part of the fun though. Some seed potatoes that I had chitting in the greenhouse have gone to a slimy mush. I can only think that they must have been frozen and then defrosted in the cold snap. Not the best start to my gardening year! They say things happen in threes so I'll just have to wait for one more disaster and then all will be well. I wonder if Gertrude Jekyll used this technique!!?
I had 42 tiny plus of geraniums/petunias delivered yesterday - way before I was expecting. Hastily potted them up on the dining room table! It was cold outside and I had a migraine so kept in the warmth. Hope they survive though, because my 3 tiny diasacus have just kicked the bucket, bit of a waste of money at £1.29 each!
I have just received my GW magazine with free Cosmos and Zinnia seeds so may sow them in a day or two time. Not using heated propagator this year as I am trying to hold back with seed sowing for a couple of weeks later than last - when some of my seeds also keeled over. Today I have potted on some harebell seedlings that I had sown last September, sowed some more beetroot seeds, tidied my Belfast sink display and planted out 3 foxglove plants that were in 5" pots, grown from seed last September.
I've been in the garden a couple of hours,planting a Montana at the bottom to scramble over the wall,splitting up an inherited ornamental grass,I cant find a name for it,but it's a very bright green,and the roots grow sideways,easy to lift as it was like a carpet! So some of that I've replanted at the base of the Leylandii cut off stumps,to soften the look!! I found my lost trowel deep in the soil where I had planted a climbing rose as few days ago! Very glad to find that at last.Now it's spitting with rain,so time for a cuppa!
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
Have planted a nandina "Gulf Stream" and divided a clump of Michaelmas daises. Cleared a space for new rose and also agreed with OH place for chimneypot feature (Christmas present from neighbour). Not quite sure when that will be done though ! Now off for cup of tea and piece of chocolate and cream sponge belated birthday cake - yum
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I've been gardening in the park this morning, with the local volunteer group - planting hardy geraniums, japanese anemones and lavenders, and then clearing brambles from the banks of a small stream. Maybe I'll do some in my own garden this afternoon.
Husband cooked breakfast this morning and he's also cooking tonight so I might have a sort through the seed packet tin with glass of bubbly to hand
Hope it stays dry tonight I want to rotavate the manure into my Allotment tomorrow if I have the energy after today.
Some seed potatoes that I had chitting in the greenhouse have gone to a slimy mush. I can only think that they must have been frozen and then defrosted in the cold snap.
Not the best start to my gardening year! They say things happen in threes so I'll just have to wait for one more disaster and then all will be well. I wonder if Gertrude Jekyll used this technique!!?
Today I have potted on some harebell seedlings that I had sown last September, sowed some more beetroot seeds, tidied my Belfast sink display and planted out 3 foxglove plants that were in 5" pots, grown from seed last September.
I found my lost trowel deep in the soil where I had planted a climbing rose as few days ago! Very glad to find that at last.Now it's spitting with rain,so time for a cuppa!
Now off for cup of tea and piece of chocolate and cream sponge belated birthday cake - yum