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What to do at this time of year?
Hi There..
So i am lost as to what to do now. I keep pottering around my small garden tidying up etc...I put in some clematis the other week and put up some netting for it to climb on this weekend.
I've sown lots of annuals and put out some strawberries baskets, i planted a euphorbia the other day...
What else can i do now?...
Shall i order some sweet pea plugs.. or is there anything fun to put in the ground which will look good this summer?... I am so lost.. argh!...
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Glad its not just me that a bit lost. I spent the last 4 summers ripping my garden apart and putting it all back together. All the hard stuff is done now, and so far this year I've only cut the grass, dug over the beds, weeded and mulched them, and sewn so many seeds that if they all survive, I will never have enough room to plant them all. spent 3 hours yesterday just faffing about moving pots, oh, and put up some fairy lights. Might have gone a bit overboard with the lights....back garden was like Blackpool illuminations when they all came on last night
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The only thing that really needs to be done is paint the railings but I hate that job
Buy some sweet peas seeds instead, pokhim, and sow them direct over the next week or two into borders (weather and soil conditions permitting ) or into large pots for a display.
Alternatively, sow some in small pots just now to put in place in a few weeks when they've germinated. I've been doing that this morning. I usually sow direct in late April as we're a bit behind up here as far as weather and temps are concerned, but I decided to do a few while the weather is spring like! You'll get agreat display from mid summer onwards, until frosts annihilate them.
You'll get plenty of choice from a GC, or look online at some of the specialist sweet peas growers for choices not readily available. 2or 3 quid for a packet of 20 or 30 seeds depending on what you buy and where.
You can sow things like lettuce tomatoes if you fancy that. Lettuce kept under cover will grow on quickly. You can sow that at regular intervals so that you always have some replacements. Toms will need protection - again, it depends whereabouts you are as to whether they ultimatley go outside or stay under cover.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@pink lily That is so funny.. I put up some fair lights the other day too. My wife says it looks like someones wedding.. But I quite enjoy them at night!! I also put all lots and lots of seeds. I reckon 1000s of them all over the place.. I hope if only 5% survive and i can prick out the rest then will be a really big show this year.
@fairygirl. Thanks! I actally have some toms and sunflowers which i'm hardening off right now. I hope to plant them outside over the next couple of week. Yeah,, maybe i'll take a look at some sweet peas!.. Not grown them before.. I am quite keen on getting a obelisk of some sort.. maybe i'll have a go a growing some plants in there...
One job I havnt done is fix my container pond.. .grr!! I dont know what i put it in!... Will share some pics of the garden on the weekend.. Hopefully it'll be nice weather again!..
Are there any bulbs I could order and put in now?!...
You might still get lilies at this time of year. The oriental types. You'll get flowers this year if they're planted so that's worth a look if you have a suitable space. You can often pick them upi cheaply as it's generally a little late. I bought a pack a few years ago, for a pound or so as it was May, and they were getting rid of everything. Potted them up and I had flowers that summer.
They're getting mature now and I've just planted them into a new border I have which will suit the colour. They've been potted till now, and are good specimens that way.
An obleisk is nice for sweet peas, and gives some structure over winter too. You can also do a handful of canes to give the same effect, or let them scramble though shrubs if you have anything suitable.
Only problem with sweet peas is, like many other plants, they can be quite addicitve once you start looking....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Now's a good time for lawn maintenance, e.g. kill moss, scarify, apply fertiliser etc. It's probably a touch early to apply a weed killer, but it won't be too long now.
It's also a good time for jobs like pressure washing the patio/drive and generally tidying up before the summer. Does your patio furniture need a sand or layer of protection? Last weekend would have been good for painting the shed/fence etc. Or maybe your greenhouse could do with a clean.
We're also pruning some fast-growing shrubs that we didn't prune hard enough in the autumn. And I'm generally trying to get my head around what I want to do with the borders this year. I'm keeping an eye on my honeysuckle as I bought it last year and I'm training it to take to a trellis. I'm also keeping an eye out for Spanish bluebells and digging them up on sight.
Other than, enjoy it as much as possible! I love this time of year when you have a sunny day with little work to do other than enjoying the daffodils and tulips
If in doubt, your compost bin will always benefit from turning it over!
Aha!! Pressure wash the patio! Yes.... I will do that this weekend!.. and then i'll feed the lawn!.. I did some scarifying on the weekend just gone.
Glad to be of service. Forgot to say you may also want to reseed any thin patches after scarifying your lawn. I think it's a touch cold now (especially at night), but I'll do this in 1-2 weeks.
I've also got fruit and veg seeds lined up to sow in April. I think my sunflower seeds can be started indoors soon too.