WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2019

Nothing today, but armed with my "notes" I will be tackling all the clematis tomorrow, now knowing to which of the three groups, they belong, "none, light, or hard."

A golfing pal today said he'd seen a TV gardening programme earlier in the week where the presenter said he was involved in "The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre," as it's the day each year on which he prunes his clematis.

Ordered some more "Wet and Forget," on eBay. £29.99 for 5ltrs, free postage.

 

Mixed some of the masses of horticultural grit we've got left, after making an alpine trough for Mom's Christmas present, with the sieved compost I did earlier in the week and started the 'Cut and come again' lettuce seeds off.

Never grown it before so I figured I'd do a very early sowing, so I've got time for a retry if it doesn't happen.

 

I just sowed some Coleus too, I grew quite a lot a couple of years ago and thought I would have another go this year .
Hope your furry friend is OK @Snorky85

 

Not strictly my garden but did some guerilla gardening in the local shopping centre. Planted some tete-a-tete in the painted tyres.

 

hope your dog will soon be ok ,my cat had a poorly tummy for 4 days it can be so stressing also you take some rest toox

 

Spread compost from one bin as mulch, turn over contents of second bin and start to refill the empty bin with finished kale and brussel plants. Then shred prunings and thin bamboo canes. If time permits take mattock to cut down bamboo and start to remove roots.
Edit Lunch time: No shredding today, far too wet for electrical equipment outside.

 

I thought Heleniums liked dry conditions . Last year I planted them in the front garden in a bed that is the furthest point away from the water tap/ water butts, so it got watered the least. We had glorious hot summer too but they did okay. They didn't wilt and flowered profusely all the way through to end of November . But, I'm sure you know better than me about Heleniums and most other aspects of gardening . Not sure where else they can go as most of my beds are in full sun and bit on dry side. Maybe they might like one of the baths, also dryish but close to water tap so easier to keep hydrated.

 

Aww, how lovely .

 

Beautiful sunny day again yesterday but very cold wind. Managed an hour before giving up. Weeded out one of the tops of the pots I'm keeping - Mr Woo's beautiful rose. Moved a couple of grasses from by the pond to under the cherry tree. Made a start on clearing the area around the bog garden, ie removing the gravel.

Moved the outside.

 

Morning Lucius, ok, I’m glad your heleniums did well for you but they can wilt during dry conditions .... a good watering will revive them. Since they did well for you then stick with whatever you are doing. However, planted in enriched soil and mulched well they will thrive. I grow several varieties here ...over 6’ tall and flowering from June to late autumn. I always ensure they are grown in good soil that doesn’t dry out....my front garden is sandy and free draining and heleniums don’t grow as well there.
However, Astilbes and astrantias will hate dry soils...the latter will die out completely

No time for the garden today....I am off to haggle a deal for a new car instead. Not for me but for my niece.

 

Hope your poorly cat's tummy has settled down now @Janet mahay

 

@Verdun there is compost mixed in with the soil of the bed where the Heleniums were but I can't remember if I mulched it the early part of last year. Definitely didn't do it in the autumn and haven't done it this year. The Heleniums are the shorter varieties, so maybe that makes a difference too . I wasn't going to put the Astilbes or Astrantias under the cherry tree. I've just got back from hardware store and in the garden centre I spotted small pots of Helenium ' Tip Top'. Prefers a dry site it states on the label .

@Snorky85 hope doggy is feeling better and you too?

@Janet mahay hope your puddy cat is feeling better too?

 

Bought some ericaceous compost in Wilkos this morning, together with some new plastic gardening shoes. The ones I've been wearing are a few years old and the soles are worn, so a bit slippy when the paths and patio are wet.

Potted up the little yellow rhodo I got in Wilko's for £3. I'll let it grow on in this tub this year, I may "force" it into the main bed..somewhere..next year.

Whoops! You can see the beginning of the "snake pit" of wires behind the TV in the lounge. That adapter has 10 X13amp sockets and 4 USB ones. With all the kit under the TV, not quite all are in use!
It has two on/off switches on the top. So stuff that doesn't have one ...like the TV.. can be turned off at night.




Got down on my hands and knees and cleared out four bucket-fulls of dead "pine straw" from behind the rockery. It dips down at the back towards the fence so there's no soil above the base concrete panel. The fox cups liked to sit on it under there when they were here, it must have been very comfy. Removed more "straw" in the flox, as it can't do it any good.



Gave this shrub a really heavy prune. It tends to drop a lot of leaves each year. I removed several branches. I don't like anything to become too dominant, says he with a near thirty-foot conifer on the top of the rockery! I'll encourage the euonymus to grow more to the right and there's a clematis between the lamp and the first of our quinces.



These snowdrops we moved from under an azalea in the front garden last year, are doing better in this little trough on the patio steps.




Some mini daffodils under this acer palmatum have just started to open.



The iron sulphate I'd ordered from eBay had arrived so I gave both lawns some.

Anything which hadn't had a feed this week got one. Another three hours well spent. No more this week as the green bin is now full.