What are we doing in the garden 2025

Chilly, dull and windy here. Have done a bit of watering, but nothing else.

 

Today just watering, i don't like this part of gardening, but needs to be done.

 

But its also an opportunity of taking stock of what youre watering and spot areas that need attention that you might not otherwise notice. It is a laborious chore though.

 

I've spent the afternoon weeding, watering, cutting down the Geranium Phaeum as it's nearly finished flowering and it seeds like mad, tying up floppy plants and pulling up finished Honesty which was starting to suffocate other plants.

 

Today, we ran the solar pump from the stream for the first time this year. It failed at first, as the plug was corroded, but good old WD40 and a file and it was good as new. Stretched, via 2 hoses, all the way to the butt on the top patio, filled it, all pots watered, watering cans full. We have ordered a new pump with a 5 meter lift, which will give us more flow rate. We can stretch it to the butt at the front. We are allowed to extract domestic amounts of water.
Rain seems further away with every forecast.
Thank goodness for solar and stream.

 

Today I admitted defeat and removed a Clematis that has been struggling since it arrived several weeks ago. No time for messing about, I replaced it with a Thunbergia which will soon engulf the entire garden . I then filled the gaps in the border in front of my sitting area using a Heuchera from elsewhere, a Verbena bonariensis and a Dahlia that I’ve been growing. If the name is anything to go by it should make a statement (“Fancy Pants”). I then potted up a young Canna “Pretoria” which I bought this morning and spent about an hour watering. I don’t mind doing this, I spotted an invasion of black flies on the new leaves of a Fatsia so I used the hose to blast them away. Last year I was too late and when the leaves grew they were distorted.

 

What a good idea @Penny_Forthem, the nearest stream to us is about the equivalent of three houses away, in the bottom of the valley so no hope of getting any from there. The stream sides are steep as well so there's no easy access. I've realised that apart from the potted and newish plants, the established planting is not wilting yet so hopefully there's enough ground water to keep them going. The witchhazel is usually the first to wilt and hangs its leaves down vertically so that's my barometer.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the back garden now that the 50ft tall tree has been felled. I presume the roots will take years to rot off, does anybody know what does happen?

I've been taking it easy today and just tidying up, pottering and generally just mooching around.

 

I actually enjoy watering, mostly, pots that is.
Don't water much in the garden, apart from veg, if it cant survive once established it has no point in being here.

 

Mostly i water the polyanthus but i noticed that the hellebores are starting to wilt. Yes you're right

 

I must admit we gave in and got the sprinkler out yesterday. The back garden got a thorough watering. My wife did a bit at the front garden too, not with the sprinkler, tho. Today after a hospital appointment I got to the Allotments. One of my plot friends had already watered for me so spent the time strimming all the path edges and around the fruit trees. The grass grows better there than the lawns at home, which haven't needed cutting for nearly 2 weeks.

 

Today I planted the warm weather veggies outdoors in the garden. A combination of tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines have been growing in the greenhouse for a few weeks. All the seedlings were identical in size, however the greenhouse grown plants are much further along than the plants I placed in the garden. The tomato plants in the greenhouse have buds about to open. The photos illustrate the speed at which the protected plants are growing, one photo taken on 4/25 and the other taken today, 5/15. Also today, I finished installing cages and twine to support the plants in the greenhouse.

 

The sweetcorn and marrow etc I sowed last week are now through. Am going to sow my runner beans and peas today. Radish also through.
Collected the seeds from the amaryllis, it will be interesting to see if it is viable.

 

Floored yesterday by some bug thats doing the rounds, cleared a box of tissues , couldnt stop sneezing. Managed to open the potting shed door and put water in the bird baths and i was spent. Bit better today , bit of energy , but nose streaming , but aiming to do some light gardening - the things i really need to crack on with will have to wait. Dirty pot wash on the cards , i hate doing it as its tedious . Need to earth up the 1st earlies so thats this evening when the sun is off. Good time to have a good bimble round the garden and look at what needs doing . Very frustrating to be off form when the weather is fine and theres lots to do.

 

I was sad to learn that the Shrewsbury Flower Show has been cancelled this year , i went last year and it was really good . First visited in 1976 , rising costs have forced the organisers to make a hard and reluctant decision.