What are we doing in the garden 2025

@Escarpment , only just saw your posting so a bit late with this. When you said you soaked your new tree, I hope you didn't leave it too long (like overnight). It's just that when I had new raspberry canes recently the suppliers instructions were very specific NOT to soak , but just dip or spray down. I know this goes against the traditional advice we were all taught. The only reasons I can think of is that a prolonged soak might wash off any beneficial fungi.
I'm sure you'll be fine though.

 

No hard digging but still a good morning. Sorted out the stored apples and then we collected Fiesta, Braeburn and Sturmer pippin apples from the trees.
Emptied out the turmeric pots and kept some of the rhizomes for hampers for family and friends. Then potted up the rest of the rhizomes.
Took the broad bean seedlings out of the propagator. Took them such a time to germinate.
Bottled up the Quince wine. Fabulous golden colour.
Harvested some swiss chard and picked up some more medlars, many of which have bletted already. Rather unique taste...rather like christmas pudding!
Cut back the black bamboo so that we can get to the wood pile without being soaked when it has been raining.

 

I did soak it overnight; I looked for advice online and a lot of people said overnight was better, but not to leave it more than 24hrs. The roots were very clean of soil anyway so they are probably washed or even soaked before packing.

 

Soaking overnight will be fine @Escarpment, just like bare root roses. Soaking for more than 24 hours can starve the roots of oxygen, causing death.

 

I haven't been able to do much in the garden lately, due to a combination of cold weather, work events outside of normal hours, then a short trip to Portugal and returning to a lot of rain.

Today though we finally got a bit of sun, and I managed to catch up with deadheading roses, do a bit of weeding and rake leaves off the lawn. I had really missed gardening!

Speaking of lawn, mine is looking sad & muddy already (clay soil). I am so glad there is a lot less of it than there used to be. If it weren't for my partner and dogs I would have removed it altogether, but they like it and use it for their toilet needs. The dogs that is, not my partner My partner just likes the look.

 

Where did you visit @Costas?

 

We went to Lisbon and had a day trip to Sintra. Are you familiar with it @Victoria?

I thought that Lisbon was lovely - a good mix of old and new. Quite steep hills in some areas but easy to grab a taxi / uber / bolt. Some aspects of it felt like other European capitals, so there was something familiar about it, having lived in Athens in the past. Sintra was more special, with lots of palaces and monuments. Apparently it's where the aristocracy used to live.

If anyone is considering it for a short getaway, I would say that while it is nice, we enjoyed Barcelona a lot more (we went there 1.5 years ago). Amazing place, especially of you like the architecture of Gaudi (Casa Battlo, La Sagrada Familia were particularly magical).

 

Garden is decidedly soggy. However despite the recent cold spell the only unhappy species dahlia is D imperialis, D excelsa and D campanulata doing well still. Impatiens tinctoria a bit blackened in places, but still flowering as are the nasturtiums, and the self seeded Ricinus.
Salvia Amistad still flowering by the front door and the winter flowering honeysuckle are producing flowers.

 

Only went through Lisbon Airport on the way to A;ores. Never been to Sintra but our neighbours used to/have a home there.

We used to holiday in/near Palmela and the Arrabida Natural Park staying in old Pousadas. We used to stay in Guarda in the North on our journeys to/from the UK.

 

I took pics of these gorgeous roses in the back garden yesterday when we had s brief spell of sunshine. Totally unseasonable but they brought me joy.

Winchester Cathedral


Unknown Apricot rose (looks more pink in photo).

 

Will squelch down the garden later and check the greenhouse, got some seed to sow that needs to be sown fresh when received. Also pot up rooted salvia cuttings to take advantage of frost free nights for the next 10 days or so.

 

I spent 2 hours tidying up the borders, but not finished yet. The laurel tree bed is now ready for mulching with last year's leaves. The garden bin, which is brown, is full of the buddleia tree and so is another green cylinder bag from the other day. I have filled the big compost container and the small one that I've been using this year is nearly full with just a bit left for kitchen waste. I've filled another big green cylinder bag with stuff that I don't want in the compost. The garden bin will be emptied on Friday and OH has an appointment with the re-cycling centre for the cylinder bags and the cut into logs buddleia trunk.

It has been a lovely sunny day.

 

I started just clearing Ivy and Jasmine off the fence beside the greenhouse. In the end I got the hedge trimmer out, and did quite a bit more. I feel a bit guilty taking the ivy away as there was still some flower on it which I had been leaving for the late pollinators. I blame the council because Saturday is the last green bin collection for the year and it will be nearly the end of January before we get another one.