Mike's Evolving Garden

Yesterday I went down the garden for the first time since before Christmas, and I sneaked through the front door and down the side entrance, because I didn't want Dewi to know.
There's a lot to do, the winter storms have blown things over ... but lots of Hellebores Snowdrops and Crocuses were flowering.
Everything in the greenhouse was fine, including two Plumbagos, Jasmin, Abutilon, and Loropetalum, as well as all the cacti and succulents, and a few Chorophytums.
In the two shelters at the sides of the old garage the only things that had died were a few Begonia semperflorens (but not all of them) and two Calibrachoas. Everything else was fine. I watered one or two things that were dry but most pots were still quite damp.
I've got a lot of repotting to do !

I went through the door and out to the road, to look at the little flower bed I've made there, and saw lots of winter flowering plants - Hellebores Snowdrops etc and a nice Viburnum tinus in a pot. But as in the main garden it felt sad without Bella, and I couldn't stay there more than a few minutes, so I came back into the house ... the sadness was getting to me, and it was also cold.

 

It sounds like you have fared well over the winter so far Michael. I imagine in the Spring/Summer Sweet little Dewi will be allowed to venture into Bella's territory?

I did not know you had one ... is it blooming now? They are stunning.

 

Thanks @Victoria, yes I will let Dewi out soon, it might calm him down a bit !
I was looking at all three cat graves in the garden yesterday and felt so sad, but with all the pottering etc and also Dewi with me in the spring it will help.

Yes I've got a Loropetalum, but it isn't flowering this winter. It usually starts about this time of year in the greenhouse but I think it needs fresh compost. It's quite big, over 4 feet with the pot.

 

I have just caught up with this thread, there are so many like this that I come across by accident on here .

I love the small growhouse. I have dropped so many hints to my OH over the years about building "stands" for my 2 coldframes to no avail.
Trying to kneel on a cushion and hold the lid open * whilst lifting plants in and out ain't getting any easier !
*I can't slide the lid open due to space constraints. You should hear the language !

Did you have any luck with obtaining the fuschia @Songbird ?

Spring is on the way @Michael Hewett. Hold on to that thought .

 

I haven’t yet @AnniD it’s we haven’t been to a garden centre for ages. Will try there first before thinking about looking on line. it could end up meaning far more than first envisaged.

 

Sending you a pm @Songbird

 

We are lucky @Michael Hewett that we can bury our cats in our own garden. This makes the way shorter if we want to talk to them.
What looks currently lifeless will get soon a new "smell".
Dewi will be a good garden explorer. It's always fun seeing them exploring for the first time.

 

I had a look in the perspex shelters by my old garage yesterday. I was thinking of taking some plants that have been overwintering in the house, back to the shelters but there's no room at the moment, there's a lot of tidying to do first.
I was happy to see my Anisodontea and Pandorea have survived the winter in the shelter, there wasn't any room in the greenhouse for them and I was hoping they'd be all right in the shelter. The Anisodontea even had some flowers on it.

Inside one of the shelters I found two pots of Ipheons full of leaves and some flowers too. I was happy to see them because my cousin gave them to me in memory of my late partner Beryl, and they come back every year. I watered them and put them in the 'new' greenhouse I bought last year, where they'll get more light.
I also put some Primulas in pots into the 'new' greenhouse, I'm hoping the shelter they get in there from bad weather will bring them on.

There's such a lot to do, in the winter things that need doing seem to stand out more. I can't wait to get started

 

Nothing major done recently, but I've made a start on a few things over the past days, like cutting back Fuchsias and puting them in cold frames, taking succulents from the cactus greenhouse to the 'new' one I bought last year - they were crammed in under the stagings so they'll have more light now.
I've pruned my overgrown Hibiscus, I hope it's the right time to do it now, and I've cut back some Clematises ... lots more to do before they start growing !

At about 8 a.m. this morning I went down the garden to call Dewi in from the field, and while I was there waiting for him, I cut back some hardy Fuchsias in the bed by the little road that passes the bottom of my garden.
I also cut the old dead stems off the Golden Oregano growing through the wall, and pulled up some weeds.
A few cars went by, local people going to work, and they always wave to me
I don't think I'll be doing any more today, I have to go out later on ... but there's so much to do !

 

I always look around at this time of the year and what needs doing seems overwhelming, but it usually all gets done, once you get some half decent weather it's surprising how the jobs get sorted.

 

It is if like me you look at the whole garden, but I think I've now decided have some patience and tackle one patch at a time, devote a day to that patch and never mind the rest, it will all get done in its time.

 

That’s what I do @Michael Hewett, it’s a gardening technique known as pace yourself . In previous years I used to cut all my ornamental grasses down at the end of February. Quite a task as I have many. Now I cut them periodically from December onwards as individual varieties show signs of wear and tear. I no longer dislike the end of February .