What are we doing in the garden 2025

I wish, there is a cold wind blowing off the harbour, so not tropical
at the moment sadly.

 

Just been out there ... and disturbed a magpie eating one of my slow worms.

Magpies have joined my "nuisance" list, along with pigeons, seagulls, and squirrels.

On a brighter note, the miniature bees have found the cotoneaster flowers and are buzzing round them in a haze of concentrated activity. I don't know where they come from, or where they go to once the feast is over, but they arrive bang on cue each yr just as the teeny flower buds open a couple of millimetres.

 

Anyone seen any butterflies this year? Just a white one and half a dozen of the little blue jobs. I thought the warm weather would've brought them out.
No blue tits either.

 

@BB3 We have loads of speckled woods. Saw a brimstone and orange tip yesterday. Holly blues around as well. But only 1 peacock and no red admirals. Large and small whites all over the place.

 

Cut the paths in the orchard. Only had rain the other night, first rain for months, but the grass has grown and grown. The uncut sections are feet tall already.
Harvested some swiss chard and picked some more strawberries.

 

I think all the Blue Tits are here, they’re eating me out of house and home

 

I finally finished clearing the spring bulbs leaves and cut off the old flowers of the polyanthus around the path. There's some spaces where the polyanthus didn't make it.

 

I rearranged some pots now that the paving cleaning has been finished and took all the ones with small bulbs up to the potting table. Think I'll just empty them and plant the bulbs out now.

Then I planted my new clematis against the back wall. It's a Raymond Evison viticella ' Blue Skies' one which I hope will do well. It already has some buds on it so should look good if it establishes well. Gave it a very good drink afterwards.

 

We tackled the nettles by the fencing in the orchard. Then weeded out between the slabs. Left it far too long this time. Harvested some more strawberries.

 

It's hair washing day today so I'll just be doing watering later.

 

Thinking of planting cactus and tumbleweed. Then it'll rain for weeks.

 

Am fretting! Have a sweet little plant to go in, but can't decide where.

Where it would look best, it would not be happiest.
Where it would be happiest, it would not have room long term.
Where a compromise situation is concerned, access to dig a hole is tricky.

I have made a chart of the ads and disads of 7 different locations, but I just can't make my mind up.

 

What is the plant?

 

Made up a hanging basket of cuttings from my big Transcantia 'Blushing Bride' and hung it in the Iochroma in front of where we sit ...

 

It's a little variegated ivy. It had no label so I don't know what type, so final size is just guesswork. It definitely wants a fence or similar to cling to as it is sending out hopeful tall shoots, so I don't think it is one that will be happy to grow in a smallish free-standing mound. It looks fab against other greenery however and not so vibrant against bare wood.

Meanwhile, have entertained myself cutting back one huge limb off a very, very big Fatsia. Needed 4 stages so as not to crush myself with its weight coming down. Successfully negotiated! Saw, ladder, long pruner, short pruner, and eye mask all neatly put away, green bin stuffed full of leafage, and larger bits of wood stowed in garage to take to dump.