What are we doing in the garden 2025

Yes looks like an Echium.

I've just planted my Red Barron onion sets, its quite early for me, some years I cant even get on the mud until April.

 

Must be approaching the M25 by now then, or are you going to Cambridge.

 

Hubby's slowly pruning the roses and I'm digging up some old currant bushes and planting new ones.

 

Back in the garden after a break. How plants have come along in ten days.

Creating and spreading mulch. I also (accidentally) startled a wood pigeon, which flew headlong into the shed door, no doubt obtaining a nasty headache in the process!!

 

Lucilusmaximus , Are the leaves smooth and
have soft hairs bit ,like a nettle and the trunk quite firm ?

As this reminds me of a blue echium which came free (the birds. )
The first year it was just a Rossett of leaves then year after grew like yours . Checked up the seeds and they were quite expensive. If you are wanting to keep it and it is a echium mine grew 5 ft . Tall yes !!! but beautiful blue flowers . Doesn't come again so if I'm right and you want to grow another collect the seeds , though ive read not easy to germinate in cold and open places.

Like ours ,surrounded by fields and expected

 

I've sowed some seeds today , need remove in the propagators for sowing tomatoes which will hopefully be weekend . Expecting some seeds and plant / bulb order from peter nyssen this week . This week weather so far has been much better than forecast no frost yet it were nice sunny Monday and most of Tuesday and today were going ok until rain and hailstone .

Glad Shiney doing the power washing and not me I hate it along with painting, I've not seen fossils in stone paving before did you order them from a special supplier @shiney

 

Not much today as it's cold grey and miserable again. I have been busy at Allotments the padt 2 days so having an easy one today. Moved some things out of the propagator, I over winter some plants there, set to just +5 to keep them frost free. They will have take their chances in the main (unheated) GH now. I need to crank up the temperature and get seed sowing soon, maybe at the weekend.
In the main garden, as well as snowdrops and daffodils, some pots of tulips have started to flower-absolutely mad. Whatever happened to a successional display!!

 

The little seeds I had sown during this recent fools spring have germinated and so they don't cook in the heated propagator I've moved the into a basic one.... a cheapo but good from wilkos about 15 years ago and still going strong.
Hopefully my tiny first leaved tomato plants will survive.

This half hour was long enough to chill the bones, Id planned to re allocate some bearded iris to the border but I could be cruel and left them where the roots were warm. so inside for rest of the day sorting out seed for veg patch.

 

Managed to squeeze in an hour of potting seedlings up after work. I had to, as the Pennisetum Rubra "seedlings" are now over a foot tall and thickening up madly on my home office desk.

Welsh onions also were very crowded so I gave them a Chives treatment and cruelly ripped the seedling thickets in half, potting each half up. We'll see what happens, it's my first time for them too.

Don't you just love that spring feeling when first seedlings have grown well, get re-potted and suddenly you realise your house could do with a window or two more

Cacti from the south facing office windowsill have been perilously balanced on any free surface to make room for seedlings. Lasagne is off bounds for a while as all suitable receptacles are serving as drip drays.

Spring

 

where did you get the Pennisetum rubra seeds from @Selleri ? I assume its the one with purple foliage

 

Guilty! I remembered Rubra but they are Glaucum Purple- apologies

I'm planning to plant them behind the pond near the fence and hopefully they'll bring some winter shape too.

Grass - Pennisetum Glaucum Purple - Premier Seeds Direct

 

It is an Echium!

I messaged guy who gave me the plants today. He said it can take a few years to flower. Didn't mention about it only flowering once or collecting seeds. It will have to go in a pot as no where else to put it. Same for the little Cottoneasters. For time being anyway The borders are narrow and shallow and still getting a lot of deep shadow even though garden south facing. The high fences no doubt responsible.

Popped into Kilkeel garden centre today, just to have a coffee, but cafe was very busy, so navigated towards the plants. Just to have a look to see if any new stock arrived.



It had!! Lots of it . The bees were all over these Alpines , so had to have them and two pots. I spotted some Tete a Tete at the garage when I stopped for fuel, so grabbed 3 pots for the other pot. My patio is,looking quite springlike now

 

@luciusmaximus
Definitely an Echium, I have a number of these. They regularly reach 10 ft tall when they flower although mine are in the ground.
Definitely needs a much bigger pot, if for no other reason than it will keep falling over in that pot..