What are we doing in the garden 2026

I'm in the process of transfering seedlings from the house to greenhouse too. But we could still get frosts.

This was the first day I'd say I was really gardening. So I got the saw out and cut a pyracantha down by half in height. My, those arm muscles found it tough going. I have never done much sawing and would hate to be a carpenter.

Then I put in a shrub - a stransvesia.

Finally, I repotted my Sequoiadendron giganteum, which I grew from seed a few years ago. These are quite expensive to buy. It's about 60cm tall now. When it gets bigger I will plant it out somewhere so the neighbour can enjoy it! It might look soft, but is quite spikey. It will look superb, when it gets to 300ft high!

 

Spent most of the day in the greenhouse. Sowed courgette, cucumber, melon, squashes and a range of Ipomoea and moved these to the propagator.
Pricked out some Dahlia seedlings, Mirabalis jalapa and Ricinus communis gibsonii.
Potted on some tomatoes and rearranged things in general.
Then watered as required.
Slightly puzzled why the second shoot on the Polygonatum vietnamicum has stopped growing while the first one is growing a couple of inches a day.
More of the dahlias have woken up.

 

Just love reading what you all are getting up to in your gardens. I'm learning a lot too, so thank you.

Still got the cold wind, so I mainly spent my time indoors, though I did order some Voodoo fuchsias (plugins) which my husband likes. I did venture out this afternoon to stretch some fleece over the plants that are under a plastic tunnel on a raised bed, and inside a lidless clear plastic container. The tomatoes and cucumbers are doing well in there seemingly, as they're busy growing their first set of true leaves. But tonight is going to get cold so I thought they could do with a bit of TLC.

Also mixed a bit of potting compost with some vermiculite ready to do some pricking-out one day soon. I put my hand in the bag of vermiculite to grab a handful and nearly gave myself a heart attack! I'd completely forgotten that I'd stuffed some dahlia tubers in there to overwinter, must have been in a hurry or something when I put them in. I imagined I was touching a dead rat! Not good practice I know, but at least I've found the dahlias I intended to save

 

The compost we had bought and sowed seeds.......RUBBISH! The dwarf french beans rotted out, the maize started and then rotted out and on goes the sad story. Even repotting some house plants had to be redone because the compost went mouldy in a day. What is wrong with compost these days?

 

@On the Levels , sadly many of us have had similar experiences. There have been many discussions about the issues with peat free MPC, even with recommended brands that have performed well in the past. Part of the issue seems to be if it's based on composted wood/ bark and or green waste. I've said before the only answer seems to be making your own blend of MPC, topsoil, grit, sharp sand etc in varying proportions depending on what you are doing
I know this is difficult for many who lack space to have keep multiple bags of product, but it seems to be the only way.

 

l succumbed, and ordered another £10 patio rose last night. Called 'many happy returns'. Internet search says its a lovely pale pink and lightly scented. The small company only has climbing ones left now, which l would have ordered those too but colors were a bit too bright for where l would have planted them. Weather kept changing insanely yesterday, one min sun out then nk min it poured down. Had to keep going into greenhouse to dodge, then gave up, so we didnt get to sow our chamomile. As it says it going to be nice here all day just off out there now to sow some white lupins in greenhouse, then some more white annuals, a few of each of 'the bride' cornflower.. white candytuft called giant hyacinth' ..white poppy seeds called 'swansdown and some old seeds l found of white clemome ' helen cambell' Hubby is just putting up a bird box our daughter bought us last yr . Very late so dont think it will be used by the birds this year :( We need to prep the first raised bed plot thats for all the salads. Hubby says there is a massive ants nest in the darlex composter :( The 2nd veg plot, grandson has trenched dug out for us to put compost in for our runner beans over arches. Iv bought some diff beans seeds off 'real seeds' this year, so l must remember to make notes on how they do in our garden. Iv only got one tulip thats flowering as the squirrels eat them :( Not sure yet if the ones in front garden from last yr have survived. Im very tempted to pick it for my vase !!

 

Got to the Allotments, only a brief visit. Watered the greenhouse, just in time, things were beginning to wilt. I did a little bit of digging where one of the old raspberry beds was. Slow going as it's full of bindweed and other nasties which all has to be picked out as thoroughly as possible
Even then I know some will come back, it's a never-ending battle.

P.S. Hopefully we will hear from @fairygirl soon. Assuming she hasn't been washed or blown away in all these storms.

 

First deep watering of the year The forecast looks humane next week so a good soak for my young plants was called for.

Played with my fabulous stones and managed to get the water flow just as I want it, emerging from underneath the stone we shamelessly stole on Saturday from a walk (why do the best stones turn up 1hrs walk from home? ), falling on the lovely flat stone The Child gave me as a present after carrying it all day in the shopping centre.



Lifted the Aquilegia seedlings sown last autumn out from the GH. I can't really call it hardening off as my GH is, so to speak, "well ventilated".

In particular as storm Dave took a chunk off right hand roof panel to balance the air flow towards the missing back left hand roof panel

I'll need to order some more replacement (plastic) panels, they seem to be quite sturdy and at least make less hazardous mess if they fall.

And just for the sake of adding a springy photo, here are 1317 and 1319, born 3 days ago

 

After months of dithering, we've ordered a new summer house for the deck by the stream.
The old one is as rotten as a pear.
We don't want a corner one as it's a bit small.

 

I have now completed the planting in my fern border, moving two ferns from elsewhere to make use of the space freed up by removing all the Spanish bluebells last week. I mowed both lawns, not really to cut the grass but to hoover up all the leaves and cherry blossom which arrived from a neighbour’s garden during the recent high winds. I then tidied up a recently enlarged border and dug it over lightly to remove the capping which forms on my sandy soil when it dries out after rain. A very pleasant warm afternoon, with recently opened tulips enjoying the sun.

 

Weather was so lovely today, ended up working in garden far too long, and now cant move :( but did sow loads of seeds of white annuals for the white area till nk yrs white perennial seeds come up in greenhouse. While l was typing this morning on here, hubby told me he was putting up a birdbox daughter had given us. What l didnt know, was that he had got ladder and climbed onto his potting shed and attached the box onto our large cherry tree !! he is as insane as me for taking risks at 75 ? !! l cant believe he did that, and now says his arm is aching. Dont think any gardening for us tomorrow :(

 

I've been helping a neighbour fence painting

 

Oh @Penny_Forthem that sounds exciting! What is the view like across your stream? I have a stream at the bottom of my garden, and never thought of a summerhouse looking over it - sitting g&t in hand, watching the sunset....

 

Having a summerhouse (or Wendy House as I like to call ours) is much better than I ever imagined it would be. Lovely to sit there in the shade when the sun gets a bit too much and better coverage than a parasol. Good scope for the interior design conscious too as you can do exactly what you like with it!

 

Summer house and stream.. ohhhh now that looks bliss. i'd copy that if l had the room so, as sun is shinning again today, and hubby had to be up early at 6.30, as new fridge was delivered, we have decided again to do some gardening , as not feeling to bad with the old joints Plan is to tackle the mediterranean theme patio area, at long last. Then hopefully, we can sit out there at the small old cafe table for lunch with a glass of wine oh, and this morning ordered another patio rose' sexy rexy' lol.. note toself 'l must stop buying rose plants'