popular What have you done today in the Garden?

Thanks Pac and Logan. I put aloe vera aftersun gel on it. I never use sunscreen, although I probably should but when in the sun I tan easily and rarely ever even turn pink.

 

@Anniekay , those are some awesome cabbages!

 

Thank you AA, much appreciated.

 

I have been working on my fall cleanup, maybe I can get it done in time for spring? I did try some weeding, but the soil is too cold on my hands.

My elderberry trees in the front yard are putting out leaves. The ones behind the kids' cabin barely have any leaves yet. I ought to dig a few up for a friend, and make some cuttings for other friends.

Daffodils are beginning to bloom, other trees and bushes are full of buds. I heard spring peepers singing the other day before the cold came back. And honeybees had been out about 2 weeks ago. I think they went back indoors to wait for more flowers? My white spirea has tiny leaves so far.

My fig trees are putting out more leaves in my sunny room. The lemon trees are doing well, and other porch plants are also fine.

I gave my thyme a haircut. My peonies are sending up their little pink noses. I trimmed their old stems off also. I noticed buds on my dogwood tree. The robins are back.

I dug up more yucca plants from a front flower bed. When I moved here it was full of yucca and jonquils. Some years ago, I dug them out and moved them elsewhere. I have a Walker's catmint there, and some milkweed and a few others there. But if you miss even a small piece of yucca root, it will be back. I could hear the roots breaking when I dug the new ones out today. I will share the ones I dug out today. I have lots of it in other places.

I hope my pecan trees will be okay. Deer nibbled the trunks when we had the snow. Also, the milkweed that the deer ate off last summer. That milkweed was 2 years old. I had tried to root the pieces I found, but it didn't work. I have more seeds to plant. The new seeds spent a couple of months in the fridge this winter.

I hope I can get out tomorrow afternoon and plant things like the milkweed, echinacea and some poppy seeds. I got some poppy seed for pink poppies with purple in the petals from a friend. She has a farm, and sells her produce, plants, and seeds. Sometimes I get things from her. I am getting some red hollyhock seeds and seedless blackberry bushes soon too. I have loads of other seeds, so I might plant some other kinds if I get so far too.

 

Most of the morning was taken up with cleaning of my car and my golf clubs.
But I did find time to give "everything" a dose of "Miracle Grow" and the lawn some iron sulphate,
in places where moss might make an appearance.

At the moment, what's left of these plants in the two troughs, are lined up between the tea-house and the side fence. It's unlikely that they survived the winter, so I may have to replace them.

 

Today we headed out to the Lottie to plant mange tout and broad beans. We planted them in cells to take back home. It is a messy job, that’s why. Next we will plant the toms.

When we arrived there, we saw a whole load of Tonkin sticks in a person’s aanhanger to be thrown away. We called him and he said to take them, otherwise they would be taken to the dump. The man is quitting because has retired and has no time for gardening. ….WOT!!!
When we were heading back up to the auto, we saw him and thanked him again for the sticks. He offered a 40 kilo bag of cow poo pellets. Before he could finish the sentence, I had that bag on my shoulder and began heading for the car. He didn’t have to ask twice.

 

We were out all day and it was such a lovely day.
I didn't want to waste it so as soon as we got home at 4 I quickly changed into my gardening gear and dashed outside. I didn't come in until just gone 6:30 and managed to clean up one of the bigger borders. Not too sure if the Tulips will be any good this year they have been under constant Slug attack. I am now covering them at night with clear upturned plastic bottles in the hope that this might buy them time to recuperate... but I will be surprised if they do.
The border looks a bit of a sight now with the big upturned flower pots covering the Dahlias and now the addition of plastic bottles!!

 

At around 5.30 pm. I went into the shed to check on my clematis.
It gets whatever sun there is during the day so can get reasonably warm. My little 60w greenhouse heater had just come on, so it was quite cosy in there, as it is draught free.
I did put a couple of ventilators in it years ago, but I have them covered up.
I built this fifty years ago, for our daughters expanding rabbit and guinea pig collection. We still call it, "the rabbit shed."

It's still rot free.



It always comes up looking well after a re-paint every few years.



Those are my telescopic pruners I use on the big acer in the front garden, "As I'm not allowed to use a ladder." Although I do use one to get on to the roof of the shed to prune off next door's overhanging trees, as I can't be seen from the French windows.


The clematis are doing really well on the shelf under the side window, even the two I had doubts about. I've four more coming from Parkers. Two more Montana Broughton Star



and two Blue Angel




The New Guinea Impatiens we had in the troughs that won't have survived the winter, prompted me to order a dozen plug plants of them on eBay.
I can bring them on in the shed.

I need to think about what to put in the troughs that go either side of the tea-house steps. I tried dahlias last year, that was a "disastah!" The problem is that the troughs don't get much sun as the acer palmatum shades them.



At the moment the troughs are in the garage. They might end up staying there.

 

Yesterday tied up the Loganberry canes and blackberries, today did the same.

 

Nothing today, as it was a golf day, but I did buy a little watering can and some Baby Bio for the clematis in the shed.

 

We've been out for most of today but as I knew it was going to be a super sunny day I wanted to squeeze in some garden time.
I got out there just after 7am and worked until 10:30.

Tidied up another border, this one has a lot of Nigella ( Love in a mist) seedlings which will be left to do their own thing, there are also lots in the shingle pathway too which might be left too.....I will decide when they begin too bloom.



Cut back the smaller Buddleja and a couple of Hydrangeas.

Found another assortment of sprouting bulbs lurking in a tray in the greenhouse so they all got planted in a pot....should be interesting to see what's what.


Carried out all the ,so far sown, seedlings into the greenhouse for a day in good light and warmth.

 

I Got my mowers going and cut the grass. Actually, the grass is still short, it's the dang weeds (over 50% of the grass is just weeds) that grew almost a foot over winter.

The big rider had only 53% power left so I had to get the EGO 21" going. Then I got some of the fenceline weedeated and raked that away. There were tons of leaves piled up against the chain link fence. That's plenty for today. Although the 21" mower is self-propelled I still have to muscle it backwards and around corners. It wears a girl out !!

 

I so want our lawns cut as they are very overgrown and tatty looking but the ground is still to soggy to take the lawnmower yet.