Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

A bank holiday weekend - what are you gardening plans?

33 replies

didireallysaythat · 30/04/2021 22:00

It's still cold. My akebia quinata which survived the winter, put on a load of growth and was getting ready to flower was killed by a cold April. We've had no rain for over a month. The water butts are empty.

But are we disheartened? Are we heck!

Tell me of your plans for the weekend!

I'm planning to plant the first seeds in the raised beds. Yes Lord Monty did this weeks ago but he doesn't live in the cold east of England. I'm now potting on plants to free up the smaller pots so I can prick out from seed trays.

What are you planning?

OP posts:
Hughbert · 30/04/2021 22:06

I'm attacking mine. I moved in fairly recently, renting - it's bland and neglected. I've left it over winter to see what happens and what will emerge. Turns out I have bee friendly weedy borders and a teeny lawn full of weeds. So I'm doing some serious weeding, lawn mowing and getting a couple of plants in, plus hopefully cleaning windows/doors.

HasaDigaEebowai · 30/04/2021 22:09

I have flag irises to move to the pond and am hopefully moving done small shrubs to the pond bank

vodkaredbullgirl · 30/04/2021 22:11

Done most of my garden, just got some trellis to put up.

Original poster
didireallysaythat · 30/04/2021 22:17

@vodkaredbullgirl surely a garden is never done? Smile

OP posts:
vodkaredbullgirl · 30/04/2021 22:20

True but my dd has told me to stop buying stuff lol. Must have spent about £1200 the past few months.

Original poster
didireallysaythat · 30/04/2021 22:22

@vodkaredbullgirl that's quite a few packets of seeds Smile.

60 plug plants turned up from eBay yesterday. DH asked where they were going, and then smiled and said that probably wasn't the point ...

OP posts:
vodkaredbullgirl · 30/04/2021 22:24

Most of the money went on a new shed and a storage box for my recycle bins.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 30/04/2021 22:26

A bit of weeding & general pottering. Oh & trying to sort my flipping Winter Clematis out, it's become very unruly again. We're rain due on Monday & Tuesday. I don't even care if it does it on all the school runs, my water butts are never normally empty this early in the year!

Pan2 · 30/04/2021 22:28

Sunflower seeds going in.

Purplewithred · 30/04/2021 22:31

Dancing in the rain, which is promised for Monday afternoon/evening. Also repotting some outdoor plants and possibly planting out brassicas and chard at the allotment.

Proudboomer · 30/04/2021 22:33

I have a low wall around my shady bed that needs a coat of paint. The shed needs a second coat as well..
The grass could do with a cut.
My cucumbers and peppers need potting on.
I need to check my dahlias to see if they are shooting yet and if so get their stakes in place.
And last but not least the birds water dishes and feeders need to be cleaned and refilled.

Catname · 30/04/2021 22:34

Hopefully buying some more compost and using my new Aldi tiller to work on a new but not very well dug flowerbed. I used it the other day and it was far better than I could have imagined.

TheBullfinch · 30/04/2021 22:35

Weeding.

Always the weeding.

Hoping my flamingo willow and Japanese Acer arent killed off by frost.

Laying turf where its died or gone patchy.

Kentuki · 30/04/2021 22:37

Lovely thread.

We are moving the wildlife pond - it’s just not in the right place so DH will be digging out the new spot over the next few days, putting in the new preformed liner, and then we will be transferring the water over and moving all the logs etc. I am taking the plunge and putting my sweet peas out which I am very nervous about. I have some geraniums and scabious and lavender to transfer from pots into the border, hoping for a purple border! Got some salvias coming to put in also. Lots to do and we are total amateurs so expecting at least half of it to go wrong!

vodkaredbullgirl · 30/04/2021 22:43

I've planted all my veg, potatoes, carrots, peas, beans and for the 1st time parsnips. Done all my hanging baskets, put the garden lights up, bought loads of new plants. Done boxes with wild flower seeds and butterfly seeds.

Original poster
didireallysaythat · 30/04/2021 23:00

I've got squash and pumpkins in the greenhouses. The runner beans in the haven't come up yet and I think it's still to cold to plants peas in the soil so I might start then in plugs this weekend if I can find a space for them.

But mainly I need rain. The lawn has been seeded but two weeks on and despite watering twice a day no germination.

OP posts:
MrsIronfoundersson · 30/04/2021 23:05

I always think real rain is better than watering, and it looks like most of the country is due some over the next few days, hope it gets your grass growing! I have sweet peas ready to go out but am scared it's still too cold! But the weeds are growing well ...

Titsywoo · 30/04/2021 23:05

I've planted quite a lot in the last couple of weeks and am waiting a couple more weeks before I put out my geraniums and sweetcorn. I also have some more plants coming from Thompson and Morgan and Yougarden - mainly stuff to go in patio pots. I'll probably paint the pots this weekend (they are big and heavy concrete ones that someone gave me.

Keeping my fingers crossed for the rain that is forecast here on Monday night. A good soaking along with a rise in overnight temps should get everything going finally!

YonWeeLassie · 30/04/2021 23:12

The soil is like concrete though that doesn't deter the weeds. I can only weed if it rains. I have lots ready to go in containers, which I will pot up and stand in the greenhouse for a couple of weeks. I can hardly move in there already. My beans are just coming through in pots inside and so I will sort out some canes ready for planting.

Original poster
didireallysaythat · 30/04/2021 23:14

@YonWeeLassie how long did it take for your beans to emerge? I was expecting some sign of life by now but nothing yet - they are in an unheated greenhouse which gets lovely and warm during the day

OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 01/05/2021 02:27

We had work done on our garden ( turf. drainage and paving)
So onto the next stage :

I have an empty flower bed just waiting patiently .
I've got daffodils in pots that are died back so they can go out soon
3 shrubs, 4 groundcover

CatMint seeds

Then waiting to go in a big pot - sweetpeas
A Clematis to plant by the shed
Trailing begonias potted on (still under cover)

Waiting on fuschias and a PassionFlower

I cut back some ivy and did some weeding , more to do tomorrow I think .

Deciding if I want an archway , I reckon yes , why not .

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 01/05/2021 02:30

Oh and pressure wash the manky bits of path/patio.

Temp023 · 01/05/2021 07:39

Finishing digging out 6 in of soil from where the trampoline used to be so I can put grass down. Our house is built on what used to be a car park, the car park is actually still there!

Mintjulia · 01/05/2021 07:45

I'll tidy up the green house and clear out a cold frame. Fill pots with home made compost ready for the tomato seedlings. But I'm not planting anything out yet. We had hail yesterday.
My 10yo sage and rosemary have both succumbed to frost so I'll look for new ones in the garden centre. And I need a bigger pot for my bay tree.

A question for anyone knowledgeable. Can I take cuttings from an olive tree?

Mintjulia · 01/05/2021 07:47

titsywoo what sort of paint for concrete pots?