What are you doing in the garden this weekend?

[PlinkPlankPlunk]

I’ve been waiting for ages for a run of sunny days so my grass would dry out. Spent all day yesterday sowing in pots (tomatoes, courgettes, spinach), clearing twigs and branches off the grass, clearing moss off the drive and turning over compost in various racks. And dried my laundry outside.

Today I’ve got a lot of grass cutting, more seeds to sort, brambles to cut back in the edges and I need to look at a little acer I was given in a pot last year, as I don’t know if this is a good time to put it into something bigger.

How are your gardens going?

@TwinkleToesStrikesAgain it was on a shelf at eye level and IT WAS STARING AT ME 🥺

Waiting for the gardener to come in tomorrow, better that way for all concerned, I have the ideas, he executes the ideas, he has a job, I have a garden I can look at and enjoy and I then support the wine industry by sitting in it with a glass of wine when things warm up.

It took me nigh on twenty five years to realise that DH would rather eat the garden than do anything in it, being busy in work, in and out of Europe and the states on business, was then presented as meh at the weekends, lockdown eventually shot holes in that one, so in came the gardener and peace and harmony have been restored at all levels.

We've spent 5 years doing a lot of huge work on the house and I am finally tackling the garden. I've got a patio to lay round the new extension so might start prepping that today. I've tackled an out of control viburnum and weeded all the smaller beds. Dogwoods are all pruned as well. I'm going to prep some of the lawn for reseeding as it's so patchy. Also need to reduce and shape a photinia and two choisyas. Thinking about putting some wisteria round the summer house but it needs painting first. So much to do and I keep procrastinating.

Stared in amazement at the Cosmos seeds that have germinated literally overnight!

Tried to wash the Saharan sand off the front garden paving.

Gently stroked the first emerging leaves on my new David Austin roses.

Nothing yet I am getting the paving replacements in a couple of weeks and then I am going to do some hanging baskets and some veg with my daughter

Emptying v v old pots full of compost into a wheelbarrow. Mixing it with new potting compost and refilling my old pots plus numerous ones inherited when I moved here a year ago
It's very satisfying

have been productive in the lovely spring sunshine
sown more seeds
moved more seedlings around
sorted collapsed tree
planted my new raspberry canes
and finally watered in my nematodes, as well as topping up my beer traps

Rocks placed, a few new plants put in in the resulting nooks.

A few stray bits excavated from established borders and potted up for (hopefully) selling at my Dad's plant fair.

A box of anemone de caen planted, and my new sarcocca planted in its pot. New hellebore finally planted out.

Buddleja spared for now as it is a cold one tonight.

Soup made, Dad given lunch,

What raspberry canes did you get? I am considering some

I’m starting with a tidy up so I took some things to the tip, swept up the dead leaves and put up some solar lights on the back wall.

Cleared out some branches cut down yesterday, filled up the garden waste bin, checked the pyracantha which is starting to grow.

They were out of soil improver at the recycling centre so will have to find some elsewhere.

The gritter was out on the roads this afternoon (north east) so must be a cold one coming tonight.

Also placed orders w Farmer Gracy and Thomson and Morgan from bed at 8am (free postage this weekend). Does that count?

Nothing - spent most of it looking nervously outside as my neighbours trampled all over my flower bed trying to lift a tree stump out that is preventing them from putting in new fences that came down in the storm.

I stayed schtum all day as I appreciate what a big job it was getting the stump out and I also knew I might have to sacrifice a few of my plants where they stood on my side to get a foot hold. Painful to watch but worse things in the world, right?

Last straw was when they started hacking off branches of my dormant (3 year old) fig tree. I had to shout at them to stop and then I started crying. They started doing this approximately a minute before they got the stump out so it was completely unnecessary! Bloody bizarre and I am much more upset than I thought I'd be.

Not a good garden day for me.

Did some power washing yesterday, patio, brickwork, garden furniture. Love it. Such a messy job but looks great when it's done.

DH mowed the lawn and put aftercut on it, I weeded the borders and tidied the edges.

Today I put teak oil on all the furniture. Realised I should have pruned my clematis plants ages ago, so they're going to look really shit this year.

The bluebells i planted last winter in the damp mossy bit that never gets any light have reappeared and the leaves look bigger. I hope they flower this year.

I have had a lovely day snipping dead woody bits and enjoying seeing buds everywhere! We had our garden redone last year so I didn’t get to enjoy it at all really. We had some new bits planted as a little extra from the gardener as the job was delayed and everything he planted has sprung into life beautifully. I am very excited!

Sowed peas and squash. Checked in courgettes. Moved succulents out of cold frame and into their spot (cue frost! Because I needed cold frame space for seeds.
A little
Light weeding, and popped some nereines into the back of a bed.

Yesterday was spent measuring and marking out a new project (and planting out foxgloves).

Today I went up to the farm behind to discuss access to the field behind us (and how chilled his bull is!!) for the drystone waller who is coming around tomorrow or tuesday to build a new wall and repair an existing one. I also planted some seeds today (Nicotiana -lime & pink, Verbena Bonarirensis, Nigella, Cosmos and sunflowers).

I've opened up the summerhouse for the season ☺️
Cleaned the metal decking patio set
Planted a new blossoming cherry tree
Re stocked the bird feeders

I've fed front & back lawn, fed the buxus, (we have lots in front border). Put linseed oil on the wooden bits of the garden bench & raised bed.

The other eejit cleared out the shed & powerwashed the decking. Also did wet & forget on front drive. Not too shabby!

Tomorrow I'm taking some rose cuttings & will maybe sow some salad seeds. Also going to get some exterior paint mixed to match our new greenhouse which is arriving in the coming weeks & will give the obelisks a lick of paint. Most excited!!

Weeded and mulched the beds, planted potatoes, topped up the beer traps. Last week we showed lettuce and radish seeds, and a few herbs. I still need to stake the perennials and pot on my sweet peas. Oh and feed the roses. And power wash everything! Bit behind..,

@TheSpanishApartment I haven't sowed any seeds yet this year & normally I peak very early!

@buckeejit thankyou for making me feel better! I've a fair bit going on my windowsills but haven't done much to the outdoors yet.

@MrsBertBibby

What raspberry canes did you get? I am considering some

I got some raspberry tulameen. Bit of impulse buy as I spotted them very cheap at my amazing little local nursery (where everything is very cheap!) although I have also wanted to try growing raspberries for ages.

Planted out fox gloves and hollyhocks.

Moved a large planter that normally sits outside the gate and I never remember to water it, to inside next to where we park the cars to make it clearer where parking stops and lawn starts. Planted it up with pansies.
Cut some of the grass
Pruned a hydrangea and cleared off the honeysuckle that was smothering it.
DH strimmed the veg patch and planted the first tomato seeds in the propagator.

Planted out the Veronica spicata I grew from seeds last autumn.

Put in some solar led lights I picked up cheap. I want more lights in the garden this year.

Loads and am knackered but feel good for it. Feels like I’ve spent all weekend lifting or weeding but hoping it means will have some weekends later in the year which are much more relaxing in a nice garden. I’m hoping the weeding will eventually become easier but I’m having a major battle with couch grass in all my borders so feels like quite a relentless task.

Back lawn had its second cut of the year. Front lawn had its first cut. 50% of the edging everywhere had been done. Large gravel area completely weeded.

Also sat for a 5 minute break to admire the first clump of tulips to flower.