What have you done in the garden today?

[ThreeRingCircus]

I thought it would be a nice idea to share what we've been up to in our gardens.

Today I planted potatoes in buckets (with drainage holes drilled into them.) Six buckets in total, three second earlies and three main crops. I have fond memories of digging up potatoes with my dad when I was a child.... I still get excited rummaging around in the buckets when my potatoes are ready!

I also made up a herb planter from an old plant pot that had been hiding behind the shed. Mint, parsley and thyme planted in that so I'll see how that does.

I fed my pot plants with blood, fish and bone and gave them a water.

What have you been up to?

Don't feel guilty, rhododendrons are toxic and invasive.

Although a caveat on magnolia - gorgeous in bloom, but the petal drop afterwards is not so pretty.

If you’ve got the room ilovesushi have you thought about planting an Amelanchier? A beautiful tree/ shrub with interest almost all year.

Magnolias are beautiful until it rains and then you have to wait a year for it to be beautiful again.

I always recommend Amelanchier. Such a great plant.

I've planted my new golden hops plant in a big pot. Have taken photos to see how long it takes to take over the wall

I’ve finally got around to pruning the sambucus nigra which would otherwise overhang my garden and the neighbour’s. I’ve potted two dahlias but will keep them indoors for a while, for fear of snailageddon.

I have 2 huge trays of seedlings that need to pricked out.. think I'll do it tomorrow 😬

Not much else to do, some light pruning on the old wisteria, and the olive tree could do with shaping but might wait until any chance of frost has passed 🤣

Can anyone recommend a nice wafts tall grass that I can plant at the back of a border?
It's NW facing

Miscanthus for your border. It’s wonderful.

Weeded my strawberry bed. Sowed carrots and lettuce outside. Sunflowers, cosmos, viola, orlaya and cephalophora,tarragon and leeks in the green house.

@Beebumble2 @AlisonDonut I hadn't thought of an amelanchier. They look beautiful! I do adore magnolias though, even though their bloom can be over so quickly. We have a dead cherry tree that sits on our border with next door which needs removing so there would be room. Decisions!

Try Magnolia Susan, lasts for weeks, doesn’t get too big. Not quite as spectacular as the Soulangeana but makes up for it in longevity of flowers.

Went to the seed library (at my local library... it's a fantastic initiative.) Swapped some of my free seeds from Gardners' World magazine that I won't use for some beans and lettuce seeds that I will.

I think Susan is a variety of soulangeana, which is itself a hybrid of denudata and liliflora, something I didnt know till 5 minutes ago

You sent me Googling! According to the Botanic Garden of Missouri:

‘Susan' is a cross between M. liliiflora 'Nigra' and M. stellata'Rosea'.

Magnolia × soulangeana, commonly known as saucer magnolia, is a deciduous hybrid magnolia (M. denudata × M. liliiflora).

So both Susan and Soulangeana share a parent in M. lilliflora, so I guess half siblings?

@Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight Well done! I wasn't getting very far with Susan, most sites preferring just to say Magnolia “Susan”. But I found a couple that seemed reliable which referred to M x soulangeana v Susan.

There’s a series of them, introduced in 1965, which explains their names -Susan, Ann, Jane etc
Little Girl series

I finally managed to do a much needed hard cut back of the wisteria. I couldn't do the prunes at the correct times last year and really wanted to get it to have a bit of a frame that I could work to. Hope it forgives me as it has lots of flower buds on it.

@Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight I love it!

I put a magnolia Susan in last year. I also have an Elizabeth (yellow - huge flowers, magnificent - a great addition to the back garden a good few years ago) and a stellata (pinky white, should have been white).

This week has been occasional putting the lid on and off my little veg bed for frost protection, and bringing. Seedlings in at night and back out in the mornings.

I need to harvest some rhubarb today.

Can I join in?

I had an epic gardening day yesterday. Started early and only stopped when the heavens opened at teatime - when smallest Claptrap came home from school anyway. I went through my big ‘hot border’ like a dose of salts, removed every weed and all the couch grass (well, as much as possible), trimmed off frost damaged branches on the surviving Loropetalum (lost two 😭), cut back last year’s spent perennial stems, and ruthlessly dug out all the self seeded muscari that arrived a couple of years ago.

I left it initially because it contrasted nicely with the daffs, but it’s started a bid for border domination and was marching unchecked through my Helianthemums, so time to go.

I also dug out some outlying Rudbeckias and potted them up to donate to a plant stall that’s coming up, as I’ve failed to sow any seeds for them (beyond the usual surplus tomatoes).

Today I’m hoping to make a list of gaps and order plants to fill them, manure the roses (better late than never), and start mulching the borders I’ve finished sorting.

That’s a very impressive list! My loropetalum was very short-lived, alas.

Planted brown turkey fig and blueberry bush.
Will plant summer bulbs tomorrow.

Today I planted out some sprouted potatoes from the veg basket. Some Charlotte potatoes and some King Edwards, hopefully for Christmas dinner😊
I also planted some sprouted garlic cloves. I did read somewhere you shouldn't plant these out and should buy them, not sure why but I thought I'd give it a go.
I put in ropes to divide up my raised bed so I have a square for each set of plants. Like square foot planting, but I think they are slightly larger.

I’ve planted out some spuds from the veg basket too though not sure what variety.
Mowed the back lawns, tied up a climbing rose which is growing like crazy . Cut back a Skimmia which I think is dying (it arrived in a dreadful state but that’s another thread ).
I’ve ordered a small cordless mower for doing the front lawn as lugging the big one round the front drives me mad.
Trimmed off some frost bitten branches of the bay tree and another bush I don’t know the name of.

@Maggiethecat you need at least two blueberry bushes for good cropping as they cross pollinate.