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?

There is no way I would weed alpine strawberries! They grow everywhere for me! I have to pull them out if I want to plant anything. ut basically I uproot them fro the paths and leave them in the beds.

I'm starting to worry about the lack of rain, one water butt is nearly empty. One still full. I've been topping up the pond with the hose and using tap water for flowers to save the water butt water fro our fruits and veg

I’m fretting too. The waterbutt fed by rainwater is now empty. The one fed by greywater is never empty, but I wouldn’t use it for seedlings or delicate plants. I’ve resorted to the hosepipe for newly-planted things but am hoping I can stop now as they should be settled.

I did some weeding and pot watering this morning, and I've just been to a farm shop which was selling off all their dwarf cherries, so I got a nice one for £5. It is growing on really well, and I have just the place for it in the front garden. Found an unusual dwarf pine as well, so got that too. And the world's biggest cauliflower for 75p.

I had to make some protectve covers ( hastily fashioned from a 2 litre lemonade bottle) for the one remaining sunflower seedling and the clematis

12 sunflower seedlings but only 1 survived being eaten by snails
Clematis is valiantly battling but is losing the fight , the leaves are being eaten as sooon as they grow with snail evidence (slime)

Planted up some trailing lobelia but I don't hold out much hope , they are looking ropey .
I planted some California Poppies and Chinese Lantern seeds but so far diddly squat .They've been over a month and not even a hint of green. I'll ignore them a while and see what happens .

I have two pots of the best Nasturtiums ever waiting for our arrival of Cabbage Whites (we do this every year )

Ate poached eggs on Marmite toast.

Watered the herbs and tomatoes.

Read a book and drank some water.

Finally have some warmer weather (Highlands) so been pottering happily - potted on dwarf buddlejas and azaleas, planted my agapanthus out, dug the holes for my daughter’s birthday-surprise swingset that needs to be up secretly for Wednesday. Had lovely chat over fence with neighbour.

Had to retreat indoors as everyone on the street seems to be taking turns mowing grass today, and my hayfever is bad.

I tried a garlic brew recently - 2 heads boiled in just over a litre of water and mashed, strained. Dilute 1 tablespoon in a litre of water and spray over plants.

first time, trying couple of days ago, and my hostas don’t appear to have been attacked overnight. will give a few more days for a better assessment.

Over the past 3 days, with the help of a dear friend who knows more about gardening:

Visited a NT garden and a local open garden famous for their azaleas and rhododendrons

Bitten the bullet and cut back my stricken fuchsia (thank you MereDint for correct spelling ) having found some good new shoots towards the bottom and cleared away the ground elder and comfrey that may have been strangling it

Emptied the raised beds of a few dead hebes and replanted with some slightly leggy (from being indoors too long) sunflowers

Cut the grass and strimmed edges

Declared even more wrath on nettles and ground elder- barrow loads destroyed

Used the Merlin app loads (record was 15 birds in one half hour session as I forgot it was switched on)

Rescued a slow worm from the cat

Took a few photos and drank lots of wine!

It’s probably more important to use the butt water on the pond. Using tap water adds nutrients and encourages blanket weed

Recovered from Yellow Book open day and got together all the signs and billboards to return to the county organisers. Got slightly ratty with some people who were trying to get in free by saying they also opened under the scheme in England and have a card that gives free entrance to other open gardens. I said it was pretty bad form in my view not to cough up if the money was for charity. I think we have a card too and could get into any Scottish open day, but noblesse oblige and all that sort of thing. Anyway, it's just a regular open day and they were taking the piss. Watered my many pots with bucket and saucepan as my watering can only waters my boots now and Dh has nabbed the other one for his tree ferns. Might go and prick out some primulas.

Forgot to add photos
Dublin Bay rose
Cornflower
Unknown Peony

And oriental poppy (and wine )

@Defiantlynot41 - beautiful!!!

I have spent so much time in my garden this weekend and not sure what I’ve achieved 😱

convinced I’m in it for the therapy 😂

Bugger all today annoyingly.

Managed to get out the last of The Fecking Brambles yesterday, though have instantly spotted two more. Wanted to do a bit today, but piles of housework took precedence Happy that I got a hose for the front though.

Long day at work tomorrow but will get some done when finishing wfh Weds and Thurs.

Panic bought some gap fillers - foxgloves and Geums - and got them into the borders. Also planted out the remaining sweetcorn and gave the veg beds a good soak. I can see a bazillion tiny weed seedlings popping up, so tomorrow will be hoe hoe hoe.

Spotted some yellow rattle appearing in amongst the long grass in the orchard while I was mowing the paths. Now that’s cause for celebration; I thought the seed I scattered last year had failed to do anything.

The June drop has started early; twigs and branches falling off the trees everywhere.

No gardening today beyond a little watering. Have noticed some June drop around here too and my mother’s ancient cherry tree has collapsed completely.

Oh no that’s sad!

It is! It’s been struggling for years but it seems now to have given up the unequal struggle. In its heyday, it groaned with fruit.

I wasn't aware of June drop being thing, but would explain why I've been eyeing up the leaf-sucker....

Pottered about the nursery. Did another trays of 40 meconopsis superba seedlings. Decided umbellifers are going to have a moment so potted on half a dozen Selinum wallichianum. Watered -it's very hot in this part of Scotland today. It would be perfect hoeing weather but it's too hot at the moment.

It’s really cold here in the English Midlands. I think umbellifers are definitely having a moment.
Still feeling overwhelmed, so I’ve chosen to tackle the Worst Thing in the garden. It’s the path along the side of my vegetable patch . 35 feet of weeds, neglected pots, bags of compost and random crap, pretty much impassable.The sort of stuff that if you sensibly place your shed so it’s not in a corner, you can neatly arrange out of sight. So far 6 feet looks neater, but lots of the stuff is now even more inconveniently placed. I’m not sure if methodical sorting is the right approach. Part of me wants to shove the whole lot onto a tarp and take it to the tip. But I know that attitude is bad for the planet. I’ve just spent 15 minutes considering an ugly plastic pot , under the weeds and spent tulips I found a decent little French lavender and some alliums. So I will give them some love, move them to a nicer pot and better place, but it all takes so much time. Maybe it will learn me not to just leave stuff to deal with later. Does Monty have corners at Longmeadow where it’s all got away from him? Id love to film myself for one of the viewers segments on Gardeners World . “The ugly truth about gardening.”

I suspect Monty does indeed have a corner of doom where random garden junk is hidden, although he also seems to have vast brick-built potting sheds where all the pots and tools are beautifully arranged.

Garden decluttering is very satisfying. I cart most of my stuff off to the garden club to be rehomed, but I do leave some bits at my front gate and they quickly disappear. As you say, it saves landfill.

@Zebracat I’d love that type of video on Gardener’s World! Sometimes, the programme makes me feel glum…yes, I know comparison is the thief of joy but it makes my efforts feel pathetic. Anyways, I hope you are feeling positive garden-wise.

Today, I have mowed the back garden-nearly-turned-in-to-a-paddock and was absolutely dripping with sweat and exhaustion. Also tided the patio ready for birthday party tomorrow. I have my new styrax japonicus coming tomorrow so I’ve been wandering around contemplating possible positions as they like shelter from wind. The intertwined clematis and honeysuckle are gorgeous this year, first proper year where it looks more like the plan in my head so I’m happy.