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?

I hacked another wheely binful off the bay tree, I reckon one more will get it down to a manageable size again but that can wait until next week.
Friends came round to visit and we had a lovely afternoon in the garden, listening to the bees and watching a fearless robin perching within a metre of us.
We also looked at all the mint moths (Pyrausta Aurata)on the marjoram. I'd thought there were only a couple but on closer inspection there were loads of them.

Of course Monty has a shitpile of doom. Everyone does. Actually you do occasionally get the slightest glimpse of less salubrious corners when he puts dog pics on Twitter.
Spent a happy hour googling Itoh peonies.
Spent a less happy couple of hours lugging a watering can round my too many pots.

Yeah I would like a ‘round the back’ garden video too to make us all feel better! I have areas that are quite gorgeous and Areas of Doom that are an absolute disaster of brambles and Alkanet and all sorts!

Today I finally got all the mulching done on the hot colours border. Better late than never. Gave it a good soak with the sprinkler first.

Then sat on the patio with DDad and raised a glass to late DMum, as it’s twenty years ago today that we lost her. He said she would have liked the garden very much and he is very impressed with what I’ve created here, which is praise indeed as he’s normally an absolute Negative Nora.

I sowed my Witch Grass seeds, which I hadcto order from.another supplier after Sarah Raven let me down. Not impressed with them.
Picked lemon balm,chickweed and more yarrow to dry.
The first of the cornflowers is out!

I feel better now. It was a shitpile though. Last years comfrey tea. A bin full of turf Id left to rot down, another of clay subsoil, and loads of pots of spent compost and stones. Dh helped and we sieved and mixed with manure and filled 3 big bags and a barrow with the resulting ok soil conditioner, removed about 100 plastic pots and a green bins worth of elder, bramble, sticky weed and forget me nots. So many snails. Weeded and mulched the edge of the strawberry bed that joins it. I mulched the strawberries with grass cuttings, can’t see why that won’t work🤔Might have a day off tomorrow, or I might finish weeding that bed.

I’m ignoring my allotment and instead pottering round the garden trying to decide which pots to keep. I’ve far too many.

@Hedjwitch what do you do with the lemon balm? I've got some growing.

Use it with fish, chicken for a fresh flavour. Add it to a jug of water with cucumber slices

careful though, it will take over quickly!

Thanks. I've put it in a pot, in a bed, so it's kind of contained! Anyone made lemon balm tea?

I guess it wouldn’t be tactful to mention that if you’d paved the path, tidying would have been easier Every garden needs a paved working space which, like a greenhouse, needs to be far bigger than you thought possible.

Actually, everything in a garden needs to be bigger than you thought, beds, paths … everything possibly except lawns

You can never have too many pots.

(As a result of this philosophy, I have far too many pots.)

I used to think that, but am wavering. They’re costly in terms of compost and watering, but I’m very fond of the actual pots so can’t bring myself to get rid of them, and there’s no point in an empty pot (unless you have a vast, beautiful pot as a focal point), so I keep refilling them and on it goes …

I don't have much space for storing all my pots...it's like a constant game of Jenga or Tetris as I move them round. Keeps me fit though.

I've just ordered a huge pot trolley to put one particularly big pot on that's going to have a tree in it - so I stand a chance of moving it round.

And yes, everything needs to be bigger than you think in a garden - except lawns.

Lemon balm tea is lovely but it doesnt like being steeped for too long or the tannins in it can make it bitter.

Yes, and yet a tiny lawn is not desirable either, not least because it’s more likely to be worn out by footfall …

@MereDintofPandiculation The path is paved! But has a narrow border with weed suppressing material to one side and beds to the other side and the end, all of which were weedy. I agree about the working area, and had a lovely covered one, but the old shed fell down and we ordered another assuming the old shed was on a concrete base and found out too late that it wasn’t, so I lost my outdoor potting area, and got a shed in a corner. Still, I’m very lucky to have a big garden so mustn’t grumble.

And trees. Small trees are better in most gardens.

Just an epic watering job this morning of all the pots. The tomatoes and chillis in the greenhouse were parched.

Something has eaten the brussel sprouts I planted out last week. I'm so annoyed! That said the rhubarb is doing brilliantly and so are the sunflowers.

My rose isn't even in bud yet.... it's covered in blackfly which I think are the culprits. Usually the ladybirds would have arrived by now and sorted out the blackfly but I haven't seen a single one so far...... 😞

I've watered my pots and spent a pleasant few minutes watching a green woodpecker clear the patio of bugs. He looked quite awkward on the ground but clearly happy in his feast. I'm avoiding weeding atm but it's got to be done eventually.

Emptied a compost bin.
Forgot to put the door back on and found a cat in it. Cat lives up the street and ran away when DCat appeared.
Dug up lots of new potatoes

Pulled up a load of what I think is yellow mustard from my ‘shitpile of doom’ old greenhouse base area. I use it to empty pots and stick random things I have no idea what do do with and old bulbs etc. Every year I chuck poppy seeds and whatever else I have lying around and usually it’s quite effective. I’ve no idea where the mustard came from, who knows! I’ve left a bit at the back.

The owner of Larch Cottage Nursery (which is near Penrith and utterly eccentric but lovely) came and spent £160 on plants in our nursery. On Monday we are planning to go down to Larch Cottage Nursery with the proceeds of the Womens Institute tea I did. I'll probably spend about £160 on plants in his nursery🤔
Going to look at the Itoh peonies amongst other things. Watered. A lot.
Sorted out dispute with lawnmower sales place about the new lawnmower.

Can you link to the trolley please. I need one of these. I have an ensete banana in a huge pot I need to move in and out over summer/winter.

Isn't that why the gardeners of old did the "Chelsea Chop", to reinvigorate the garden of the country mansion whilst the lady of the house was visiting London?

Be good if it were, enjoy a bit of social history!
Still managed naff all today, work is crazy, so have told DS he's watering the garden tomorrow.
My geranium Laura are due to arrive imminently, and may squeeze in a visit to a nursery this weekend... but need to get out there and weed/deadhead/attack blackfly or just leave the house in daylight hours