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?

Is it not from the Chelsea flower show?!

I know Chelsea wasn't considered full-on 'London' until about a century ago, but would it have been considered to be in the 'country'? I'm not sure.

As far as I know (which is a huge caveat) it’s called the Chelsea chop simply because the time of the show in late May is also the best time to do it.

Not exactly a Chelsea chop, but yesterday I cut down the geranium phaeum and sweet cicely.

Still catching up after no mow May. Trying to create some separation between borders and lawn. Its all very well for the experts to tell us to be more accepting of weeds, but knowing how to do that is different. So I’m trying to tidy edges and not worry about the insides of beds and borders, but I don’t want my expensive perennials and David Austin roses choked by brambles and nettles, nor do I want well established little trees popping up in the borders. Anyway 2 hours didn’t get me very far at all and I pulled/ strimmed some of my favourite plants too. Grr. I’ve always been a messy weed loving gardener, so if I’m struggling, I can’t imagine there’s going to be much movement in the no daisies in my lawn brigade.

I don't do full-on no mow - we leave the back bit of the garden unmown and we do mow the front. But this year I left more wild bits at the front and I've actually really liked it. But that is because I am lazy!

I moved a rosemary that was getting swamped by massive, over-enthusiastic French lavender (it's nearly a metre square! I was expecting it to die - we're in North Yorkshire and it was very cold last winter). I planted a trial melon outside - we don't have a greenhouse and I've been cautiously moving up through squash to cucumbers over the last few years, and found they all do well, so now I will give melons a go. And I've popped in the sweet peas that grow through the squashes, and done a load of weeding.

I let DH pressure wash the patio. I could do it but I didn't want to and he likes the Man Points so everybody's happy.

Pricked out 65 primula waltonii. Planted a lot of white cosmos in my white border. Watered a lot. It's been hot here with drying winds and I can't remember when we last had rain. Thought about staking but didn't even though I know that when it does rain everything will collapse.

That's bloody impressive SarahAndQuack (love the name!) especially as French lavenders aren't really known for being robust, especially our way... I'm originally other side of the Pennines.

Geranium arrived, and got my Apricot polemonium ordered. Got four days off now, so will get out and do some sorting. Also got a trip to a as-yet-unvisited nursery in the local area planned for Sunday

Thank you for the name-appreciation! And YY, I'm mildly stunned - must have been a hearty specimen I bought, as I've done nothing with it.

Isn't visiting a new nursery the best?!

I have been back outside again, and I'm so happy that it's nearly 10pm and still easily light enough to garden. It seems to have taken ages to get to proper spring this year. I have just watered all the dry bits (it's so dry here) and fed the roses. I have big fat buds on all the herbaceous peonies - yay!

Didn't do a lot in the garden, but I spent the day at a garden festival in Dublin and picked up some plants for the garden. I watered everything when I got home but I won't get to plant the new plants until Saturday. I might need to pick up another large pot. Who posted earlier about not having enough pots ? We've had really fab weather here since the weekend and it looks like it will stay fine for this coming weekend. One of the plant stalls had the most gorgeous pink and white peony rose but I'd been queueing up for ages to pay when I spotted it and I just didn't have the energy to go looking for it and then queue up again.

Spotted my first rose this morning. It's a peach colour.

I’m feeling overwhelmed by how much I have to get done before next weekend’s open garden. I’m working like a dog out there but progress is sooo slow. Dd has been invaluable this week though; she seems to have really caught the gardening bug and is keen to learn. Yesterday I asked her what she was revising, and peeped over her shoulder to catch her googling plants!

Spotted my first rose this morning. It's a peach colour. So did I! A single Queen Elizabeth, and the first three on my beautiful deep red flowers-all-summer rose.

First “proper” rose. The pteracantha has been flowering for about 3 weeks, but it’s always early. Curious for a rose - only 4 petals. And the rugosa hedge for about 2 weeks. But it was the QE and red in the front garden that gave me that “the roses are out” thrill.

My roses are really popping now. I also have a deep red rose, smells of lemon and raspberry. I cut some for the house. I think it’s Josephine Bruce. Roses make me so happy.

I love that first time in the year when I can cut flowers from the garden and bring them in, makes me ridiculously happy.

My Penelope and Eyes for you roses have both been blooming for a week or two, Bologna and Gertrude (which is a cutting I did, so it's been in a pot for 9 months then in the ground during the dreadful drought/snow) both ready to pop!

I saw Bologna flowering in Bologna a couple of weeks ago and wondered why I don't grow it. We have a terrible climate for roses and struggle but you can't not grow them. The only ones I have out are Roserai de l'Haie and Stanwell Perpetual. The rest are nowhere near flowering despite all the hot weather here.

I found some chilli seeds while looking for a timer in the potting shed , so put them in and crossed my fingers. Couldn’t see timer so will have to pop out to get one as DH laid some turf ( repairing area damaged by builders ) so sprinkler will need to run , I’m going to drag pots in to its range . We’re away for a few days . I’m feeling very lack lustre , not me at all , normally the garden straightens my head if works a bit much . But iv just had a birthday and realised that I’m the age my dad died . He died a week or so after his birthday 42 years ago , I’m not a dweller at all . So not sure why I’m floored ? I have a strong picture of him in his self built greenhouse growing coleus of all things ! Funny how you remember odd things . Anyway, I’m drinking my coffee, looking at my rose bed , some are just out , best bit of the garden for me . Enjoy the sunshine 😎

The roses against that turquoise are gorgeous, really uplifting.

@Popetthetreehugger that’s so tough, but makes a lot of sense, brings up all the years you missed with him and your own mortality. Sometimes dwelling is ok, enjoy the memories of your Dad, also, I think Coleus is about to have a moment! Isn’t it Amaranth, and edible? Maybe you could grow some.
@maslinpan thanks, the wall is actually jade green , but came out as turquoise!

Thank you zebra , had no idea coleus was an edible! Spoke to my very dear sister , and she was the same when she passed dad too . Back to coleus … don’t they have the tiniest seeds ? I’ll definitely add to my list for next year . Again thank you x

@Zebracat
Josephine Bruce was my father’s favourite rose. 🙂

Today I took tea and
cake and sat by Princess Alexandra of Kent to
savour her beauty and fragrance in the sunshine.

Oops coleus is toxic. But amaranth is a close relative and edible. Sorry

I'm waiting for the Jasmine to flower , it is growing well.
I have officially given up on the Clematis , 2nd one that has withered on its stem , bloody slugs have destroyed it , even making a nifty little cover for it hasn;t helped ,
I'll try Scientific Neglect and see if it picks up.

I've done v little all week really as have worked five days straight (unusual for me, usually do one on, one off and some weekend shifts). But I'm still watering all my pots, and have been religiously nurturing a couple of basil plants - out in the morning in at dusk. I'll spend a couple of hours each day weeding this weekend, front patio area, and all the rear beds (again 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️) and have some chipping down of ivy trunks to do so they'll fit in the green waste bin. I also really need to get to the back laurel hedge, its gone bonkers in the past ten days and needs reducing sharpish. Thankfully there are no nesting birds!

Re roses, I've got what I think is a 25yr plus City Girl that seems ready to pop. It's the first thing I took the plunge pruning in Nov '21, that started me on this journey, and it returned gloriously last year. I didn't get round to it last autumn but it seems happy enough still, so as long as I get to it this winter, we're all good! It's a fairly fluffy salmon pink sort of colour, not massively scented, but very pretty.

I have a rose that came with the house and was well established even 15 years ago.
I deadhead it all summer and chop it back to about knee high in the winter. It flowers from May until the first hard frost with big pink flowers that smell lovely but not really strongly scented.

planted my bedding plants
i still have pots so need to buy more,
it is never ending