What have you done in the garden today? Part 3

[ThreeRingCircus]

The old thread was filling up so I've created a new one!

Link to old thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/gardening/4823202-what-have-you-done-in-the-garden-today-part-2?reply=128367673

After a hopeful start, the sky has darkened and is once more pouring with rain.

Arghhhhhh!

That sums it up!

We have the first shoots of crocus coming through in the front lawn, but the back garden is mainly puddle.

Congratulations @seeyouinanotherlifewhenwearebothcats on your new arrival!

@Vegemiteandhoneyontoast thank you for the links regarding free wood chip, that's a brilliant scheme so I'll take a look!

Our garden (heavy clay) is also completely sodden. I'm worrying about losing some of my plants if the weather continues like this as the heavy, wet soil can be a bit of a nightmare for some things. We shall see!

I'm after some plants for the border that are upright to add height and add some winter interest. I'm wondering about some ornamental grasses but not sure how they'd do on clay. Any thoughts?

As far as I've seen most grasses do fine on clay, though you'll need to check before buying.

Now that the light is going off, the rain has miraculously stopped.

Typical!

I didn't order this!

I gave up on the hope of going out today. The sun came out and then the rain joined in, grrrrr so frustrating!

I've been having a jolly good clear out of a border under trees, including cutting back a honeysuckle that had caused its metal obelisk to fall over, so it was almost at 90° to the ground. I've just ordered a much bigger, wooden, obelisk, and will also encourage it to go along the fence and into shrubs.

It’s been horrible here so I’ve been making a list of what needs doing this year. Ideally we need some hard landscaping done but I know we won’t get around to it so first on the plan is to dig up the roots of the weeping cherry in the front garden that we cut down last year and get something nicer planted.
And plant the last tulips.

Happy New Year one and all!

Our garden too is heavy clay. Ornamental grasses seem not to thrive when I plant them, although self-seeded pheasant grass and carex pendula ran amok!

Happy New Year to you all!

it’s been rain, rain and more rain here. Lots to do in our new garden this year and I want to grow veg again so will need to get some of my raised beds set up for the spring.

I was going to suggest sedges instead. They don’t usually have the bad manners of Carex pendula, and they seem to prefer damper soils and don’t demand bright sunlight. Flowers aren’t usually as exciting as those of grasses, but they can have excellent leaf colouring.

Otherwise, try some of the moorland grasses, Deschampsia or Molinia for example.

Oh look, it's raining.

And windy.

I'm hoping to be able to do a lot of work in the garden this weekend, hopefully will have moderated by then. Brown bin won't be collected till the last week of jan so I'm anticipating some dump trips

Quelle surprise! Il pleut!

Horrendous wet weather here. I had two appointments today, just about made the first one but the flooding on the way back was so bad I cancelled the second. Then had to collect the rubbish from our recycling bin which had blown all over the garden.
Had about 5 minutes sun so I nipped out and planted the last tulips.

Still [redacted] down here in France as well.

Happy new year. Hoped to go to the garden centre today to start getting ready for the new season. Was a bit dismayed to see this when I got there!

Yikes! Where (roughly) is that? Here in the smoke it hasn’t rained for about 2 hours, which I’m counting as a small triumph.

That is Waterside Garden Centre just north of Market Deeping.

I feel so bad for them - the place looks totally wrecked. I dread to think of the stock all ruined.

There's a pet shop that something has small pets in it. I really hope they were not there overnight.

I thought it had stopped here and went for a walk.

It hadn't.

However, my reward for venturing outside was the glorious smell of the sweet box by my front door, and the hellebores standing up well to the rain. These are the first I've had - I've not been a fan in the past, the colours are often a bit murky but I spotted a tray of 6 pure white before Xmas, then didn't have time to plant them in a border so shoved into a couple of pots which I put by the front door. Very pleasing! My other pots and baskets are a bit sad as the red cyclamen which were lovely together with .. forgot the name, silver grey thing? ... have succumbed to the cold and damp. Most of the leaves are ok but not sure they're likely to really recover, thinking I should replace with violas this weekend.

Oh dear. I looked on a map, it does look like a very vulnerable position - hopefully they've designed it to cope with flooding ie power raised, and stock not on the floor.

The rivers by us have all broken their banks, but it is good to see that the water meadows are doing exactly what they're there for and have turned into lakes.

You know the rather distressing penchant housing developers have for naming their estates after the pleasant countryside features that were there before they concreted over them? I had a friend foolish enough to buy in Watermeadow Close ....