What have you done in the garden today? Part 5

[MereDintofPandiculation]

What have you done in the garden today? What went well? What surprises have you had? What could have gone better?

Been clearing under the apple tree which when we moved got the keys a year ago, was really over grown. It had gone to the floor, was covered in thick clematis montana vines and had a mock orange next to it that was a casualty as I couldn’t see where the roots were.

There are several large ferns to the side of it and I’ve planted a couple more apples on dwarf root stock near by. Have various bits of what was a stone circle that I used to make a wavy bed edging. Other bits of stone circle are on top of black plastic covering what was a huge pampas grass that has been cut down. I’m going to make it into a kind of rockery for now in the hope that the plastic and stone will stop it growing .

Previous owner left a bird bath and was lovely to sit out the other day and see loads of birds using it.

Got my dahlias late and they have barely sprouted. Small greenhouse is getting over run so at some point big greenhouse needs sorting and things moving down there.

I'm absolutely exhausted as I spent an hour in the sun earlier transferring compost bin 2 into the now empty compost bin 1. Then I planted up eight large pots. I've potted on two tomatoes, set up supports for the borlotti and planted out two red kuri squash, a courgette and two pumpkins.

I also weeded the driveway.

I need to water everything but I'm going to do it in a bit once I've cooled off.

she's got those white bindweed convolvulvus type. They had taken over the garden 20 years ago when she moved in and they are still a recurring problem for her.

Oh, that's quite different to the blue morning glories - the 'thuggish relative' I referred to upthread!

We didn't get back from our day out till about 5, but I've transplanted some astilbes, in the process finding an astrantia which I thought had vanished. Moved a geranium which I put in last year which didn't look very happy to another location and planted the brunnera 'Jack Frost' I bought last week. Covered the area I cleared (ish) of vinca and the big meadowsweet thing (I really need to find out what it is!) with cut up compost sacks. I think I'm going to put some pots on top and hope that kills what's underground and then try to think of something more mid-height to outcompete them. Hum, astilbes maybe!

Watered the newly planted stuff and pots, gave the tall and chairs a bit of a hose down but really need to wash them properly with a cloth.

..and a bit of weeding, of course.

Same family, different genera, different species. The white ones in your mother’s garden are bindweed, Calystegia species. They are not Morning Glory. Morning Glory are Ipomea species. You can plant them in the soil, they’ll die off in autumn, and the seeds won’t germinate in the spring.

Ipomoea Grandpa Otts is a strange beast, I find. Last year, little self-seeded plants popped up in various inconvenient places. This year, when I would have welcomed some volunteers, there were none.

I’ve just ruthlessly emptied a pot of label-lost lilies which had been bitten off at soil level and planted another pot of tender perennials.

Ok, I'm taking the plunge.

I think they're too beautiful not to.

Maybe Grandpa Ott is a bit tougher than some other ipomoeas? I'd be delighted if the Heavenly Blues I've grown this year self seed (I don't think they would, they seem to need warmth) but I suspect I'd be hoiking out any seedlings under the suspicion of being bindweed so I'd never know!

I kept the seeds from the pink ipomea I grew last year and sowed them in the spring, they are just starting to grow up the trellis now. They were stunning last year.

Yesterday I went to visit a beautiful garden which was open to the public via the National Open Gardens scheme. Just stunning and the lady who owns it (who I know through a shared interest) has created it almost entirely on her own. She is in her late 60s and both she and the garden are so inspiring!

Then I came home and spent the next two hours pulling out nettles from underneath the very spiky hawthorn hedges in our own garden, spread some compost onto one of the flower beds and did a bit of strimming. I also planted a couple of purchases, some rudbeckia and an astrantia. The flower beds have suddenly shot up, it's all looking very nice indeed 😊

I had a manic moment and painted my garden fences baby blue and bought a boho parasol from the range, only £30! I wanted to feel like I was at the seaside Every year I say I'm not going to spend any money on gardening as it's a rented house but as soon as the sun hits I just have to do something and have a project. Before I painted the fences they were all different colours and looked knackered so I'm hoping my landlord won't mind the colour..

That looks lovely @gertrudemortimer

I spent a happy hour in the garden today potting up two more chillies and some wild rocket. I'm trialling some new varieties of chilli this year as well as my reliable ones (Apache and basket of fire.) I mowed the lawn, scattered some blood, fish and bone into the pots and gave everything a good watering.

@gertrudemortimer I approve the bright fences, but then my fences look like this:

Love it! I hanker after a fancy parasol but it’s harder to justify in a shady garden.

@InMySpareTime oh my god, hats off to you for having the patience for that. It looks fabulous so well worth your effort!

@GertrudeJekyllAndHyde love your name! If you live near a beach you could get quite a bit of use out of it if your garden is mainly shaded. Some I saw online came with the sand attachment.
I reaaaaaally wanted a blue and white striped one on a website called daals but I couldn't justify £90 and then another £20+ on a base. Maybe next year though..

Thank you, fellow Gertrude!

We’re not very close to a beach, alas. What I really fancy is one of the Indian parasols (assuming they’re still around) with fringes and mirror sequins.

I also fancy painting the fence, but would need to leave it until autumn now as I have so many climbers growing up it. Does the colour tend to seep through to the other side? I wouldn’t want to upset my neighbours with my questionable paint choices.

@GertrudeJekyllAndHyde if you're careful the paint doesn't seep through. None did on mine. The panels were bought to replace dilapidated ones so I painted them before slotting them into place, and could check for drips as I went.

I have a week off work so hopefully will be doing lots of pottering in the garden. Unfortunately I'm also totally skint so no trips to buy plants!

However a delivery from Farmer Gracy arrived today - 120 mixed anemomes, 3 geum Leonard's Variety and 10 mixed hollyhocks. The bare root geums look a bit sad, more like beansprouts really, but I've potted them up and will give them a nice sunny spot; hopefully they'll come good.

Also discovered a patch of what I assume are irises at the bottom of the garden? Pic attached! The foliage has been there since we moved in 3 years ago but they've never flowered so this is all jolly exciting.

@GertrudeJekyllAndHyde ohh that's a good choice, it would be stunning and brighten it up in the shade too. I saw a macrame one online that wouldn't block light but it was like £300 from Joe browns I think it was.

I worried about the paint seeping through too, I haven't heard from my neighbours yet. On the one side the neighbour has climbers covering the fence so that should be fine and the other neighbours have put up a gazebo and a hot tub and they never painted their side when I got new fencing so I don't think they'll be too bothered.

Argh! Now I’m browsing luxury parasols. There’s a gorgeous one for £1200. <<faints>>

I have done little in the garden today, but I did plant two zombie pumpkins and a Crown Prince

That's really nice, and you can take parasols etc with you if you move on.

I can hardly ever be bothered getting our parasol out, it's quite big and a bit too much like stepping the mast and hoisting the sail of a small boat ... makes me slightly sad as if there's one thing I'd rather do than gardening it's messing about in boats and I don't have much opportunity now DD is all grown up and gone.
(Well... we're having a week on the Norfolk Broads at the start of June but that'll be more of an aquatic RV than a proper boat)

I’ve planted some more pots of tender perennials and plonked them in the borders, to fill gaps, and am now watching the Chelsea Flower Show coverage from the comfort of my sofa.

Had the weekend away from the garden for middle DC’s birthday, so today was a day of “grunt work”. Got the hedge cutters out and neatened up some of the tall hedges and a big bush, used the shears around the edge of the lawn (because my arms are too short for the pull cord on the strimmer so I can only use it with DH around to start the thing), noticed that our low box hedging was still teeming with caterpillars so took the new growth off that so I could spray the fuckers more effectively. Cut the grass on 2 lawns before the battery ran out.

New purchases arrived - a bare root nectarine, 5 heuchera and 3 fairy roses. The latter are already showing signs that might black spot so are in quarantine.

Feel like I’ve had a couple of weeks of respite where things were a bit calmer but there’s now a HUGE amount to do because everything’s ready for planting out/potting on at once. And the spring flowering shrubs are finishing so really could do with pruning those asap.