What have you done in the garden today? Part 6

[MereDintofPandiculation]

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

Thanks. It definitely has room as there's a definite "space" that needs something. We have lots of hardy geraniums in another bed that I can split and Google implies that they can grow in full shade so I'll give it a go 🤞

Having said that, I've just looked up woodruff and think I will try that instead - especially as it sounds like it spreads well.

The combination of a new fence and DH's over zealous weeding last year meant we've had to start almost from scratch this year (including the loss of a magnificent hydrangea 😪). I'm pretty pleased with what we've done but I like a "full" bed so now I need to find ground cover to fill the gaps between the bigger plants and shrubs. Any other suggestions welcome, thank you.

I have London Pride under my acer, it's perfectly happy in the shade.

Last year I planted up a big pot of mixed hyacinths, all different colours, and they were wonderful when they came up, they were very scented too. I am hoping that they will come up again in the spring.. yesterday I planted a few daffodil and crocus bulbs around the base of my cherry tree, the ground was very hard so I hope I got them deep enough!

Oh that's lovely too 😊

First time out in the garden in over a month,due to weather,work or health!
Grass too wet to cut so had to leave that but cleared the little pond out, was ruthless with the alchemilla, and did a bit of weeding and dead heading. Planted bulbs..crocus,tulip,freesia and miniature daffs and cut the last of the herbs and hung them to dry: yarrow,oregano,lemon balm,calendula.
Also sowed next years calendula in the greenhouse so it will be ready to go put in spring. Good to be out getting my hands dirty.

I did houseworky gardening - cut back obvious, dangerous overhanging vegetation and swept and washed the paths and patios. Little dog considers his housetraining honoured if he makes it to the kitchen step, so I have to give the whole patio very thorough cleans. I’m determined to get the sunny border completely weeded tomorrow. I’ve offered student dd actual cash to help.

I've taken some physocarpus cuttings, and potted up some little bits of variegated ivy that were in a jar on the windowsill and had grown roots. Yesterday I was given some ficus cuttings, so they are now on the windowsill instead of the ivy.

Dug up a lupin that has been destroyed by aphids & replaced it with a Chioysa Sundance in its place.

Managed to finally remove some weeds from a path been bothering me for ages. Also put boiled kettle on some bramble roots and said a prayer!

Yesterday I planted a load of alliums and anemones in some borders. It was so hard making the holes for the alliums, I think I need one of those bulb hole things. The ground is so dry here, and no rain forecast this week I don't think.

I brushed the little bottom patio and made DH move all the stuff he’d dumped there weeks ago 😡, it’s looking lovely now.
I have a rogue tomato plant by my front door, I definitely didn’t plant it there, and it’s produced more tomatoes than the lovingly tended five plants in the back garden 🙄
Today I intend to do more tidying then sit and read in the sun 🤞🏻

now I need to find ground cover to fill the gaps between the bigger plants and shrubs. Bronze leaved Ajuga for damper areas. For less damp areas either the pink flowered or yellow flowered Lamium. Lily of the Valley. Where you want more height, hardy geraniums, but be aware that some of them need more light, sometimes full sun (usually pink flowered neat growing species). Geranium phaeum (eg Samobar), is ok in shade, G. sylvaticum in dappled shade. G. versicolor, white with dark pink veins, does well for me under trees, as does one with bent back petals (so they look very narrow) - I forget its name.

Not today, but yesterday, started putting down the base for our newly ordered and quite large (so tall enough for DH to stand up in properly) Rhino greenhouse. Quite exciting, even though I've had to remove the compost bins, relocate the rhubarb (which wasn't keen on being moved) and pull out a load of well established shrubs and plants. I also dead headed and tidied up the frost damaged hanging baskets - frost caught them one side. We shouldn't have frosts here in September.

Nice. My mum loves her Rhino greenhouse - says it's really well designed.

I hope that picture is from the catalogue it’s so different from my own, makes me feel quite green myself. I also hope you aren’t putting it in a corner, you need to be able to walk all the way round. Not patronising, I’m sure you have thought of this, but I hadn’t and it was a stupid and entirely avoidable mistake. Hence having to move mine etc etc.

I took advantage of the sun and washed some old planters. I have also purchased lots of bulbs to plant in them. I was planning on doing a mix including tulips but they aren't very deep (width 5 inch) are they still suitable for tulips?

I also purchased a mix 450 spring bulbs pack from b&q today for only £14.99! Is it too good to be true? I will probably find out in spring

I wanted some colour to grace the front of the summer house during spring in these planters. But shall await the expert gardeners verdict on here if they are not deep enough.

Took down the two rusty hanging baskets and their brackets and emptied them out. Salvaged some ivy, a couple of hellebores (from last winter), a trailing fuchsia (which is now in the greenhouse) and some gazanias which I may attempt to overwinter as they were spectacular.

DH put up new brackets while I planted up the new baskets with the ivy, hellebores, some heather and a couple of cyclamen. They look much tidier!

Tulips need to be planted at a depth that’s around 3x the length of the bulb. You can size up the trough and see if it’ll work.

@NewspaperDoll if I planted some right at the bottom they might work but then there wouldn't be much compost underneath the bulb

Does the 3x rule apply for other spring bulbs too?
As i also have these arriving in the B&Q mix pack I ordered

• 85 Muscari armeniacum (Grape Hyacinth) bulbs
• 100 Allium moly bulbs
• 55 Anemone 'St Brigid' bulbs
• 100 Chionodoxa bulbs
• 85 Mixed Ixia Bulbs

I love autumn gardening, rediscovering lines and spaces after the frenzy of summer growth.
Me too. Now I need to replan some planting - I amateurishly have low plants (sanguisorbia) too far back and giants (like salvia) too far forward. All a big learning curve here!

I’ve pulled up an everlasting sweet pea which has been very pretty over the last month but is now making a take over bid for the whole border, a bay tree and attempting a foray into next door’s garden. It all looks so bare now but had to be done before the orb spiders get building their webs as I don’t like to disturb them. I need something tall for the back of the border now to hide the bare wall.
Cleared brambles from behind the shed too.

I've just had a stroll round in the sunshine and it's a riot of colour. The dahlia flowers have doubled in the past 2 weeks, the sweet pea are rampant, hydrangea have gone bananas and the pots and hanging basket are brimming (I deadheaded at the weekend).

Summer is here at last

Finally got the grass cut and made a start on chopping back the overgrown shrubs. Lots of froglets in the grass had to be careful not to mow them!

Does the 3x rule apply for other spring bulbs too? Yes, it’s a good rule of thumb for most bulbs. Cyclamen like to be breaking the surface. Not sure about anemone