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?

I’ve pruned and tied back my climbing roses today. Nearly fell off the ladder overreaching but it was worth it. So happy the sun is coming back and I can get in the garden more often ☀️

That climbing rose looks so tidy.. I potted on my courgettes. The seedlings were 6 inches tall in little modules and only just getting true leaves, so I’ve put them in 4 inch pots and moved them from a west facing window sill to an unheated greenhouse, live my beauties, I’m invested. I planted out some broad beans. Haven’t really hardened them off, soI hope they will be ok. I sowed some lettuce into a tray. I’m going back in a minute to sow some beetroot and another row of carrots. I spent a fortune on some chabaud carnation seeds, and then saw them elsewhere for a third of the price, but I sowed a quarter of the pack and seem to be getting a good rate of germination.. ifI even get 5 viable plants, £9.99 seems good value. I’m starting to realise that all those empty beds are filling up, Don’t know where I will put my broccoli.

I've been sowing crazy these past few days. Mainly to get my mind off my poor unwell dog who has just been diagnosed with pancreatitis :(

I have sown courgettes, sweetcorn, many tomatoes all different, beans, peas, some flowers, cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli, chillis, gherkins, watermelon, celeriac, fennel, and I think something else but can't remember right now.
Today I have been double digging in the raised bed to dig in some well rotted horse manure we picked up from a local horse owner. I had to dig out loads of chicken bones though that didn't have the time to rot down in our green compost bin. I think dh got a bit impatient when emptying the bin and put it all in the raised bed rather than what had rotted down. I have moved my raspberry canes into this border as we are getting rid of the border it was in. I've got a rhubarb, gooseberry and a redcurrant bush to move too, but they will go into large pots.
I have moved my strawberry plants into new pots with more of the manure mixed in and planted out some garlic that started sprouting in the kitchen.

That’s beautiful training. What I can’t quite see is how you’re attaching the ties to the fence.

Got excited about my twos small trays of nasturtium that have their first sets of leaves. About three quarters of them have germinated. Waiting now for three bishop dahlias, 4 clematis, a honeysuckle, graham Thomas and 3 hibiscus. The clematis and honeysuckle are only in tiny pots so will plant them in Autumn.

I've broken the hosepipe out of its winter quarters in the cupboard under the stairs and watered all the stuff in pots in the garden. They were surprisingly dry and needed a really good soak.

Thanks - I use J shape hooks. I screw them into the fence with the half loop facing down and then hook the rose beneath the hook. It works really well and is easier than a trellis!

That’s clever, so you can put them exactly where you need them.

They look neater too and because the roses want to push up they stay in the hook!

It has been a very slow start in the garden for me. The garden is always quite tidy but I have been very busy at work and the weather has only just started to warm up. My bulbs are coming up beautifully in the pots on the patio and greenhouse and having coolish temps have worked in my favour as the tulips haven't gone off like wildfire, they're just nicely in bud.

today was the first day I ventured out for the whole afternoon, pulled everything out of the greenhouse, ready to hose everything down tomorrow and Jeyes fluid all the glass as normal to start the season off gleaming ✨

bought a few trays of pansy and viola which I will plant up over the weekend and get myself back into gardening mode.

Tidied the garden up today, and absolutely appalled that a lot of kids garden toys just don't hold up like they used to. Had to throw a lot of things away because they'd broken or the plastic had warped even when they've been stored in a dry place.

Used to have a swing ball set when I was young that stayed out all year because we were forever outside even in winter, and it lasted years. The one I got for DS hasn't even lasted a year, folded away in the shed.

We were also given this horrible plastic LOL dolls playhouse that belonged to my cousins children for when they come over to play that they've never played in once, it's cracked, split, full of spider egg sacks and dead spiders that I was relieved to get rid of but once again, loads of plastic waste.

I have designated the entirety of Wednesday for multiple trips to the recycling centre.

Had to discard so many plastic plant pots as well as they've also just not held up, so I'll be doing ceramic all the way now.

Finally getting to a place where we can be laying the ground sheets for the playground bark to go down.

My wheelbarrow has broken, got an unfixable tilt to it, so I'm going to reuse it and turn it into a small pond by propping some bricks underneath for stability. Have ordered a solar floating fountain and my neighbour has offered some duckweed and some small potted aquatic plants, so that will hopefully give the birds something to drink from this summer.

I'll put some plant pots with small perennials around the legs and build up some logs so should any amphibious friends find their way over they can make their way up and find shade.

Went and bought some of lidls £14 salad planters yesterday for the new strawberry plants, they're not huge but they'll do the job for a year or 2.

My tulip buds are starting to open and it's so beautiful to see.

Might have fluffed my seed germination though as I forgot to water them yesterday and the surfaces were bone dry today so I imagine tomorrow I'll be re-sowing.

The cucumbers are doing beautifully, the raspberries have been corralled, I'm finally introducing a long-awaited and much anticipated wisteria, and I'm finally settling down with a glass of sangria, but it is just the pre-boxed stuff which never tastes as nice as when you make it yourself with fruit you've grown yourself.

Clocks are going forward tomorrow night. Everything's going to be on turbo charge for a while! Love it when seeds go into a tiny pot of compost and within days they are already germinating, amazing!

I wrote a modest list, but despite being outside for hours, barely touched the sides. I wanted to mulch my pots, because Monty told me to, but I tend to have shrubs/ small trees in pots, messily underplanted with bulbs and topped with stones. What a palaver. My nails are ruined and I’ve still got loads to do . I think from now on I’m going to have 1 thing per pot, mulched with compost.
My herb patch is also potted because it’s by the back door, and the dogs used to wee on it. I thought it was alright until I sat and looked at it properly. Lots of dead things, random bulbs, frosted pots, plastic bags. Grim. Plan was to grow some tender herbs from seeds and then attend to it when they were ready. But it needs gutting now. Why does everything take so long?

We took out a den that we built for the DCs a good decade ago, that was threatening to collapse. While it means we have less dry(ish) storage in the garden, it really opens up the garden being able to see right to the end.
now we need to tackle all the weeds that grew up unchecked behind the den, and paint the fence panels that were hidden by it.
one garden job always leads to a load more…

Started 3 Bishop of Dover Dahlias in pots and planted three hibiscus.

Did 2 more pots. They do look better, but they took over an hour each. I still have 7 to do, not counting all the herbs. I think they are just going to have a quick tidy.

Have started doing all the stuff I should have got done last month.

Weeded and mulched about half of the back garden. Surprised myself by being able to dig up some of the bluebells I wish weren't there.

Moved some random bulbs from the back to the front.

Looked at the cannas, I know it's early but I'm sure they are dead.

Weeded the rest of the border I’d begun last week. That took longer than expected because I thought I’d better seal with some spindly little shoots of euonymus which had appeared some way in front of where it was meant to be on the fence. Turned out it was coming from a lot of intractable roots, I’ve cut and dug out as much as I could but quite a lot remained undefeated.
Deadheaded and pruned a couple of hydrangeas, and hacked back some dogwood that was encroaching and overshadowing one of them. A lot more of it needs to come out, it’s badly overgrown.

We were away yesterday, visited Haddon Hall which we must try to return to when the roses are in bloom. The many walls are festooned with the most wonderful training, elaborate loops and spirals, worth looking at even at this time of year.

Repotted 3 blueberries into larger pots & refreshed soil.
Planted up two mini propagates I got from Lidl - one with chilli’s, chives, basil & dill & the other with sunflowers & something else.
Pruned back the dead growth on some perennials before the new growth starts.

I was so impressed with my nasturtium that I have bought three more packets of seed. White cosmos, calendula and California poppy, I treated myself to a kneeling mat/seat with sides.

Today I painted the back of my blue fence orange, because it’s hidden behind a shed anyway and just needed protection from the weather.
it’s lovely hearing the birdsong in the garden and seeing bumblebees bumbling around the spring flowers.

Does anyone have any tulip varieties that naturalise well enough to bloom for a few years?

Ive got some beautiful johannes strauss tulips from the garden centre but they've bloomed in their garden centre pot and I don't want to disturb them now.

I absolutely adore tulips but hate that I seem to have to plant new bulbs every year. Same for gladioli.

Am I doing something wrong or is it just foretold in a prophecy somewhere that if I want tulips I will have to be more prepared and re-bulb each year.

Tulips, the Darwin type come back, and so do the species varieties. Plant them quite deep and throw in a bit of gravel in dryer parts of the garden, and in sun.

I’ve had success with Queen of the night, Spring green and ballerina.

@Jimmyneutronsforehead I have red ones with yellow and black in the centre that keep coming back. I’ve never dug them up and there seem to be more each year.
this site has a load of perennial tulips:
https://www.prettypurpledoor.com/tulips-that-come-back/