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 love autumn gardening

Is it just me? I find the low angle of the sun a bit difficult when working in the garden starting this time of year. I may be being unreasonable but I do find it harder to see things properly in the dark shade/bright sun of these mornings.

And with the grass staying wet longer the mowing, if needed, has to be carefully orchestrated.

What I do love about autumn gardening is the planning: looking at and noting what did well this year, and where. Imagining how the veg garden might look, re-jigged. So yesterday I was drawing up plans, as well as preparing ground for new beds and paths in the allotment and clearing, mulching and covering finished beds in my own back garden. Also took all of the strawberries out, will have to replant. They didn't owe me anything, they were ancient and tired!

On the weekend we shredded many dozens of sweet corn stalks. Very satisfying.

There are so many cluster flies in my greenhouse right now that it sounds like I have a machine running. Gak!

They are pretty mad outside too, landing on me continuously. I hate that, but they are harmless unless you are an earthworm.

I rescued a Chilean Myrtle & Mangave Silver Fox from the clearance section of the local garden centre.
Repotted & separated the mangave, & then did the same to a few other succulents. Repotted & pruned the myrtle too.

@ILikeDungs no not just you. It either gets me when I am facing it, or hits the inside of my sunglasses when it's behind me. Trying to induce a migraine one way or another.

I have cleared the border under our living room window. The lavender wasn't cut back this past year and it had gone very leggy. I've saved one and cut it back hard so we shall what will grow. I've had success in the past doing this and get some lovely new shoots at the base. Fingers crossed.

I have cleared a space for the climbing rose I am planning to buy soon.

I planted the pheasant berry bush. I was trying to think where was best as I was told on another post they grow big, but I think it will be happy there. Plus, there is a native hedge right next to it which the birds love, and a cotoneaster the other side of the window which they also love.

I planted the peonies in the back garden which I dug up from the front and they never seemed happy there. Only one flowered and it was a deformed flower at that, though still pretty. I also planted a white lavender also dug up from the front. Time will tell if it makes it as there wasn't much root.

I have started to create a new border in the front garden which is south west facing. I have quite a few plants, many from cuttings, which will go in there, but I need to dog out the scalpings and add some decent soil first.

I also raked up tons of gravel from the drive. It was much too thick for my dds to safely travel over it either by foot or in their wheelchairs, so hopefully it'll be a bit easier for them. Plus, we might see where the neighbours cats poo a bit easier to clear up.

I've got one like that. I think I was given it by DHs lovely late aunt, along with some bigger planters when we bought out first house in 1986. Mine doesn't have holes drilled in so it's only been used indoors to hold potted plants, I don't think it'd be quite deep enough for tulips - maybe dwarf ones.

More work on the borders. Quite pleased to discover that my mystery plants were persicaria, not dock , if rather stunted and unloved. . Hoping to mulch tomorrow.
@longtompot you did so much, well done!

I have got quite a few different bulbs arriving so might do some of the smaller ones in there, if there are any.
I'll keep an eye out for some deeper pots/troughs for the tulips.

Thank you @Zebracat After years of not feeling well enough it's really nice having my gardening mojo back 😊

The whiskey barrel I'm going to convert to a water butt arrived on Monday. I spent yesterday trying to figure out what bits and pieces I needed to connect to the downpipe - which turns out to be bigger than normal, designing the base to raise it up so we can use a watering can/hose/, which tap I need with a hose connector and the nut to fit, the drill bit I need. Too many options!
More complicated job than I expected and I'm not quite sure all the bits I've ordered will work together but you have to start somewhere.
And the wood rack arrived for the shed - so I ordered a bulk bag of wood and I am grateful for the gorilla cart I got during the summer to move soil as it should make the stacking a little quicker than last year.

Close relative,all dock family (along with rhubarb and Japanese Knotweed )

I mowed my lawn, so if it rains from now till March it shouldn’t look too bad. Shuffled the pots on the terrace for greater floral impact. And somehow that took most of the day

Just a bit of deadheading and thinking I really should be working out what I want to do with bulbs etc for spring. Picked tomatoes, all but one were split and I wasn't sure how long they'd been like that so didn't fancy them. So annoying when that happens. DH mowed.

I planted a tree peony yesterday and moved a few things around. I'm a novice gardener and I'm on a steep learning curve. I have a beautiful hotlips salvia which I planted in completely the wrong place in spring and waiting for it to finish flowering so I can move it.

Removed virginia creeper from the side of my house, up to and over the roof-- very scary. I had DH hold the ladder and was emptying the gutters while l was up there, which meant guck rainied down on his head. It rained on me too since I was too chicken to climb up all the way. Into my hair, down my front, into my bra and boots.

I still have two more sides and a chimney to clear. But now to bathe.

I'm the ladder holder when DH does our gutters - I've learned to wear a brimmed hat

Good advice. Next time I will also wear a turtle neck so no debris falls inside my shirt.

I've just been digging up some Japanese anemones that had gone a bit feral. It means I have quite a large area of dry shade to fill. I'd love to use some sort of shade tolerant woodland-style seed mix, but I don't really want more bluebells than I already have. Also, most of the woodland wildflower mixes I see online look a bit dour. I'd like a bit of tarty colour in the mix.

And I have planted out some all-white bulbs that I bought at RHS Harlow Carr last week. Tulips, crocuses, alium and those little hyacinth-like ones with the Polish sounding name beginning with P.

I've also had my budgie out for what might be one of his last bits of garden sunbathing this season. I hosed him (on a v v gentle spray setting), which has prompted him to go washing-crazy. He can't get enough of his little bath right now.

Weeded the beds and sides of the house. Moaned about the fencing.
Cleared the decking.
Drank a gin and tonic in my new egg chair.

Had a go at trimming this beast back

No idea what it is, so open to suggestions

Nice work! Lovely shape.

Thanks@NewspaperDoll

Seen From the upstairs window it’s still wonky. I’ll have to get back to it at the weekend

If it’s ben more than 24 hours or so, mould starts growing along the edge. So if no mould they haven’t been split long. If you don’t fancy eating them, then cook them.

Splitting is allegedly due to irregular watering.

Also, some split as you pick them, unless you’re careful to pick them breaking the “elbow” in the stem, and keeping the calyx and a stem firmly fixed to the tomato.

those little hyacinth-like ones with the Polish sounding name beginning with P. Puschkinia?

I planted some anemone corns yesterday in the soil. Hoping for some pretty cut flowers for indoors next summer.