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 done some potting of various things into bigger pots, courgettes, an olive tree, an acer, some cordylines. Emptied my tulip pots - they have have been really rubbish this year, possibly due to dry weather but apart from some purple ones, most failed to flower. Planted some cheerful pelargoniums together with white nemesia in the pots instead. Weeded a bit of border.
Debated whether to transfer the tomato plants into the bigger pots waiting for them but they are DH’s responsibility so left them

The first two roses are in bloom. It looks so far like this year is going to be a better year for roses than last year.

@TheAutumnCrow if they're that far south, it really shouldn't be a huge issue, but hopefully the fleece will reassure your relative, and the plants.

Tulips have been the best ever this year. Actually,so has the fruit tree blossom. It's looking like being a good year,hopefully.

I'm having a go at growing luffas this year. Something I think will be pleasantly futile. Got off to a slow start, they wouldn't germinate. Tried again after clipping and soaking the seeds. Wound up with six seedlings, I only wanted one. The plants are enormous apparently. Anyway today I planted out a bunch of seedlings including the loofahs. I picked the two strongest. I've got a very clay soil so I devised a temporary raised bed, an old suitcase😃 that was on its way to the tip. If they survive and grow I've got a cheap garden arch from Lidl that the strongest can grow up.

Planted up a border that until February was horrendously overgrown with a very invasive grass. DH removed it all and now the border is full of herbs and edible flowers. Had to give them a really good drink after planting because the soil is so dry. Also, my basil and cucumbers have started germinating which I'm very happy about. Oh, and the grass seed I used to fill in some bald patches (has to wet them every day this week because of the heat.

I took everything out of my growhouse (like a large tallish coldframe) and cleaned it out. Realised the very large ‘sweet peas’ were actually 3 perennial peas I started last year but they didn’t really get going, likewise some passion flowers. I planted them out and also quite a lot of the actual sweet pea seedlings. I don’t think they’re too tender, hope not.
remembered I’d saved some dahlias in the garage - just in paper carrier bags after washing them - some show signs of life so I soaked them and have put in a tray of compost in the growhouse. Also moved about half my morning glory seedlings out there - may be too cold for them, will need to try to remember to keep an eye on them. Did a bit of edging where the grass is over growing the paving that the arbour is on - didn’t have time to do the path and patio.

I haven’t gardened for a few days as I have been on a garden tour down south with a friend! We got tickets for Sarah Raven’s cutting garden open day so added on Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Bateman’s and Chartwell too. I really fell in love with Sissinghurst. Didn’t buy too much - a SR book on veg, a beautiful 2nd hand cookery book on eating what you’ve grown, a salvia and a pimpinella major in pink but came back with so much inspiration even though my garden is tiny!

Weeded the large flower bed. Filled a whole green bed essentially just with speedwell.
Took everything out of the green house to harden off. Immediately realised that DH is not going to cope with putting the plants in and out of the green house while I'm away so I might as well just plant them and hope for the best.

Noted that the bastarding snowberry is back - will deal with it tomorrow.

And made DH water the garden, it's like a desert out there.

In the garden today I have really strained my back. Like really, really badly.

Just a word of warning - don't try and do too much folks. Don't carry heavy buckets, then watering cans, then turn the compost, then weed for 2 or 3 hours.

I can now no longer move 😣

Oh no @NeverendingRabbitHole

It's so easy to do when you just get carried away in the garden isn't it?

I spent a busy four or five hours in the garden yesterday resowing seeds that I suspect the new growth of the previous ones had been eaten. All pots now have zip lock or sealable bags over them to see if that was the issue.

I potted up some more tomatoes, a few of my chilli plants (first time I have managed to grow them this early so may get some fruits this year!), some more sunflowers, gypsophila and lemon grass into larger pots, and some winter flowering box cuttings that I took from our local park.

Speaking of the local park and cuttings, I took a cutting of a salvia, I assume hot lips, but the one that I've managed to grow in my garden is all red, no white on it. Is this something that will change as it matures? I'd have thought a cutting would create the same plant again.

I dug up a tiny holly plant, barely 5" tall, from an awkward position in a border and have had it in a pot for almost a year I think, but yesterday I noticed it has a tiny new leaf growing from between its two leaves! It was so exciting to see.

Everything has had a thorough watering, left the hose on low whilst potting up to give a deep down water. I need to buy replacements for several peonies which I planted last year but didn't take. My fault as I didn't water them enough and next time I'll pot them up first and then plant them out.

Gave the virburnum in the front garden a good drench and mulch. The garden is south facing and looked like it was struggling with the sun but checked and it is suitable for full sun. I suspect I didn't water it enough when moving it from the back garden to here and then with how dry it's been hasn't helped.
I did see our anniversary plant of a DA Claire Austen has two flower buds on it. I can't wait to see if it smells as good as it says it should.

Today I will be removing some more Spanish bluebells from the front garden, maybe some more weeding of the gravel, though the spray I made of vinegar salt and washing up liquid has worked a treat. Even wilted the bramble trying to get going in the front border.

We may even go and buy some masonry paint to smarten the place up a bit. If anyone has experience of Sandex Cotton Belt or Chalk Hill I'd love to hear about them. I am stuck between the two. Because the front gets so much sun I don't want bright white but also don't want cream.

My hot lips has just started flowering, I think they’re all red at the moment. I seem to remember when I bought it last year it started off all of mostly red but then got the bicoloured blooms later. Maybe its one of those complicated temperature dependent things?

Did some pruning and as ever, got a bit carried away. Decided to cut back the mahonia which I think has never been pruned. Of course taking a bit off made it look worse, so I took a bit more off and so on and so forth. There's now a big hole which was previously mahonia.

Watered with nematodes although it's been so dry I think the slugs have mostly given up.

And discovered that my snowberry is back so got the glyphosate out and repositioned the membrane. It's got sneaky as it's coming out of the side of the membrane and entwining itself in plants I can't get rid of. Bastard. Think this may be at least a 3 year project if not longer.

@ErrolTheDragon thats good to hear. It might change as it gets bigger and the summer comes (unless we've just had our summer🙄)

longtompot I have a climbing Claire Austin, it’s been in about 8 years and is fabulous when in flower. Once it gets going it is very reliable.

Hot Lips starts red, goes red and white around July then can sometimes go all white towards Autumn. Mines just started to flower this year and it is red right now.

Potted up tomatoes and sweet peas into bigger pots.

Supervised DH cutting up some decking which we’re going to use to replace coping stones on some little walls around the place built by previous owners which are too much trouble to remove so we’re trying to tidy up in some way as some of the coping stones have decayed or come loose.
Then went to B and Q for shed paint and some bits of wood to mend a broken arbour.

Not much,as very tired today.
Planted out another teasel,watered the pots,made a nettle ' tea' fertiliser.

Just cut the hedge! If I do it at the beginning of the day, I might have some energy to do something else!

I’ve dealt with the long grass around the tree which can’t be strimmed at this time of year because there’s crocus leaves still green and active there. Also weeded the rockery and cut down the shoots on the spiky bastard bush in front of the window. (I’ve forgotten its name and CBA to check.)

My spiky bastard bush is mahonia (with clusters of yellow flowers followed by dark blue bird berries)

I saw a video on Instagram where they tied their sweetpeas around an obelisk instead of growing straight up, so I have retied all my sweetpeas today and will see if it works. Apparently as they are allowed to grow longer it means more flowers! I also snipped off the tendrils too as they will be tied in and don't need them.

How tall was the obelisk @longtompot? I’ve put my sweet peas in a pot with one but not sure if it will be tall enough.

Do you mean they are going round the obelisk? In a circle?

Same questions from me! So you tie each one to the next pole over and they sort of spiral up?! Very excited by this....

@BestIsWest @napody

I've just used tall bamboo canes which I think are about 4 or 5ft tall. Hopefully you can see in the photo that they are going around rather than straight up the canes