What have you done in the garden today? Part 7

[Jimmyneutronsforehead]

Continuation thread from MereDint's previous threads.

I am very excited to see all the crocuses I planted coming out today. This morning the patches were snowdrops; now they're crocuses as well.

I've tried to seal the aviary because it's getting water in, I suspect from underneath, but I don't think I've done a good job - I think ironically it needs to be dry for me to be able to do that.

And I also was excited to find three large snails in the pond. The one that came as a bonus with the aquatic plants has been busy. I'd like to get some minnows now, but not sure that's a good idea.

And I've chopped the climbing rose, which should have been done last autumn but hasn't. I gave dh the choice of me helping him put the bits in the bags and him taking to the tip right away, or he doing it all next week. He's a born putter-off-er. He's apparently doing it next week, which means I will have to nag or it won't be done before the next time I trim it...

@TeamToeBeans I made a feature of my fences, but I’m quite bold in colour choice so it might not suit you. Here are my fences:

Will this rain never stop? Stuck in a few spare bulbs which were sprouting in a paper bag, and moved the now huge autumn sown calendula into bigger tubs in the hope of keeping them alive.
A few daffodils are up and crocuses just starting to show but its basically just a mud bath out there.

I was in an EXCEPTIONALLY BAD MOOD when I got up today because I knew I had to move my bench and all my pots (front and back) away from the house today. Reason being I'm having all my guttering replaced this week. Well, assuming the weather is ok and they turn up!

Last year was my first year with a garden so I spend INORDINATE amounts of time experimenting with the placement of my pots and having to move them all really stuck in my craw. Also, not nice to move big heavy pots, especially in less than pleasant weather.

BUT I took the opportunity to assess a few things and basically chuck a few things that I've decided aren't going to work, including a few pots that I've decided I don't actually like! Plus I then swept up a load of rubbish and leaves.

So a small amount of progress made.

Moved some pots of violas/panolas.
Cut down a fern and clematis and put it in the garden waste bin to put out.
Pulled up.some grass growing in the flower bed.
Trimmed and deadheaded some panolas

I weeded another small bed , and about a quarter of the big bed, and I sowed my sweet peas. So claggy though, I really shouldn’t be touching those beds. I’ve got lots of cutting back to do, but I’m worried about disturbing the overwinterers. Gardening in this weather makes so much work. I came in filthy, made my hall filthy, have boots to clean, and my tools are a disgrace.

Urgh we've had rain rain rain,
But no flooding as we have a soakaway where we used to have standing water after rainfall. I am hoping the WaterButt is full .
So much easier using this than lugging watering cans down.

I am on the lookout for a PassionFlower they grow pretty well here but my last one didn't survive a hot summer so I'll need to choose a new spot for a new one

We're having tree lopping done then I'll be inspired to plant seeds

Climbing hydrangeas are quite compact as climbers, nowhere near as rampant as climbing roses or clematis Montana etc.

they're happy climbing up the side of a brick wall or a fence. I don't think they are as invasive as ivy which put out suckers to stick to walls, they tend to have more sturdy woody branches to self-support. I've got one in a pot in the greenhouse as I didn't get round to planting it in the autumn so I've got to work out where to put it. I love their big white lacy blooms.

OMG, the rain! Not sure if you are in the South West, apparently Somerset is being hit badly with flooding. I hope you're OK.

ive got 3 water butts, 1 by the log store and 2 at the greenhouse guttering and they're all overflowing! I could have done with that last summer when we have 5 months of zero rainfall.

We are on the border of England and Wales, and today was the first day we've had no rain all day, it was so nice. There was even a tiny glimpse of milky sunshine. Within 30 mins, all the crocus came out, purple, yellow, white, it was incredible! They must have responded to the very small dose of UV.

I'm sold.

Trouble is this garden centre is like visiting the magic of the faraway tree. It's a different stock every time you go.

I've got my mum egging me on to get one too because she wants a cutting. Not sure how well a cutting will take, but she's welcome to a few twigs.

I thought I posted earlier but I can’t see it, so it seems not!

That's a bright fence, @InMySpareTime - possibly a bit much for me, but it has made me consider a wider range of colours, so that’s something to think about.

I got outside for a bit this morning, and started cutting back some of the new growth on the ivy. (I’ll never be free of it, it’s thick along the whole street, but I can hopefully keep it under control.) I also found lots of tiny strawberry plants in a corner, so I’ll let those get a bit bigger and then move them.

It's not something I would do but it reminds me of the seaside. Bet it's lovely when the weather is nice and sunny to sit out there.

Jimmyneutronsforehead I ordered cupcake cosmos from Chiltern Seeds this year

On the odd occasion that the rain stops, I've been out checking some of my plants in pots I put up the side of the garage out of the way, to see what has survived so far and what hasn't.

My Salvia Amistad looks ok, the white Osteospermum in with it is still green so that's good plus there are some Echinaceas in the pot too so I am hoping they will be ok as there is no sign of them, hope they haven't died.

Two Penstemons are ok, a large blue Salvia, a Delphinium and a couple of red Lobelias are also still alive.

By the time the weather is good enough to put them into the garden or just move the pots out from where they are, I am hoping I can cut down on the number of plants that I usually buy once the excitement of summer kicks in.

I just go mad and I really don't have the room to put lots of plants in now. Costs me a fortune too.😏

My garden fixes that for me and most die every year lol.

The one plant that I think I have definitely lost (I will be shocked if it does come up this summer) is a Bishop of Oxford dahlia that is in a pot on the patio with an Alstromeria plant. I couldn't get it out and we did have some frost around the Christmas/New Year period.

If it survives I think it will be a miracle - and a pleasant surprise! 😄

I'm hopeless with dahlias, or rather any bulb that requires digging up for dormancy.

I've never had success growing from bulbs. I always have to get them either pre-grown at the garden centre, or sow the seeds but they don't get their big magnificent flowers because they're just first yearlings.

I've got 1 tulip that I think has naturalised. I had a bed full of them, but didn't dig them up, and one red one has come up year after year but the rest are dead as dodos.

@ILikeDungs I'm going to order some. Thank you. I just can't believe none of the garden centres have them in, they used to be everywhere.

My Salvia Amistad looks pretty dead. It might shoot from the roots so I’ll leave it in. I did take cuttings so fingers crossed they’ll make it.

I've been out, assessed the damage and cleared one of the beds for the onion sets. Still got about 80 left to plant, but don't want to use all the veg bed real estate on onions. Made the mistake of planting taller plants in with them last year and they struggled for sunlight.

They don't get much sunlight in the bed they're in now either but I have had success growing onions in that one before from sets so reserving the ones that do get more sunshine for tomatoes and squashes

My next task is tackling the blackberries and training them back up the trellis, though these have also never given me any fruit. Tried to dig them up last year but I've just accepted my fate as a useless blackberry grower.

Speaking of dead plants... I think the rest of the garden is a graveyard.

I’d give those plants another six weeks to show signs of life before writing them off. I’ve had deader-looking plants than that revive and flourish.

They'll have to have another 6 weeks anyway I think because they don't start emptying the green bin until middle of March round here. The raspberries in those dilapidated looking planters just look different to every other year though. I know they drop most of their leaves anyway, but they're completely bare this year which is new for them and their stems look stiffer and lifeless. I'll be sad if they are dead. The golden raspberries are my favourite gardening snack. They never make it indoors.

I can barely walk after moving all the pots yesterday.

But the guys turned up to do the gutters! It will all be finished tomorrow so then I can move my pots back, yipee.

Good that the gutters got done before my new flowerbed went in actually otherwise they would have been standing on it with their ladders etc.

I have just bought a mini chainsaw and I was hoping to raise these canopy of my ancient laurel bush, it’s at least 30 years old probably much older. It’s shaped into a round shape but I was hoping the raise the canopy to let some light into the base into a sort of parasol shape. However I’m slightly terrified of the mini chainsaw and was wondering if anyone had any advice. I was influenced by Dave The plantman on Instagram. Now I’m just panicking. Anyone used one, they look so easy breezy!

So by the time your back stops hurting you get to hurt it all again!

I find that when it's growing season I build up all the strength I need to do it all, and then lose it all again in winter when there's not much to do or there's plenty to do but too cold to do it.