What have you done in the garden today? Part 8

[Jimmyneutronsforehead]

A continuation thread.

Thank you to MereDintOfPandiculation for threads 1 through 6. We wouldn't have built this lovely gardening community without you.

No gardening job is too small or too big to tell us about.

Spring is springing into action, let's get mucky.

I bought two pots of mixed sweet peas yesterday at the garden centre and left them out all night! 😱

I've checked them, they seem ok as it was pretty cold yesterday and probably overnight too. I am hoping that I haven't damaged them too much. I will be taking extra care today.

I'm not normally much good with sweet peas from seed which is why I've bought the plants this year but I have a spare obelisk and every year I have visions of a beautiful scene of lots of gorgeous sweet pea flowers wafting in the breeze and catching the scent as I walk past.

I know you are supposed to pick them but I do like to see them in the garden.

When they get their second set of true leaves, you can pinch or snip right above them and it will grow 2 new side shoots for a bushier plant.

It will stop it looking quite so leggy.

Looking for recommendations of plants that can hold their own against encroaching ivy. Max about 40cm in height at full height. Bonus points if I can buy cheaply/ take cuttings etc.

Had a hip replacement last week so today is the first day I have managed to get into the garden for a potter. Missing the good weather last week was very frustrating.

Potted up 48 tiny bedding plants, lobelia, begonia, petunia etc. that I got from T&M when I ordered the iris bulbs. Only 2 casualties out of the 48.

They are now potted, watered, labelled, and tucked away in the greenhouse. I’ll fleece them tonight to be on the safe side but I don’t have room for them indoors as I also sowed chillies and herbs in the heated propagator on the worktop. They survived the Royal Mail so hopefully they are robust enough.

Just came back inside and the postman has delivered 24 tiny pelargoniums but they will have to wait until tomorrow now as I am knackered!

@DameProfessorIDareSay make sure you keep wrapped up, this weather is very changeable this week, but glad to hear you managed to get out in the garden for a bit and hope your hip replacement continues to heal well.

My 2 dwarf mulberries have arrived today. They are alive I've checked the bark but they are just twigs at the moment. No idea where to put them.

I also impulse bought a new grape. I know where that is going to go, but I don't know whether to put it in a pot or whether to put it in the ground. I want to put it in the ground, but I don't want another situation where if I have to remove it, I'm digging up roots clawing underneath the house.

My other grape, in a large pot, hasn't rooted particularly widely or deeply, and it's been there for 4 years or so, so I'm unsure.

My other grandparents used to have one in the soil in their greenhouse, but I was very young so I can't remember if it was a dense rooter or not.

I have taken the leaky water butt to the tip and am at the garden centre buying a new one I hope fits. There was a lovely one but I didn't think it would fit and it was twice the price.

If you are SW and want the recommendation of an amazing ornamental fruit tree garden centre I can recommend one. They currently have some huge ones on offer for £30 they are like £200 plus delivery on line and that is for smaller ones!

I can’t wait and thoroughly looking forward to having one. I’m so glad you loved it. I’ve never had cherry trees before so to get 3 coming on Monday is making me stupidly happy 😊

The only thing I ever found was shears and it was relentless (!) my old neighbours had it growing against my fence twice a year I removed the fence panel and cut it right back but it destroyed my lovely brand new fence. And sent out runners. Under bloody concrete path.

@DameProfessorIDareSay well done. I’m 3 months past surgery and it’s painful. I’m so impressed with what you have done 👍 sounds amazing well done.

And I've just been to the pharmacist to get a tetanus jab. Moving the very old ( there when we moved in 15 years ago) gas bbq, it fell and I got cut quite deep on my hand.

On the plus side I left it outside with a note saying free and the scrap metal people had picked it up before I got back. I've been asking DH to get rid of it for most of those 15 years.

Sadly I’m not in the SW, so I think I’ll have to spend a little more, or just buy little ones and be patient!

We took our young adult who is back from uni out for lunch at the garden centre and she wanted to buy loads of seeds for her ‘claimed’ section on the allotment. She’s claiming a bed. I managed to persuade her not to get melon seeds and encouraged her outside to the seedlings. She currently doesn’t have the patience for seeds or looking after her seedlings so I encouraged her to put the 24 different packs of seeds back 😂🤪and buy some young plants instead. I did say to her no point in growing cabbage as you don’t like to eat it. She got some carrots, chard, broccoli, peas, beetroot and I disappeared and got a rubber mat for the back door and met them at the till and she had managed to con DH into buying her …… a few more plants including a Melon plant …. And paying for it all 🤷‍♀️😀he’s a sucker, and totally adored for it!

My neighbours seems to have a gone bit bamboo barmy and got like 10 enormous pots over the last year and randomly put like 4 m high bamboo in them all. Mainly at the bottom (neighbour is on my left) but also up near the house on their patio next to ours (fence in the middle). They are at least in pots and I don’t mind them - they aren’t really shady (small leaves and high) but they aren’t half whipping about in the wind and whacking my lovely passion flower, but I suppose it will toughen up. I felt a bit sorry for them (the bamboo) as they potted them up yesterday and overnight one pot had smashed and it had tipped over so they came back early morning with a pot twice as high and twice as heavy. They are planted a bit at an angle so they are about 50 cm into our garden but only when they are like 3m off the ground. They seem very fond of huge pots on solid slabs or patio of huge bamboo. I know free planting bamboo is awful but they seem very contained and they should spread - fingers crossed.

Oh no! Nasty hope you feel better soon 💐

Ouch. I hope you're ok. ❤️

Also I had no idea pharmacists could offer tetanus shots, I thought it was a hospital job. Today I've learned something new.

It cost me £45 but I was in and out in 20minutes. Would have been several hours in A&E.
Well worth it.

B&M is terrible for buying things I didn't mean to buy, I got a clematis montana and a pericallis/senetti yesterday (I only meant to buy sponges). The one near me also still has those fruit trees in stock, yes they do look rather crispy now. I spotted them mid Feb, so bought a cherry and a plum straight away, they're happily growing leaves in the garden now. Hope yours perk up and survive.

My parents are visiting this weekend, so fingers crossed they're up for doing some gardening. I have a garden bench that needs to be sanded and oiled, and a water butt diverter to install...

GP nurses can give tetanus shots too - found out after a minor blackthorn/sloe incident (thorn wouldn't come out until the morning of my appointment). I didn't have to pay.

I had one for free with my GP surgery the other day!

I hope you dont mind me letting you know that ive put a referral code for 20% off at thompson & morgan in the “promo codes and discount” board on MN.
i suddenly NEED raspberry bushes but i am also trying to keep the costs down!! My basket is ready to go!

i have sown some purple creeping thyme along the stone path in my garden. It looks really pretty on IG so i am going to try.. i only worry that it might start creeping outside the path as well… but it shouldnt be too hard to keep on top of it hopefully!
im really investing in fruit trees to make some savings. I find beside potatoes/tomatoes and beans, vegs are too hard to grow in my london garden (slugs!!!)
i have two mature plum trees giving me a heavy crop every spring and i freeze them. I bought a dwarf apricot trees giving me two years ago but so far no luck… same for the vine i planted at the same time. I planted a discounted apple tree (not dwarf but will try to keep it small-ish) from B&Q in the autumn and it is currently flowering.
i bought a dwarf pear tree 6 years ago and i am still waiting for any fruits!!! I might buy another one (not dwarf) to keep it company… perhaps it needs a companion to help pollination?? I love pears.
last week i bought two identical platers for the front of the house. Middle: blueberry, around: thyme, alpine strawberry and nasturtium. Lets hope it grows fine and give me some fruits

@Placestogoi just saw that YouGarden have a sale of raspberry long canes that fruit this summer - £9.99 for five and £19.99 for ten

Sorry you are still having pain @Liquoricethyme are you being followed up thoroughly? This is my second hip replacement so I knew what to expect but I have surprised myself with how quickly I seem to be recovering. Mind you, I did put myself through a self-designed pre-op ‘bootcamp’ to ensure I was as fit as possible before the op so I think that helped.

I’m in the south west and would love to know the source of the fruit trees if you don’t mind sharing?

It’s damp and drizzly here but the baby plants survived at 6C in the greenhouse, covered in fleece. I’ll get the pelargoniums potted up today and then think i might pick some rhubarb; it is flourishing! Crumble on the menu I think...😍

@DameProfessorIDareSay mine isn’t hip it’s another joint but it’s not recovering and probably now won’t fully. Tendons are now too short and physio is painful although I force myself daily.

The garden centre was Garden Centre in Hewish. Currently looks like they are having a huge expansion / refurbishment a lady called Philippa is in charge of the ornamental fruit trees. Our new Flagpole Ornamental Cherry was £68 and was 2m high and selling off there old stock again same plant for £30 and a got a Mount Fiji Flowering Cherry again from the old stock for £30. £10 delivery for us.

Honestly well worth even a two hour plus drive to get some - they are in a lovely condition too. They have a lovely cafe and do a carvery - when you visit I suggest a stop at the cafe too! ….. Although you might want to book if you go for lunch it was thriving!

Garden Park Centre Hewish. I have to say we must have spoken to at least 5 staff and they were all so amazingly nice and helpful ! Really nice place. Philippa is the lovely fruit tree lady!

@MargaretThursday hope the tetanus does the trick. I think I should investigate a top up too. Can't remember the last time I had a tetanus jab.

My lawn has not enjoyed the decrease in temperatures after its last cut. The ends are a bit burnt in places and it doesn't look lovely and lush like it did last week. Hopefully, the temps will pick up a bit again now.

I have just swept up loads more oak leaves and debris in the front area. The squalls and hail brought more down, even though I didn't think there could be any more!!!!! It is a beautiful oak tree but I've been sweeping up the leaves & acorns for 6 months now.

Going to B&M later for more lawn feed and moss killer, so who knows what other plant treasures I may return with. My £1.49 pansies are still looking fantastic outside my kitchen windowsill.

Tree Mail Order - any recommendations? I want to get a magnolia but at my local garden centre they were £68 and that felt like A LOT! I also want a Japanese willow, so if anyone has had success with tree mail order - I'd love to hear.

Been to the garden centre again (third time this week) and come away with more Erasmus Bowles mauve, more sweet peas, a pelargoniums, nemesia and a pretty little blue alpine- lithodora. £10 for four, well I couldn’t resist!

The rain seems to have stopped so I may plant after lunch.