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.

Mine was a Bare root three years ago. It did take a while to get going.

I haven't been here before!

I've started a new project. We had an area of really patchy, weedy grass under the apple tree. I dug all the grass out today, turned it all over and I've planted a couple of ferns and carex evergold. I'm hoping I can get some other dry shade tolerant things growing there in the next few months too, Claude has been helping me to devise a planting plan.

i weeded the lower patio, it’s very small, just a bulge in the path really, and has 3 huge pots containing an Acer, Pinus and a smallish Gingko. I moved them around like chess pieces , trying to make it work. It doesn’t. I love seeing the Acer through the kitchen window, so that’s staying, we will move the potted pine tomorrow, and probably the gingko too, so my Acer can have all the glory. Think I will paint the fence black so it stands out even more.

Full of brambles but everything looks so pretty in bloom. Shame the peonies are only one good gust of wind away from being naked again but they're so pretty for the week or so that we have them.

I've been a bit quiet on here, but that is not for lack of doing stuff in the garden. However, most of it is shifting stones from one area to become hardcore for a small paved area, so it isn't really gardening as such and its very boring!

In terms of real gardening, I have scarified my lawn twice in the last few weeks. As it is has been bone dry where I am since the start of April, I have cleared a great deal of old dry grass & moss out of the lawn. I've also fed it, but it needs rain so badly. Today, we have some light drizzle, which I cannot tell you how excited I am about!!! The earth is like cement in my garden and I've nearly used the last drop of butt water, which I've been eeking out for the plants that don't like tap water.

In other news, some insect is eating my tender dahlia shoots. I thought it was slugs, but it wasn't them, it is an insect. I've covered the shoots in bug spray, so I'm hoping that does the trick.

I went to B&M to find a moveable border solution for the robot mower to stop it toppling over where the ground is uneven. Didn't find a solution but I did find some perennial sweet peas so I would still call that a successful outing.

I bought a floating solar fountain for my tiny pond/cat drinking bowl. (£6.99 at Aldi if anyone's interested). I like it but the cats aren't convinced.

I'm endlessly sweeping up dead wisteria flowers.

I've not done a thing I intended to do in the garden today but yesterday I did some more training of the wisteria, it made my mums heart drop into her stomach when she saw me popping off leaves and buds.

I also went foraging for garlic, in my own garden. I think it's safe to say it is foraging because I didn't put it there on purpose and the bed is overgrown with alsorts of other unnamed things. Had a lovely spag bol last night.

I have finally planted my carrots into a large flowerpot. I also put the tomato seedlings out for a few hours to harden them off. It was forecast to rain, but it didn't happen!

It's a very dull and miserable day here this morning. It's put a dampener (ba dum ts) on finishing getting the garden mowing automated.

I am actually impressed so far with how much automation I've managed to get done. That was my goal for this year, automate and reduce the strain so when I'm having flare ups the plants and garden aren't suffering.

I haven't got many seeds to germinate at all though this year so we will not be relying on me to supplement our food and what a shame I'll just have to go to the garden centre if I want some pretty flowers, whatever shall I do.

Gathered up the contents of a bag of somewhat stinky mulch I bought yesterday, after a fox got a hold of it 🙄 I've never had any trouble with foxes beyond some nighttime mating noises, together with the digging up of young trees it feels like that evil scarred fox off Animals of Farthing Wood has moved in!

I agree, my germination rate has not been great either. I hope the carrots come up. Off to the garden centre to get some plugs for other veg and flowers, I guess.

I had one of those for a while. Unfortunately, the pond was so tiny that the slightest breeze caused the spray to go outside the container, so it emptied. It also clogged really easily. It was a shame as I did like it.

No gardening here, due to stupid work.

I have a barrel pond and if I know it's going to be windy then put something over the solar panel for the same reason.

Absolutely filthy weather here today. We are going away tomorrow and I have stuff in pots that needs to be planted. I ran out at 8 and threw some broccoli and courgettes in, got so cold. Still the forecast is wet and more wet, so the other stuff won’t dry out.

It's my birthday today, so I'm going to ikea to see what plants and garden furniture they have as well as pick some bits and bobs up for DIYing, and hopefully I'll have something of substance soon to update the DIY thread with too.

Our current plastic rattan garden furniture set is well past best and I am hoping, praying, and crossing my fingers, toes and boobs that the weather will pick up soon so I can put the bloody swimming pool up and soak up the garden in bloom.

I am begging for some good weather to get the garden looking ship shape. This time last year I had the garden looking semi-decent and so far it's still looking a bit like a jungle in the back.

The volunteer buddleia has come back with a vengeance. Beautiful plant, just the wrong bloody spot!

Happy Birthday @Jimmyneutronsforehead , I hope you come across an absolute bargain.🪴🪴🪴

I love a birthday Ikea trip too, I hope they have lovely cake in the cafe for you!

I don’t have a greenhouse this summer (it’s on order but not due to arrive until next month) so I planted melon courgette and cucumber seeds outside in the raised bed about 3 weeks ago. They’ve just come up over the last week, and then we had hailstones yesterday so I’m really hoping they pull through.

I delayed leaving so that I could plant my campanulas and verbenas. Then I picked a huge bunch o& flowers for my Dd, but we aren’t seeing her till Saturday so off to google conditioning flowers. Hope IKEA is coming up roses.

I only want a little bubble movement flowing over (the cats wouldn't like any spray), so it really is just the wide 1cm tube bit, without the spray heads it comes with. Shouldn't get clogged either. Works well so far.

Weather is shit here too. It was 33 degrees in the sun last week! Was about to put up the shade sail/canopy thing, glad I didn't bother, it probably would have torn and blown away.

In Lidl earlier and they've obviously had a consignment of plants delivered as it's Thursday and I managed to find the trailing geraniums that I really like.

Double flowers, burgundy and white stripe and £2.49 each. They also had a busy lizzies, upright geraniums and lots of trailing geraniums, the single petal type.

Really pleased I went in now.

They only had gerberas in ikea so I left them. Not a massive gerbera fan, but I did get 3 different kinds of cake (to share!) and a few of their cheap £1.50 bath mats so not a wasted journey.

Just dropping by to say that my rain dancing has finally been successful! After weeks and weeks of barely a drop, we've had some rain in central south east England. Not loads but some heavy showers and I've been collecting the rainwater from every down pipe to fill up my water butt. My grass is very, very happy and I can see new growth starting to coming through. I'm really glad I did the scarifying.

Still digging out spanish bluebells and pulling sycamore seedlings.

Yesterday I took a short break from that to mow the lawn and sow runner beans and corn.

Back to the bulbs now.

Little bit of pruning and deadheading, bit of watering. We've had some rain over last few days, yesterday a couple of heavy bursts and hailstones. It started raining about five minutes ago but doesn't seem to be coming to anything.