What did you do in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

I've scarified the lawn a lot more this afternoon with my Black & Decker scarifier, on the low setting. (it only has three). Between what I took off a couple of days ago and today, I've nearly filled the green bin.
It's a necessary job each year, but the lawn will look a bit rough for a couple of weeks. but will recover.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Cleared last year's tomato bed, it was full of flowering cress, got it before it set seed. A lovely sunny, if a bit cold, day that dried things out a bit. Got to run the mower over the back lawn on its highest setting, only took off a bit, but it looks much better already. Cold forecast tonight, but next decent day I get it will be rake out the moss and fertilise.

 

[Black_Thumb]

I pulled two big bags full of wild violets. I'm going to stop pulling them and apply Tenacity to my yard. It's just too daunting a task to try to pull them all by hand.

I've only had maybe a dozen dandelions this year. I think pulling the thousands by hand last year really paid off this year!!

Did a good amount of work on the chicken coop, too. I need to get about six 4x4 posts to complete the run, but the coop is almost done. We are excited to get some chickens!

Pictures to follow...

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I've only had maybe a dozen dandelions this year. I think pulling the thousands by hand last year really paid off this year!!

Don't let them flower, one flower produces a lot of seeds. They start getting small and only producing one flower, the plant doesn't show, but the flower does. I give each flower a good dab of glyphosate.

 

[Black_Thumb]

As soon as I see any sign of them, I pull them immediately.

 

[Black_Thumb]

I was able to get quite a bit done today on the chicken coop in spite of the plans, which are the worst plans I've ever had. I've basically had to re-engineer the entire thing to make it work. Good thing I was an engineer for over 20 years. LOL

 

[Sean Regan]

I was able to get quite a bit done today on the chicken coop in spite of the plans, which are the worst plans I've ever had. I've basically had to re-engineer the entire thing to make it work. Good thing I was an engineer for over 20 years. LOL

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Looking good.

 

[Sean Regan]

I've done nothing today apart from getting in a bit of music practice.
I taught myself to play this (after a fashion). The tune from the film "Tokyo Joe" I mentioned on another thread.

These Foolish Things.WAV | Powered by Box

app.box.com

It'll be wet again tomorrow, but I'll go to the garden centre, as we need a replacement clematis to grow up the first fence panel on the right-hand side of the French windows.
I also want to get some more heathers, like these we had last year, that got killed off in the freeze. They were actually three plants in one pot, but I may be too early.

 

[Sheal]

Pretty, but isn't that Lavender Sean?

 

[Sean Regan]

Pretty, but isn't that Lavender Sean?

Sorry, yes it is, I'd just been on another board posting an answer to a question about our heathers in the troughs, so I had the name on my mind.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

heathers, like these we had last year,

Errm. French lavender, Sean, a very nice one.

Edit. Sorry, last wo posts appeared when I posted.

 

[Black_Thumb]

Got rained out today, and yesterday, my wife and I went hiking all day. We did get home yesterday with just enough time left for me to mow my front lawn. Now I need to wait for the back to dry out. It is getting quite long.

 

[Sean Regan]

I got done what I wanted to do today in about three hours.
I had to visit two garden centres to find what I wanted
A Prince George clematis and three lavender pot plants.

I finished painting the pagoda.

The next job is this. This is the "weather side." It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, so it'll get a light sand down just for the paint to key in. I'll probably do the balustrade too.

I'm pleased with the steady recovery of the lawn.

Even the seeded areas are showing growth.

I put the lavenders in a pot so they should grow in the same way as the ones we had last year.

They cost £4.99 each, the same as the pot with three in I bought last year that died in "the big freeze."

Having read up on my new (year old) camera, I took some photos, but couldn't find the right HDMI lead, the one for "camera No2" won't fit.

The "right" lead is probably where I keep all the other leads and adapters etc.,

So I've ordered a replacement.


Fortunately, I had "camera No3"
I put this away in a different cupboard about fifteen years ago, having had the sense to take the batteries out.
It's a Lumix DMC LZ7 and is working OK.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Did some less fun jobs, the pipe to the outside tap had burst in the freezing weather, it had insulation, so I must remember to turn it off in future. Replaced the split piece of pipe. Then the pipe carrying the overflow from the water butt had a broken joint, so cleaned up and re-soldered that. Worst job though was taking the kitchen compost heap apart as the missus had lost her 'best' little knife she inherited from her mother; found it, well buried in really slushy compost, it's been raining a fair bit.

 

[Sean Regan]

Did some less fun jobs, the pipe to the outside tap had burst in the freezing weather, it had insulation, so I must remember to turn it off in future. Replaced the split piece of pipe. Then the pipe carrying the overflow from the water butt had a broken joint, so cleaned up and re-soldered that. Worst job though was taking the kitchen compost heap apart as the missus had lost her 'best' little knife she inherited from her mother; found it, well buried in really slushy compost, it's been raining a fair bit.

I had that problem with my water heater in the garage. A pipe burst in the heater and in two places in the supply.
My fault for not turning off the supply

For anyone unaware, if you're going to turn off the supply to any taps in the garden to avoid them freezing, you should also turn on any taps out there, so the water has room to expand. Just remember to turn them off before you turn the water back on.