What did you do in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

Just had a look round.
Checked the hedgehog feeder. It's eaten the peanuts, must prefer them to "proper" hedgehog food.

Decided to buy some clematis as a few didn't survive the winter.

Went on-line, tried Taylors.
Found that this has been taken over by Sarah Raven.

"She's" been sending me e-mails every week for ages. I've not looked at any, as I thought it would be a scam as I didn't recognise the name. I'd "blocked sender" after the first one, so they all went to spam.

Anyway, I've baled out of them sending me more. I bought three, they can go along the little bed beside the garage under the wisteria, they'll get plenty of sun there.
Nothing's cheap these days, is it?

No change out of fifty quid, plus postage.

Caerulea Luxurians

Emelia Plater

Broughton Star

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Sarah Raven is local to us, high end of the price range, but good quality on the whole. I think it started off as a cutting garden and a one woman enterprise, but seems to be expanding, so plants may be being bought in now. Best of luck with them.
When I was chain sawing logs the other day I put aside all the short ends, knotty bits that won't split easily, and so forth, today I dug a hole and chucked them all in followed by the Michaelmas daisy stalks and a bucket full of chainsaw chippings as a start to my next bit of HK. We leave all the stuff like sunflowers and daisies overwinter for the birds, the blue tits and great tits search them for insects, and every so often I see a little flock of goldfinches going through for seeds, lovely.
Planted peas yesterday and piled them up on the greenhouse shelf , hopefully out of reach of mice. Found them all over the floor this morning, damn, cleared up, try again.
Potted up my second planting of Moneymaker tomatoes, looking at my first lot deciding which to keep. There are only two of us, so I don't need lots, but if I grow seven or so at a time I can keep the best two or three, give the others away, our village has a plant swop on facebook, and hopefully get a continuation of harvest.
'Found' another couple of buckets of earth for my hole, getting there.

 

[Sheal]

It's eaten the peanuts, must prefer them to "proper" hedgehog food.

It's probably building up fat and protein after winter hibernation.

I've bought Clematis from Taylors in the past and been very happy with the plants. I've not bought anything from Sarah Raven and it worries me when a decent nursery gets taken over, the quality of plants tends to deteriorate.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

when a decent nursery gets taken over, the quality of plants tends to deteriorate.

Sarah Raven is expanding, but I think being a decent nursery is probably the attraction, I would expect it to be maintained.

 

[Sean Regan]

It's probably building up fat and protein after winter hibernation.

I've bought Clematis from Taylors in the past and been very happy with the plants. I've not bought anything from Sarah Raven and it worries me when a decent nursery gets taken over, the quality of plants tends to deteriorate.

Yes, we've been regular customers of Taylors over the years and have mentioned them on the board a few times. They used to send out a nice small, but quite thick catalogue each year. Now we just get naffin' emails from Sarah Raven instead.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

Cleaned out the strawberry beds. Took most of the day. Added compost and straw.

Little sore from being bent over all day. It will be well worth it in June.

MOD

 

[Oliver Buckle]

You want one of these:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crystals-Portable-Foldable-Kneeler-Gardening/dp/B0797VYGSV/ref=asc_df_B0797VYGSV/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309874391644&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4069018467326001330&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006704&hvtargid=pla-698554548938&psc=1&mcid=498044d3ea0138d294f4374c6966e670

My daughter bought me one a couple of years back, the tool bag is pretty useless, but it is perfect height for working. Fits neatly over a plank if the soil is soft., but looking at your beds I guess you can do most of it from the edge.
Ordered myself three each of a couple of perennial varieties yesterday, late may to early October next year with a bit of luck.

 

[Logan]

Pricked out some pot marigolds and cosmos into toilet roll tubes with compost in, also verbena bonariences in cell trays. Hubby has pruned all of the roses now.

 

[Sean Regan]

Checked the cameras. The hedgehog visited both feeders today.
With this one, it made three circuits of the feeder, as if looking for a way in but in the end settled for using the entrance. Different hedgehog than last year, or the same one that's a bit thick?

Did a bit in the garden today though there's little to show for it.

Pruned off bit of the overhanging trees on both sides of the garden.

This tree can block out a lot of the sun late in the afternoon. Presently the house is unoccupied.

Those on the other side are always a pain. The one near the corner tries to grow through the new fence panels. The nearer one I have to watch. It's important that if you've any building in the garden with a felt roof, to keep tree branches away from it, as over time with the wind moving the branches only slightly, if they are touching the felt they'll wear through it.

This is an even bigger pain.

Fortunately, I have the tools for the job.
On the left is my Barnel telescopic pruner. It is at its full extension, it's only OK for the thinner branches.
The one on the right is my new Fiskars lopper at full extension. This will cut pretty much anything you can get the jaws around.

That's the shed I built, 46 years ago.

Adding to my work is the creeper that the house next door to ours have on their garage. To stop it growing under the gutter of my garage and into the roof space. I have to stand on the roof of the shed and use the Barnel to cut it each year.

I gave both the orange and pink quinces a bit of a trim. I don't like them growing much above the level of the fence. The shade they would cast would add to my lawn's occasional moss problems.

Apart from a few clematis, which don't look as if they survived the winter, everything's doing nicely. This acer, despite me hacking it back in the autumn, has burst into life. It'll get at least three hair cuts during the year to keep it to this size, but it just doesn't care.

The wisterias all have flower buds on them and the acer palmatums are showing theirs. I'll mow the lawn at the weekend if it's dry and think about when I'm going to scarify it.

I'm up to date, so I won't feel at all guilty on the golf course tomorrow.

 

[NewLeafTX]

Sowed mixed Brassicas (Turnip purple top x2, Kale Dwarf blue, mustard, Broccoli raab, pak choy, Collard, etc) in the back half of the Cottage garden.

Sowed pea seeds saved from last year in a short row nearest, the garden's main entrance.

Sowed three 9' rows of carrots interplanted with radishes, in the front left of the Cottage garden.
Radish Gourmet Mix x2
Watermelon Radish
Danver's Half long carrot
Red Cored chantenay carrot

Sowed mixed flower seeds (American Seed Perennial mix, Flower rocket brand summer blend, American Seed Shade mix) in the back, center of the Cottage garden. Still want to sow some more flowers, especially the sunflower seeds I saved last year.

Sowed Lettuce Parris Island Cos in my second heaviest/ second biggest pot, which has about a 30" diameter.

Thyme in hanging basket may be just barely starting to germinate.
Basil seeds in 1 gallon pot about 50% germinated, fine because those seeds were old.

Babying the 12" container of Impatiens seedlings, which are tiny. this means moving the pot around: Under shelter if rain is expected, then back out of shelter later so they can get bright indirect sunlight. Back under shelter, if the day becomes very sunny... Care must be taken to not let them dry out, flood, nor get sunburned.

Last pic: Snow peas & some of the mixed salad greens seeds are up, in the large container.

The others are some pics of our Azaleas in bloom:

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Potted on Devils' finger chilli, counted how many had germinated to see how many pots I would need, 13 appropriately enough, imagine having to pot on 666
Planted a couple of trays of seeds, filled a couple of HK containers, put a layer of leaves and one of compost on top of my most recent bit of HK, then put a bit of earth back. Planted a bucket with all the smaller, left over, garlic and another with purple broccoli, partly I am just trying out to see what thrives and what finds it too constrictive.
Aquilegia self seeds and when I am hoeing or weeding I pull them, and cyclamens, out and pot them on, there is always someone will have one, potted up a couple of each.
Did a little more building on my next bucket stand, I got some good offcuts from brother in law who lives next door to a fencer, so all nice treated timber
Pottered and cleaned up a bit.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

Fertilized, acidified and sulfurized the blueberry patch. Removed the leaves and deweeded the kiwiberry area. I remember adding fertilzer last year but somehow all the chips where gone. Havent added in a couple years maybe didnt notice last year. The sandy soil became loomy sand soil. Added chips and fertilizer.

MOD

 

[Sean Regan]

I did nothing in the garden today as it's been raining, although I did play golf in it this morning.
When I got home I found that the clematis I'd ordered from Sarah Raven had arrived.
I was impressed with the way they were packed.

Three healthy looking plants.

If it's dry tomorrow I'll plant them out. I may order a couple more.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

I did nothing in the garden today as it's been raining, although I did play golf in it this morning.
When I got home I found that the clematis I'd ordered from Sarah Raven had arrived.

Wow that is some nice packaging.
The 2 bareroot trees I got a couple weeks ago came in damaged. The were placed loose in box with the roots wrapped in plastic. When I complained I got a preprinted email response about broken or damaged branches. If they have a preprinted email about broken branches its obviously a problem. Never buy from them again. Totally regret buying it there. I did get a refund for the one I complained but had to be mean.

MOD

 

[Oliver Buckle]

That sort of packing does give you confidence, hope they live up to the promise, I expect so.

Beautiful day today, but the missus went out and left me in charge of the kittens, and they are just about to reach the windowsill with all the plants on. They went mad for a bit, ate loads and then crashed out. I was doing well with some woodwork just outside the back door, but broke my drill bit which stymied me. Came in for a cuppa and a read of the forum, that's okay, everything must be drying out nicely. Not confident enough to leave them and go up the end of the garden though, everything can change in moments.