What have you done today in the Garden?

Everyone's gardens are looking great! I enjoy seeing how you train your Acers and Wisteria @Doghouse Riley . @Daniel W - even though you are suffering from a bout of EGBH (Excited Gardener's Body Hangover) I can hear your happiness at tackling those troublesome spots that have been bugging you. Good job getting all of that grass out of there! It must feel good.

Winter is my time to get to read, research and plan Today was reading all about the different types of poppies and planning the Poppy garden, which is also the heart shaped memory garden for Angus' brother/litter mate Dez. I also went through my Garden Notes binder and combined some sections with up to date information.

 

Thanks for that.
Once all the leaves are down and cleared, there will be less for me to do in the garden, so I can spend more time on my other hobbies. Even golf will be reduced from three times to twice a week, but even then, only, "weather permitting."

 

Those sound good to me, @Odif!

 

Today was volunteer day, plus it was raining. Still, I managed to haul a truckload of (wet) leaves.

Since they are wet anyway, maybe I should put some into leaf bags to make lead mould. Im not sure how that works or how long it will take.

 

I have a lot going on so I have no time and I am moving all my plants that I desire to my forest land.

 

Nothing today it's raining

 

More trimming and pruning.

 

Wednesday is also a volunteer day. I had a different meal route this time. Many more meals, wonky GPS, no house or building numbers in some cases. Words were said, some repeated multiple times, in the privacy of my car, unsuitable for a family website. It took much longer. But I got the job done, every one with a smile.

So, no time in garden at all, other than stand and gaze a bit. I think that's good sometimes.

Apple pie, from my orchard, is in the oven.

I may start putting down a pine needle mulch for some of the garden paths, tomorrow.

 

Daniel— what I wouldn’t give for some pine needles. I used to go to the woodsy areas and harvest them in bin liners, but discovered that that was not allowed. I use them for my blueberry patch. You are a lucky man to have access to pine needles.

 

Deadheaded the roses that are left, noticed that a hyacinth bulb had been dug up but ok and some of the polyanthus were covered in soil, it could be cats or foxes, so i planted the bulb and uncovered the polyanthus.

 

I moved three apple mini-trees. Two were columnar types, that I grafted onto a super-dwarfing rootstock called "Bud-9" two or three years ago. The intent is to have columnar trees that stay under seven feet tall. Commercial nurseries use more vigorous rootstocks, and the trees grow too big for me. Bud-9 is used in some commercial orchards, where apples are grown sort of like vineyards instead of big tree orchards.

Anyway, I needed to move them to make some room. The duck yard has a sunny spot, so here they are.



These descend from McIntosh, a Canadian apple variety. Scion for one is the variety "Northpole" and the other came from "Golden Sentinel", another Canadian variety I like a lot. They will need posts so they don't fall over.

Moving those made room for what will be a bushy shaped mini-tree, that was in the spot where I want to build a planter. That one happened to be "Summer Red" apple, also a Canadian variety and also on Bud-9 rootstock.

Here it is, dug up. These don't have a lot of roots. I also pruned off a potentially girdling root and an injured root.



I noted the two, tall sprouts from the rootstock below the graft. I pulled those off. They have a tiny bit of root, so I think they will survive as sort of pre-started hardwood cuttings. I planted them to have something to play with in apple tree Frankenstein grafting experiments next Spring.



Summer Red is a really tasty and unusual apple. It has a touch of cherry flavor and pink coloration under the red skin. I hope this mini-tree will bloom and bear a couple of apples in 2013. Some of the other minitrees bore a few nice apples this year.

Here is that corner now, with re-planted mini-tree and leaf mulch.



Pruning will happen later. I might wait for blossoms, so I don't prune off potential fruiting branches.

Next, I'll finish cleaning up and mulching the center of the fruit garden, make the pathways, and start on the proposed pepper planter project.

 

Nothing today, son came to visit.

Good work Daniel

 

Amazing @Daniel W .ermmmm....how's the back?? hee hee

@Logan - so nice to have family.

Today I had the time to open my first envelope of intentionally ordered heirloom vegetable seeds. Pretty excited about this.

And I placed my seed order for peppers. Also very excited about that.

 

Daniel, that is an interesting story about your little trees. I hope they will go on and develop as you want. They are getting good attention, that’s for sure.

 

Thanks @Melody Mc.