What have you done today in the Garden?

@Pacnorwest have you been successful with reblooming amaryllis? I think about it but have not tried.

@AAnightowl , arent those David Austin toses nice? I have a few. I like tea roses, too.

Like a broken record today, I collected a truckload of leaves. Yesterday I emptied the truck, preparing for today. Next, to spread them. Forests shed leaves and mulched themselves for hundreds of thousands of years. I am following the lead of those ancient trees.

 

After the last blooms in Dec-Jan -March …remove the flowers, cut the flower stem at the base of the stem close to the bulb. Allow the bulb to grow leaves treat the plant as a houseplant . In July stop watering the leaves will turn yellow to fertilize the bulb and then it’s time to pull the bulbs from the planter. Remove the leaves and let the bulb rest in cool dry dark place . Sept - Oct . Late Oct-Nov. Plant in fresh soil 1/3 bulb in damp soil in warm area . I use a heat pad on low placed in indirect light . When leaf starts to grow then water the plant well not soggy in well draining soil . Wait 6-8 weeks for re-bloom .
Some bulbs may only send up leafs . Others stem with the flower. The bulbs from the northern hemisphere -Netherlands will re-bloom Dec-Feb March. Bulbs grown in lower hemisphere Peru/Africa will re-bloom in May -July. It depends where they originate when they will re-bloom.

 

Nothing today but tomorrow will help hubby clear the pyracantha trimmings and take to the recycling centre.

 

The last of the arches have now had the Lonicera and Clematis removed. The little “tuttetuin” is clean and ready for next spring. The dying Wisteria leaves ere falling faster than I could remove them, so I just lef them on the bed.


Now then, inside the borders of the allotment are wnter-ready; however, each gardener is also responsible for the 50cc outside the lottie between the fence and the sidewalk. I have finished our strip:


At home the last of the Blauhilda’s were dr enough to shell.


I added these to the other pile that is drying further in the pantry. I am curious if they are viable.

 

Today, I got my Fairie rose dug up and moved, and the one that I forgot the name of is potted up also. I started trying to dig up my peony bush, but it is being difficult. Hopefully, I can work on it more tomorrow. The Fairie rose turned out to be 11 bushes, plus I made some cuttings.

I was thinking of maybe selling extra plants come spring? I am not very good at selling anything, so if I cannot sell them, hopefully I can give them away!

 

I bet those Blauhildas are viable. Thet look like some I have saved, and they grew just fine. I have a few to shell too. Not many, but a bean saved is a bean to grow, right?

Do I see Euphorbia lathyris in there?

Thank you @Pacnorwest for the Amarillus instructions. I will try this time. The onecI bought is sending up two flower buds now.

Yesterday I did not garden. I cooked for Thanksgiving. Today, mostly, too. There are some kitchen - sourced additives to distribute - coffee grounds, plus a big container of dried eggshells to crush and theclatest chicken femurs and tibias that still need to be dried and ground. I forgot to put those in the oven after I took out the rolls and pumpkin pie yesterday. I don't like for those to sit around.

I think we go through about a pound of coffee beans each week. Wild guess. That's 52 pounds a year. Over the past four years, that's about 200 pounds, in a fairly small number of raised beds.

From wikipedia, used coffee grounds are rich in sugars, potassium, nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus. The sugars biodegrade quickly. Everything grows well, and I'm sure the vegetables deplete all of that, so I don't think I'm overdoing it. Plus it's a small amount spread around each time, all year long. The high lignin content contributes to humus formation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Used_coffee_grounds

 

Helped hubby to clear the pyracantha trimmings and put them in a large bag to take to the recycle centre, have to have a residents pass to get in.

 

Daniel— you do indeed see a blow-in Euphorbia. I do not know which one it is. My Bride likes certain Euphorbia types, so I thought I would let this one stay and see if she likes it.

 

I finally got the peonies dug up this morning and broke a shovel handle. It is nearly new and hardwood, so no idea why it broke. It is not a cheapy shovel either. I have extra peony roots/bulbs whatever they are called to plant someplace.

I just put 2 loaves of homemade oatmeal bread in the oven, and talked to my Mother and neice a little bit. I will have to copy and paste the amaryllis instructions. I guess it is too late for them to bloom this season?

 

Nothing today, made the first of my mince pies, 4 dozen.

 

I distributed about ten bushels of leaves. Lots more to spread, glad to get started.

Also laid a soil barrier in an area that's a big challenge to reach, where I cant get the mower. it gets quite weedy. I'll put tree chips on top of the barrier. That should take dare of weeding for two or three years.

 

Mulched more leaves I think it’s finally the last of them . Well just a few more deciduous trees left not big ones. blew the leaves off the roof scuppers and down spouts off the other side of the house.have the mower mulcher a good cleaning.
set the amaryllis in a warmer kitchen window… a few buds are popping up. will have to trim the magnolia 5 trees soon… sharpened the chain saw for the pole pruner.

 

It's bright and sunny, but very cold. Ice in the fountain and bird bath.

There's quite a bit to do.

More leaves to clear.








Still some to come down.




I'll need to prune off the dead wood from both the acer palmatums, an annual task. then do a bit of "wiring," to balance the branches.









But none of this today as it's too cold.

I've fed the birds and the squirrels, then turned on the two hoses, the tap of the sink and the water heater in the garage. Then turned the lot off from the tap below the kitchen window, I didn't do it early enough last year. I had three burst pipes when I turned everything back on, when it warmed up which was an inconvenience, but they were easy enough to repair, but an internal pipe in my sixty year-old water heater in the garage had failed, so I had to buy a new one. This has a "frost setting" like most combi boilers, but I won't risk using it.

 

Nothing going on out there....with high's in the 40's F and low's in the 20's F pretty much sums it up.

 

Took three more jumbo Norwegian bin liners full of leaves to the lottie and added them to the compost containers.