What have you done today in the Garden?

This afternoon managed to get out and weed the blueberry pots, 25 of them and top up the soil, they have a lot of blossom on this year, i threatened them that i would prune the old branches out if they didn't fruit, it's been raining all week but this week should be better.

 

That is great to know Sjoerd - thank you so much.

 

Ok 3 rows of green beans, the yellow squash, cucumbers, 4 more celebrity tomatoes and 4 egg plants have been planted. Also I reversed the garden gate onto the new replacement post, filled the borer bee and other chewings into the crap they called treated 4x4 wood, repainted (spray) with cold zinc the old wire deer fence I took off for post work and have started capping posts. I need a good copper spray paint. I love using Aluminum, Zinc, Copper etc because they hold up so well outdoors. Spring cleaning found 2 6x6 copper post caps soI am hoping to find a metal spray to redo the 4x4 copper caps that have become oxidized. Then I am gonna stain or seal or something the post wood. Maybe like the deck but there is no reason to work and pay for replacement when some sealant can stave off mother nature in my less than humble opinion.

 

Dearest Stewbies… you’re all cookin . Every one of your gardens will be a real joy to see in it’’s prime this season…

 

Finished weeding the blueberry pots and around some of them. Ivy had been growing around them and cleared all of the soil around them on the patio.

 

Weeding …ugh… that’s what I consider a necessary evil…

 

This post was all I needed to convince me I needed a David Austin rose at my new house. I got a climber to go across the front fence.

 

Today I finished cutting out the hillside path under the deck. It faces north. I wish it had more of the native ferns to crowd out the weeds but I am transplanting hostas onto the hillside. The soil is gravel/glacial till, a far cry from the deep loam I was used to. Now I can safely access the outdoor faucet and hillside from both directions.

hillside before path


hillside after completed


Path looking east. Used some reclaimed rocks from the yard.



Path looking west.


The yard is much more than I can maintain at 1/2 acre so I am only working on accessibility. It feels good seeing the little changes.

 

Jewell— that is a smart-looking new home. You have already begun putting your own mark on the footprint. That path is shaping-up nicely.
Is the view of the front or back of your home? Does the other side of your house have gardens and or grass?

 

Jewell, as you well know, a garden constantly evolves. You'll have years of pleasure developing, moving, adding to your garden. You have made a great start!

 

Jewel very nice addition. And safer to cross your property .. grass/moss is slippery when soggy and wet even on flat ground. The new path really adds a lot of interest to the landscaping. I really like what you have done . Adding hostas will look great and all the rock has added 3-D visual interest breaking up the green. Made a big change . You should be proud of your accomplishments. One small step for the path leading to more giant steps for new plantings.

 

Jewel it's looking good, it took me years to get where i am at the moment, but it's always changing.

 

Jet-washed the drive. A real boring job.

You could get four cars on this drive, all the houses in our road are the same. But those with two cars, usually park one on the drive and the other on the road, with two wheels up on the kerb, making it difficult for pedestrians and other motorists to pass.
That rectangular patch is where my "drain man" had to cut through the drive to replace a bit of soil pipe from the toilet.




I also jet washed the"pavement," outside our house. It's been tarmac for ten years, as people putting "two wheels up the flags," continually cracked them. It isn't too bad at this end of the road, but behind me where the road bends, it is always congested at night with cars parked both sides.

Once the azaleas, rhodo and viburnum have flowered, I'll prune them back a bit with garden shears as they are nearly a foot out over the little curtilage wall.






"Bin corner" is a bit of a pain to keep clean. Excuse the photo, it was into the sun.
"Back in the day" we had one mesh bin that took a plastic refuse bag which was emptied weekly.
Then these plastic bins were introduced, first just two. So when I built that fence and door, I made a three inch high concrete platform, for the bins to sit on.
Then it became three bins, so I had to extend the platform. Then it became four bins so I had to make another plinth the other side of the door for it. The plinths mean that I'm not for ever, having to move them to sweep round them. There's talk of a common national policy on refuse and us having to do even more segregation of waste. So more bins?
Believe me, it ain't happening at this address!




I think many people give up with bins. With some houses, they're like "a feature," in the drive or even in the front garden, which is now an extra parking space at many houses. With a bit of thought you can hide them from the road and from being in view from a window of your house.



We had these lily of the valley amongst the bluebells in this corner of the narrow bed between the shed and the tea-house, for years. I dug them up and planted them under the big acer near the fountain.





I got the clematis tied up, mowed the lawn gave the front lawn a dose of iron sulphate where it needed it and the roses a spray of Sulphur Rose, so I'm up to date.

Sun in the lens again.

 

Put the small polyanthus plants into the small greenhouse to harden off, had to put the shading over it and did some more weeding.

 

Power washing is another chore what I have dubbed a necessary evil. As soon as it stops raining / snowing I will put down a product that eliminates all the growth on the driveway and everything else that doesn’t move and or moves…
Then call ‘Jet Clean’ to finish up the roof , house , landscaping, barn, bricks…etc.

You did a great job Riley. Everything looks clean, shinny and the garden is perfection.