What have you done today in the Garden?

Logan lookin good.

 

Thank you Sjoerd and Pacnorwest.

 

Potted on some more of the polyanthus

 

Sowed some corn marigold seeds in pots and picked the first of the blackcurrants.

 

It was "shopping day" today so did nothing else before lunch.
Yesterday, my wife decided she didn't like these in the hanging baskets in the hall. They were already climbing three feet up the support chains after a couple of months So I took them down.




It was a question of where to put them.
I repotted them, putting them in larger plastic tubs and they are now under the kitchen window.

I've lateral wires above them so eventually they'll look quite good when they climb.





But I'm not in favour of "plastic" in the garden, so I've ordered for them, another trough like this, it's one of the two. either side, of the tea-house steps.






It was still sixty quid with free postage as they were back in January when I bought these. With a couple of coats of Dulux mahogany wood stain, they are wearing well, as they are well made.

I've got more than enough paint, for the new one, but I'll have to make little feet for it, as the fall of the patio means that in a heavy downpour, some rainwater will gather in this corner to a depth of an inch or so before it drains away through the holes in the curtilage wall.



Whilst I was out shopping I called into Dobbies and bought a couple of peace lilies, I re-potted them and they're up in the hall. So job done and I can watch the tennis on TV.

 

Very nice DHR. Peace Lillies are a favourite of mine.

 

I finally finished the clean up of willow branches yesterday. I could have used some of the patience DHR has with removing his wisteria's spent blossoms. I wish I had grandchildren...I think I could have offered a prize of .10 cents per stick, and it would have been worth the $2000 contribution to their little savings account.

The remaining trunk and large branches look like a hand coming from the sky. At least I can navigate around it now, five pick up loads later. ( grumble and larger self pitying grumble)

This will free me up for completing weeding the upper garden. I'm heeding some advice from a dear friend and not adding additional nitrogen to the bush beans. We will see how they go, and I'm sure the warmer weather will be kind to them.

I took four more haskap cuttings this AM. They are doing much better rooting them as new growth instead of dormant. This will give me the cross pollination that I need. I do have fruit ripening which is very exciting.

With the cool weather I haven't been going out when the robin's wake me up. It is dawn around 3:20 am right now and dusk at about 10:45 pm. (Nothing like Droopy, and Sjoerd I think your days are longer also? ). I don't go out until about 11 am when it's a little bit warmer on the knees, but this means getting less done for now. One must avoid getting a case of the kneesles.

 

Our hanging baskets are just ceramic pots, into which I drilled three holes to take the chains.
They are extremely heavy, so the "eyes" at the top of the chains are screwed through the plasterboard of the ceiling into noggins I fixed between two rafters in the loft.

 

Mel—Our days begin at 05:16 and end at 22:07. We try to get out early and work until it becomes too warm. I have been loosing great quantities of saline these past weeks. I am ready for some decent weather now.

 

I bet you are Sjoerd. Hydrate hydrate hydrate...and inside time. That is such unusual weather for you. It must be a worry.

 

Well, it is unusual from here…but i is what it is, so we just get on with it. Hydration is the most important.

 

I needed to prune quite a bit of unwanted growth on the wisterias, I only did them a few days ago, but more need pruning off. But it will have to wait until later. I have to stay indoors until DHL call, as my wife would take too long to get to the front door, because of her MS and the driver won't hang about.
We bought this ice-cream maker off the TV shopping channel a couple of weeks ago for getting on for £200. But it's a bit of a disappointment, so it's going back. We quite like using this company for a lot of stuff. You can use something for up to sixty days, then if you decide you don't want it send it back.
All this needed was a phone call to them, last night around 5.00pm. I immediately got sent a pdf return label to attach to the box, (I'd kept all the packing, just in case) and they arranged the collection for today. They pay the cost of transport. I'll get a full refund within a week.

The planter I ordered should be here on Monday. It'll need some "fettling," they are put together with pin nails which I don't consider durable, I have visions of lifting it with two big pots in it and the bottom falling out after a couple of years. So it'll be another three dozen screws to strengthen it like the others, before I paint it.

Edit
.
Guess what?

The trough that was supposed to be delivered on Monday, arrived at noon today.

It's s'pposed to be made of tanalised timber, I always wonder how "tanalised" anything ever is.

The quality was acceptable, but it did need some screws to reinforce the pin nails. They had the effect of "drawing the batons more together." As with the others, the mitred tops weren't lining up perfectly, as they aren't actually connected, but by holding them together with a clamp I was able to make a perfect joint with a screw.
I made some little feet for it from a bit of hard wood dowel.




After a bit of sanding down it was ready for its first coat of Dulux mahogany wood stain, inside and out. The first coat always looks a bit uneven as the paint soaks into some parts and stays on the surface on others, but a second coat tomorrow will fix that.






That's it for today, I've tennis, cricket and golf to watch on the TV.
I did take a lot of unwanted growth off one wisteria before the delivery. I can carry on tomorrow, before we get the promised showers.
This 45 I'd ordered for one of my jukeboxes was delivered early today so I was able to check it out. I've always liked it. it's on an album I've had amongst others of ELO, for decades.

 

Just a lot of watering the pots.

 

Similar to Logan. Forecast was very hot etc. Thankfully it was actually a bit overcast. So I managed to hobble, (really painful arthritis in my right foot). into the garden. So I gave my roses, lilies and dahlias a really good watering. Pain became too much, so no deadheading.

 

Got pathway cleared out by hydrangeas in front garden and path in back near roses, lilacs and trees trimmed.
New blooms along today. And the potted plants are lookin better.