What have you done today in the Garden?

Nothing today it's raining.

 

No gardening today, too wet. Should have been a golf day, but the course is closed.
Fortunately, if it's going to be closed, after an early inspection by the greens staff, members get an e-mail around 7.00 to advise this.

The weather has had an effect on the club's finances. The number of visitors paying to play, thirty-odd quid a time, has dramatically reduced this year, so we're expecting a big hike in our membership fee for the year beginning in April.
We didn't have an increase this time last year, which I thought was a bit daft at the time, but there you go.
I anticipate my membership fee for a five day membership, including a 20% age/length of membership related discount will go up by 15% to close to £1000. I can't play at week-ends, but I wouldn't want to, as weather permitting, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is enough for me. Anyway, it would be hard to get an acceptable tee time at the week-end.
Most clubs have a discount system like mine. It was brought in decades ago when members who had retired were pensioners and were a bit hard up. But that has all changed, Now they've mostly have the money and many younger members with big mortgages have not. They also need to be seven day members as they work during the week.

 

My new water heater arrived today around half past three. It was to replace the failed one in the garage. It's taken me an hour to connect it up. One new bracket on the wall, one water and one electrical connection, how hard could that be?
It was slightly harder than you might imagine, as the water connection wasn't in the same place as the old one, so it needed a bit of "fettling." A new piece of pipe from the on/off control below the basin, an elbow and a new piece of pipe from that to the control valve. Fortunately, I had some pipe, a new elbow and some olives.

A plumber's best tool is a pipe cutter.
It's like a small doughnut. You place it on the pipe where you want to cut it and turn it. This scores through copper pipe in seconds it makes a clean cut and the ends are slightly chamfered so an olive slips over the end easily.




The replaced insulation looks a bit tatty, but then, this just a water heater in a garage!

I bought this new on eBay for £169 a saving of over £50 on that of B&Q.
So I'm well pleased.

 

Nothing today it's raining again.

 

Still riding out the Atmospheric River Storm…

 

I puttered with various plants and seedlings indoors.

I moved the onion and leek seedlings outside. They don't mind cool rainy weather, and wont dry out as fast as they do indoors.


The Eucalyptus seedlings look pretty good. The first, Lemon Bush Eucalyptus, are growing quickly. They smell exactly like lemon balm, but much stronger.



The second, "Silver Dollar Tree" Eucalyptus, have germinated. Some are producing their first true leaves.



Roughly half of the Alstroemeria seeds have germinated. The instructions called for a warm-cold-warm stratification cycle, but these germinated before getting to the cold part.



The lower left cell sprout is so tiny it may not show. The center two cells have not germinated, so far.

I trimmed and repotted a grocery store mini Rose from Valentine's day. The growth medium is fine for greenhouses where they are misted and have controlled conditions, but dries out superfast in my house. It wilts and each time, more leaves die. If I can, I'd like to save it to grow outdoors this summer.



I cut off the buds and the worst of the dried out parts, washed off the original growth medium, and had five plants, from that one pot, to pot in a potting soil that does well for me.



The chili peppers have all germinated. There are quite a few 6-packs like this.



Without spending much time outside, it's been a fairly productive garden day.

 

Good job Daniel. Your green thumb gets greener every year. Adore all the lil seedlings and so smart to split one plant now into several. I lost a few roses I separated last year . The winter was way too cold a few days of -12 degrees. These are the unexpected winters I usually loose a few plants due to extreme winters.

 

So I have a dilemma. You may or may not remember; my neighbor gave me a sweet potato that had sprouted. I put it in potting soil and put it in the bathroom, on a shelf. (Plant eater can't get to it). It's taking over! Its growing along the wall and the door hits one, anytime it gets opened or closed. I looked up if it goes in water or directly into the ground (it's a 50/50 answer). So should I put one slip each in a few potato bags? (I have 10 gallon bags). Then put the bags in the basement? They could sit around where my grow light is and still stay warm. I was thinking of putting a few in water, because I don't have that many bags! It's way too early, I really didn't expect it to live, it was so shriveled and the sprouts had no leaves. It looked very sad. Mine that I planted is just barely starting to sprout.
That little hoop thing is an old headband that my granddaughter hasn't worn in years. I thought it would hold up the door vine....no such luck.

 

Oh,, by the way your plants and onions look great Daniel! I was going to mention it but, I'm still in shock with this silly sweet potato!

 

Daniel everything looks good and Willowisp your sweet potato looks good, I've seen that they've like a climbing or trailing plant.

 

It is so nice to see your progress there, Daniel. The leeks and onions are doing well.
Pity about those Alstroemeria’s are only half way there. I hope that the rest come up. I like that plant. Your peppers look terrific. I wonder when I will be able to grow them again.

What you did with the roses is such a good idea. They can now go on to reach their fullest potential and some day you may want to put them back together in a sensible container for an even more impressive display.

Now then, what about your gum trees ! What a good success you had with them. Who’s the happy gardener then.

 

Nothing today it's been raining again.

 

Suns out ..getting out to take care of the lawns and pastures Mowing to keep the critters at bay. Blowing off leaves. Pine needles everywhere. Setting up the doggie enclosure. Just so nice to see the sun shinning , a few blooms snd the hawks and hummers are out too.

 

More rain today, should be dry tomorrow, but my golf course was closed today so won't be open tomorrow. So no golf this side of next week. I need to tidy up the garage and shed after fitting the new water heater. I did make a bit of a mess. Now I can fill a bucket with hot water I can clean my golf trolley, clubs and bag, so I'll be ready for golf on Monday.
So far my efforts to kill the moss patches on the lawn have been unsuccessful, I might need a stronger solution of iron sulphate. I'll give it another dose on Sunday if it's dry and spray the patio with Wet n' Forget as it's a bit green.

 

Really is a nice Spring day!

Here's my geranium update. Pelargonium for folks who prefer that term.

A big branch broke off of a geranium plant last fall. I left it sitting around in partial shade for a month, thinking I would throw it away. But the leaves remained green. So I cut it up.



I stuck all of those in a four inch pot, in my usual potting soil. No special treatment, no rooting hormone, just water along with other plants.

They took root and were growing pretty fast but it got crowded, so I separated them two weeks ago. I cut off the tops so they would branch.

Here they are now. I'm happy with them.



Pelargoniums are the easiest "annual" to overwinter, and also to grow from cuttings. I like keeping them year to year, because the older ones develop an almost "bonsai" look with twisting branches, and they bloom so much more as they get older.