What have you done today in the Garden?

Looks so beautiful Pac. And check out that Artichoke!! I'm quite jealous that you can grow these as a perennial. Are those ornamental or do you eat them?

 

Melody thank you. Cynara cardunculus (Scolymus Group), commonly called globe artichoke a perennial vegetable in some zones, not my zone . The beautiful unusual flowers are thistle-like. The artichokes starts were in my heated greenhouse growing for several weeks until the ground therometer temps reach 55 - 60 degrees . Then they go out in the garden after a few days of hardening off.
They can be eaten but I let them flower the purple color of the thistle like flower is quite unusual with flower heads the size of grapefruits, very heavy . The mature stalks reach approximately 5’ or more and very sturdy to hold the heavy flowers. I let them go to seed then I have starts for next season and or use flowers in dried floral arrangements, wreaths and share seeds . If family is visiting then they like to eat the artichokes with garlic butter. Usually they are dumb founded that I let the artichokes flower.

 

It's a good luck sign! Gnomes hold their round-dances in fairy rings!

Plus your entire yard looks like a paradise!

As for my neck of the woods, there will be a lot of wood chip hauling to do. Not a bad thing, just needs doing. Taking out the mid-yard fir tree left a big sunny area that was formerly very shady - My guess is those fig trees will love the change. There was some damage to quite a few fig tree branches but it will be OK. I pruned most of those to good wood. They destroyed the top center of an eight year old, bearing age, chestnut tree. I think I can convert that to a 4 main scaffold branch, open center tree. The change might be a long term improvement. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. It also opens up a nice area for summer dry tolerant annuals like zinnias, marigolds, and cosmos

I planted the remainder of the four o'clocks. They were becoming droopy in their small containers. Also, some morning glories. I'll see if there's another lull in the rain, and go spread slug bait around those before bedtime. And two "experimental' bush bean plants, a test for earlier planting.

 

Thank you for the tale of the gnomes dancing in the fairy ring . First fairy ring I ever found .
I appreciate and value your compliments on my garden , made my day!

It can be a bit tricky changing a shade garden to full sun. Lots of summer flowers will shine in the new sunny space. 4 o’clocks and bush beans look good and nice weather predicted. Zinnias, marigolds and cosmos are tough plants for a dry sunny place will be a nice space for a cutting garden.

I’m outta commission for awhile … need a can of oil for some joint having issues with walking.

 

Busy session yesterday, potted up some Snap Dragons , Bacopa and some houseplant cuttings. Sowed another tray of Wallflowers and took some Begonia cuttings too.

After some more endless walks around the garden I think I have found permanent homes for 4 of the homeless Dahlias , just 8 more to go!!

Weeded another border.

 

Everything is now daily getting taken out of the greenhouse and the 3 coldframes are opened up first thing to harden the plants up, by the end of the week plants will remain out and the coldframes left open permanently, hopefully weather permitting after a fortnight I can begin planting out.

 

Just a bit of wisteria pruning today on this one.



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The blossom is not all out yet, but already it is producing new growth which will travel a great distance, if kept unchecked. They don't produce flowers, so I don't want them, I've enough branches that produce blossom, so I don't need more foliage than I will get.
This is what I pruned off this morning. It's almost a weekly job until the end of September.



There's more to come of this lot. But I'll wait until the white blossom is out before tackling both varieties.

 

Taking a garden break for a few days. Then, it's quite a list to accomplish!

Pruning - not much remaining
Thinning apples and other fruits
Planting tomato plants, pepper plants, dahlia seedlings and tubers
planting squash seeds
planting bean seeds
spreading wood chip mulch on garden area
drip irrigation line repair and modification
planting annual flower seeds
a lot of mowing
planting seedling dahlias and dahlia tubers
moving plant tubs around
complaining and whining about being sore and tired and only myself to blame
having some good hot soaks and saying, it's all good

 

I feel your pain @Daniel W ...literally!!!

My early mornings are spent lugging pots of all sizes out into the fresh air then in the evening lugging them all back into various stages of undercover ..sheltered....or fleeced up environments.
From tomorrow...most will be left uncovered in sheltered spots and then over the week they will be left out on the nursery bench in the open. The greenhouse door and windows will also be left wide open permanently now too. Oh the relief !!! My poor joints have just about had it now. They will get a week or two to recover before planting out begins.
Then hopefully it will be a case of sitting out and enjoying all the hard work.

 

Daniel…Wow that’s quite a list. I’m pooped just from reading it.
Oh Yes a Garden Break is on my list too. Well earned for a few days. My joints don’t want to cooperate with my garden goals. They tend to complain a lot , so maybe a break will hush them up for awhile.

Spring is especially busy with gardening let alone home updating responsibilities. It’s always something…

Riley your wisterias are coming along picture perfect…Beautiful. Landscaping and hardscaping looks as smooth as glass. Supercalifabolous.

Oreti getting everything planted from your greenhouse etc. will be nice to have accomplished as temps warm. It’s a good time for planting in your ‘Outstanding Garden’. I enjoy your garden pics , shows a garden so well planned and cared for . Garden management is top priority this time around and round and round we go…..

 

Awww what a lovely comment to make, thank you so much @Pacnorwest , makes all our efforts doubly worthwhile if others enjoy our garden as much as we do....greatly appreciated.

 

Your very welcome
Oreti. Looking foreword to dahlia season. Maybe by the end of June we will have our dahlias poppin.

 

The ones I ended up having to overwinter in the greenhouse are doing very well in fact one looks as if it's buds will soon be opening!!
The ones left insitu are only just breaking through the soil, it has made me rethink about planting the ' homeless' 12 out into the borders......... This way I will hopefully get a slightly earlier display....hmmm I will ponder on this.

How do you overwinter yours @Pacnorwest??

 

Some are wrapped and dried/labeled then placed in a dark storage area to over winter. Others in pots are brought onto a covered porch wrapped in bubble wrap covered with dried hay and placed in a tub with lid protected from winter exposure
And critters.

 

Just a bit of watering today.


This is the azalea my wife bought over thirty years ago from a stall on Altrincham Market, run by a guy who had a local nursery. It was in a reduced to clear box, in a 4" pot. I think it was 50p, but definitely less than a pound. She brought it home on the bus but managed to split the stem as it was with other bags of shopping. I repaired it with a bit of Sellotape.

Over the years, I've layered it several times. There's even two bits I transferred to the back garden. We've tried to identify it, but even the owner of the nursery, didn't know.









This Apta ceramic pot is a permanent fixture by our front door. We ring the changes as we've several plants in plastic pots, which will fit in it. We did have a large heather in it, but now it's the turn of this azalea.