What have you done today in the Garden?

I have had a lovely gardening morning! First I planted marjoram, basil, and parsley to get started inside on a heat mat and under a grow light--I got to play with dirt! Then I took a pile of pruning trimmings to the burn pile and on the way back checked the broccoli. Yes, I needed, really needed to cut side shoots! After cutting those and giving the hens some weeds for treat, I checked the coop and put fresh nesting material in the nest boxes (I know that isn't gardening, but it is fun with the hens watching me closely to see that I do it right), then I collected one "cackle berry" (egg) and went back to the house trailed by two cats. I froze the broccoli and now I'm smug and snug in the house, planning lunch.

 

A quick trip to Dobies Garden Centre for a couple of new hebes today. The small ones at the end of the troughs. The variety is Caladonia.

No change out of twenty-six quid. Plants are so expensive these days.



Mind you, isn't everything? I've just ordered a new pair of Ecco casual shoes on-line, as they say, "they cost an arm and a leg," but I like the brand, they're very comfortable.

 

@Doghouse Riley....have you heard of Sloggers....they are one of the best garden/everyday shoes for me. The best part is that they are non-skid when wet...and believe me, the theory has been tested. Beautiful patio!!

 

Cleaned out the beds, getting ready for the start of the season. Mostly everything lived through the supposed winter. We're praying that the bugs won't be bad, but that theory was tested this morning....mosquitoes and sand gnats galore are alive and well. Thank goodness for natural pest control - green lizards that i've already seen. Tulips, hyacinths, daffodils (all that my little grandson helped me plant) are coming up. He will be so excited.

 

Thanks for that, but they aren't a gardening shoe, they're a "formal looking casual" black shoe for general wear in the winter.



In the garden I wear plastic cloggs or wellies.

 

Something similar, I played squash for a club team in the North West Counties Leagues until I was fifty.
When I gave it up, the squash shoes were used for gardening and my tweos sponsor's provided tracksuitys, became gardening wear. With a sponsor's big logo on the back I wouldn't have worn them anywhere else.

I gave up wearing trainers and jeans when I reached forty. I have several pairs of chinos.
Men above that age in my opinion look rather silly wearing them.
Jeremy Clarkson did Levi no favours.

 

My husband now only wears his jeans while working around the house. And they are the old style: baggy. No pencil leg jeans for him!

 

Just try to get by without jeans on a little farm! Between barbed wire, roses, cacti and grungy things, jeans are necessary. We both wear jeans (but I must admit my husband looks better in them than I) and wear them to shreds.

 

Jeans are fine as "workwear."

Most of the men I see in jeans who are over forty, look as if they've never done a stroke of physical work in their lives.

 

Nothing today, apart from a walk around. I keep checking on the roses as we got a lot of black spot last year, so I'll be giving them regular sprays.
All are showing healthy growth, but the established ones more than the newbies.




We'll be knee deep everywhere in bluebells again this year. If I disturb any when planting stuff, I bin them, we have that many. They look nice in bloom, but afterwards the leaves go very slimey, so I clear them as soon as possible, but it's a hands and knees job as they are under everything.





The rhodos never let me down. Lots of fat buds on them all and the leaves look very healthy.








I have to keep an eye on this sambucus, black fly love it. In past years I've come out into the garden and found it completely covered in blackfly and very limp. It seems to happen overnight. It's happened twice in the last twelve years. It's then a question of wiping down all the foliage by hand whilst spraying it with a hose. A time consuming job. But it is very resiliant, it completely recovered overnight each time.

I prune it back to this size each Autumn.





The mimosa is in full bloom, it lasts for weeks.






Whilst I was in Dobies on Tuesday buying two expensive hebes, I looked at the lawn rakes, the one I've had for a few decades is now "short of prongs," after a lot of use over the winter. They had quite a selection with nice polished hardwood handles, prices ranged from £25 to £35. I didn't bother. Out shopping this morning, I bought this in Wilko's. It has a plastic coated steel handle. It was £7. I doubt if the leaves will notice any difference.



Wilko Carbon Steel Leaf Rake | Wilko

 

Today hubby started pruning the roses and i cut off the old flowering stems of the lavender.

Hubby has always worn Jean's but he had to have a looser fit not baggy, the old style the legs were too tight.

 

started the greenhouse up this past week. even being sick as can be, I have been working on filling baskets as fast as my dear husband can fill them with the potting mix. done about 200 so far and about that many or more to go.

 

Carolyn, so sorry to hear you aren't feeling well--which may be a great understatement. I do hope you recover soon.
Today I raked over one of the raised beds and broke up the clods of composted manure. The onions will go into that bed tomorrow, and I'll prepare another bed to get lettuce and carrot seeds. This time of year we are working around wind and rain---if there is no rain and only a little wind, it's planting time!

 

@Doghouse, I love that espalied something or other along your fence. And hearing that you just compost the bluebells that are everywhere, oh my!! I bought some last fall. We shall see what they do this spring.

@carolyn I do hope you feel better soon and don't work too too hard while you are trying to recover.

I have been slow to get started on my garden this year. I haven't started any seeds or ordered anything yet..... I'll have to get going. Maybe today.