What have you done today in the Garden?

I'm up to date at the moment, but I did put down some more grass seed.
I subscribe to the old English farmers' adage, when it comes to sowing seed.

"One for the rook,
One for the crow,
One to rot,
And one to grow."

 

Pricked out the rest of the cosmos, Snapdragon and a few chilli seedlings and hubby pruned a few more roses.

 

Started weeding in the front garden and hubby pruned 6 more roses.

 

There's been some unexpected trips to town, and there will be two next week to the city - so today was organizing all of the seedlings under the grow lights and in the windows. I'm trying to predict ahead a bit with all of the travelling coming up. My ground cherry seeds finally arrived today. Tomorrow I'm hoping to start them, my Whitloof Chicory and calendula.

 

I got some new packages of potting soil. I think the last batch was bad. All of the plants I uppotted in it died. I hope the new brand is better.

I've been transplanting a lot of shrubs and plants to make a border next to where a road was built through my property - forsythia for privacy hedge, large herb shrubs and perennials for bees and me, all drought tolerant, deer resistant, fragrant, with nectar for bees. So far it has rosemary, sage, lavender, lambs ears, camassia, hyacinthoides, a couple of rhubarb and horse radish divisions, and an Itoh peony. I think I have 90% of the heavy work done. I also sowed poppy seeds today. Next, the perennial seedlings that I started.

Tomorrow I plan to graft some different apple varieties onto my espaliers and semidwarf apple trees. This is the type of graft I like to do


And a graft I did quite some time ago, showing after it healed and started growing.

 

Great work Daniel. That is the same technique that is common over here as well.
Yes, very nice work, mate.

 

Went to Parkers for some lawn dressing, compost and a couple of clematis.Montana alba (white) and Sally, (pink)

Applied the lawn dressing mixed with a bit of seed, where it needed to go.

Dug out a clematis in the big tub next to the front door, (there's two Mayleen that grow up the trellis and over the front door). It was showing no sign of life yet, this is supposed to grow along the wire below the front room bay window but always struggled, I replaced it with "Sally." I put the old one in a pot with some fresh compost on the shed window sill, I'll give it a chance. Planted the Montana in a gap in the narrow bed next to the garage.

Dug out the solar lanterns, got eight working and put them out. I've a couple more waiting for batteries to be charged.

 

Prepped the potato bed, which we will plant tomorrow. Again, I have to thank Sjoerd for his idea of planting a bit deeper than recommended, and forgetting about "hilling" after the second soil covering when the sprouts start to show. It's labor saving, and very effective.
The green bean rows are prepped, and tonight I'll soak the seeds in tepid water and plant tomorrow.
I watered the sugar peas, spinach, and lettuce. as well as the rosemary and marjoram that are wintering in pots in the barn.

 

Nothing today went to see a friend.

 

Thanks Jane. I am so glad that it works for you.

 

Got into the bamboo along the back fence, it sheds a lot of leaves each year and they don't rot down. Many get trapped between the canes an the fence panels at the bottom. So it's a case of "poking them with a stick" and at the same time blasting them with my garden vac/blower.
Took about an hour and there's still a lot that won't come out. Tomorrow afternoon I'll check for dead canes and prune them out there'll be a dozen or so.
Found a good quality newish football wedged in the thick bamboo foliage about five feet up. It must belong to the two young girls who live in the house behind ours. I don't know how long it had been there, bet they hadn't told their parents they'd lost it. Anyway I chucked it back.
I gave the bottom bed a good hoeing, several bluebells didn't survive.

Deck scrubbed the patio to get rid of the pigeon poo.

Got another three solar lights working, so that makes about a dozen.

Noticed that half the white quince along the side fence looks dead, the rest is doing well. I'll have to trace the dead bits back towards the main root. Another job for tomorrow afternoon, (golf in the morning, got to get your priorities right!)

 

Today I moved the last of three Itoh peonies. Can't believe how big they already are, in just two or three years. They should be even happier in their new location and they are where I can enjoy them much more. Here was one last year, two years after planting.



These are tough, resilient plants. I don't know if they will bloom this coming May, but I hope so. There was some root loss. Not as much as I thought might happen.

I also moved the last of about eight Camassia clumps. Similar story, they were about to be engulfed by a cypress hedge so it's move them or lose them. A few bulbs got split by the shovel but I think most should be OK. These were the Camassia last May.



These were all in my "deer park". The beasts never touch them. All of those flowers in that clump originate from a single bulb a few years prior.

Other than that, the sweetpeas and milkweeds have germinated. Hoping for a nice garden this year.

 

Good progress Daniël.
Your flowers are lovely. There will be more than just you happy with these I think.

 

Pricked out the rest of the calendula, sowed some tomato and Californian poppy seeds.

 

Screwed together a couple more raised beds this morning. I make them out of old skid wood.
Put some stain on them and ready to put in place when the rest of the snow melts.