What have you done today in the Garden?

your new clematis are pretty @Doghouse Riley .... So far they never grow for me.

I have been busy outdoors weeding flower beds. I have 4 done so far, but have around 50 or more flower beds. I never get the same number twice when I try to count them. Some are very large, and some small. That does not include containers. I have no idea how many containers either. Maybe I should paint numbers on the containers?

I also went down in my woods and dug up some scrap metal for a friend who collects it for extra $$$. There is more, but it was too hard to get out. Maybe he will dig the rest out? Old farmsteads seem to have loads of junk hanging around.

 

I agree Riley nice flowers for this spring and clematis is a newbie.

AAnightowl you have a lot of separate flower beds. Weeding can be overwhelming this time of year. I have more weeds coming up than plants. As soon as it stops raining for a few days I plan on spraying them with organic weed killer. It takes longer but works very well and temps above 70 degrees.

The temperature the last few days in the 60’s very nice gardening weather. Most of my flower beds have cardboard down on paths, bark, crushed hazel nut shells to keep weeds down around the plants ,trees and shrubs. Out mowing the weeds and pastures.. lawns are looking good. Do a good job keeping the gophers down and out of the grass areas and flower beds. No mounds yet!

Was up on the roof blowing all the pine needles off and out of the scuppers and gutters. What a beautiful scene the spring landscape from the roof.
Lots of daffodils , crocus, hellebores, hyacinths, and the magnolia’s are blooming against the blue sky…

 

Nothing today it's raining again.

 

Checked the cameras. The hedgehog visited both feeders today.
With this one, it made three circuits of the feeder, as if looking for a way in but in the end settled for using the entrance. Different hedgehog than last year, or the same one that's a bit thick?







Did a bit in the garden today though there's little to show for it.

Pruned off bit of the overhanging trees on both sides of the garden.

This tree can block out a lot of the sun late in the afternoon. Presently the house is unoccupied.





Those on the other side are always a pain. The one near the corner tries to grow through the new fence panels. The nearer one I have to watch. It's important that if you've any building in the garden with a felt roof, to keep tree branches away from it, as over time with the wind moving the branches only slightly, if they are touching the felt they'll wear through it.







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This is an even bigger pain.




Fortunately, I have the tools for the job.
On the left is my Barnel telescopic pruner. It is at its full extension, it's only OK for the thinner branches.
The one on the right is my new Fiskars lopper at full extension. This will cut pretty much anything you can get the jaws around.

That's the shed I built, 46 years ago.





Adding to my work is the creeper that the house next door to ours have on their garage. To stop it growing under the gutter of my garage and into the roof space. I have to stand on the roof of the shed and use the Barnel to cut it each year.

I gave both the orange and pink quinces a bit of a trim. I don't like them growing much above the level of the fence. The shade they would cast would add to my lawn's occasional moss problems.









Apart from a few clematis, which don't look as if they survived the winter, everything's doing nicely. This acer, despite me hacking it back in the autumn, has burst into life. It'll get at least three hair cuts during the year to keep it to this size, but it just doesn't care.







The wisterias all have flower buds on them and the acer palmatums are showing theirs. I'll mow the lawn at the weekend if it's dry and think about when I'm going to scarify it.

I'm up to date, so I won't feel at all guilty on the golf course tomorrow.

 

Got the plantmobile cleaned up. I need to adjust shelves. In summer, it's a laundry drying rack.



Nights here are still too chilly for peppers and some others. Days, the sunroom is too hot. Plus, I like to give them real sun and breeze. If it's too hot, I can move them to the shade.

I moved more overwinter stored plants outside today. They were in the unheated, attached garage in a sunny window, no watering. Two fall-planted Lycoris, two ultra dwarf alstroemeria, a purple leaf oxalis, and something I forget the name.



No guarantee they will grow. I bet they will.

My helper planted potatoes today. Only two rows this year. One row Red Norland, one row Yukon Gold. Last year I grew 10 rows. Two is better. Also, I bought the starts locally, a month ago. Mail order is like buying diamond encrusted gold now, they are so expensive.

 

Today I planted a batch of yellow onion seedlings (Patterson hybrid).



There are five more pots of onion seedlings. I have to pace myself, so didn't plant the others today. One per day for four more days would work just fine.

I harvested scallions - Egyptian Walking Onions. Scallion pancakes tomorrow.



Puttered with other stuff. Planted two of the Alstroemeria seedlings outside. I think they are OK with current chilly nights, and some of the old variety have emerged through the leaf mulch.

These are the Alstroemeria seedlings.



Checked on rose cuttings from December.



I'm pretty sure these "took" and are growing roots now.

One of the miniature rises that I have been pampering, has set a bud. That's one month after I started re-generating them.



The buds on one of the new David Austin roses dried out. I think they had grown too much in the warehouse. They were long and pale. I'm still hopeful the bush will push new buds. Roses are resilient.

Meanwhile, the others have healthy new growth.



The peach trees (bushes) are blooming. They need lots of pruning. Later.



The plums and cherries are blooming.



I think Spring is in the air.



(that last one is not my original photo)

 

I did nothing in the garden today as it's been raining, although I did play golf in it this morning.
When I got home I found that the clematis I'd ordered from Sarah Raven had arrived.
I was impressed with the way they were packed.


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Three healthy looking plants.






If it's dry tomorrow I'll plant them out. I may order a couple more.

 

It has been so cold all this week! I haven't ventured out much. We're supposed to have snow late Thursday into Friday, which is why I didn't uncover the chives. My granddaughter has a dentist appointment tomorrow morning, so I have work only in the afternoon. Then Friday is the first day of spring break!

 

My goodness Daniel your garden is way ahead of mine. Beautiful lovely’s on the plant mobile. I like that idea. I need a plant mobile.
So nice to see everyone’s garden waking up and sending out lots of blooms. Very encouraging to see ‘Spring is in the Air’. Another storm is brewing near the coast.

 

Riley and Daniel— inspiring postings. Your trees are looking peachy, Daniel. The roses are coming right along. I am jealous.
I wonder what types Clematis plants you ordered, Riley.

 

I think I have lost a couple of rose bushes with the big move last fall? Most of my roses have leaves already, but a few do not, including my Queen of Sweden from David Austin. One of my Queen Elizabeth roses has died over winter also.

Some of my rose cuttings have leaves and look pretty good. A few still look like they might make it?

I was out raking rocks from some of last year's ditchwork so I can mow grass next week today.

My leek seeds arrived yesterday. And a book I ordered arrived today "The Code of Hammurabi".. I enjoy a lot of history.

I ordered some more milkweed seeds for the butterflies a few days ago, the ones I planted last year did not grow but MAYBE they will sprout soon? I hope so!

I dumped a lot of dirt from starter pots where the seeds were duds. I put the dirt in a bucket and it will get used elsewhere. And seedlings that were dying.

Last night a friend gave me some celery seedlings, so I potted them and I sure hope they grow.

I will plant new seeds for the ones that did not grow, but will plant them outdoors soon.

Those alleged torch lilies are still hanging on and most seem to have survived.

 

Nightowl— An old man here told me that the seeds need to be placed in the fridge for 7-10 days before you plant them. I do not know if there is anything to this but you could try it.
Anyhow, good luck with them this year.

We cleaned another plot in the flower garden and turned the compost. I was amazed at all the worms!

 

I did a bit today. I ordered two more clematis from Sarah Raven, which arrived today.

I bought two of these. Diamantina.






I've planted them at each end of this narrow bed beside the garage.

The "theory" is that we'll have the blue wisteria separated by the white on the pergola




One of the other three I planted in the middle.
There were three what I considered dead clematis and two that look as they might do something.

The other two I planted here.




These replaced two more that looked dead. I used more than a whole bag of potting compost between them all and some fertilizer granules.

The "dead" ones I've pot in some pots and left them on the shed windowsill, to see if they recover.

Checked on the wisterias. The ones that cascade over the pergola on the garage have dozens of buds on them.
These "fat ones," will turn into blossoms.






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More on the side fence.

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Sean Regan · Mar 22, 2024 at 3:12 PM



The ones that are just more side shoots, are much thinner


No hedgehog or cat activity during the night.

 

Riley lookin good. It won’t be long to see your beautiful garden in full bloom. Clematis will be the perfect addition.

 

Yesterday i dug up and separated a clump of a hardy Agapanthus. Split it in two, one went in the original hole and the other close by in the same border.
Today i sowed some Californian Poppy seeds into cell trays so that the roots won't get disturbed. At the moment got them in the conservatory.