What have you done today in the Garden?

Hubby filled 5 compost bags with garden waste and took them to the recycling centre, not much else today.

 

I planted my new Clematis and my two new Creme de Cassis Dahlia. A woman stopped to talk to me about my garden. She had moved here from tennessee, where she had been gardening and wanted advice on the new, to her, growing zone and times to plant. Very nice woman who is welcome here anytime, which I told her.

After that I had a bed out front with a single rose in it that was FULL of Florida betony. I dug that bed up, have widened it , weeded it and plan to add kniphofia, red hot pokers with the red rose and a yellow and dark red french marigold. I'll add those two things later in the afternoon. I already got quite tanned from being out there from 10:15am - 1 o'clock, so I stopped so that I don't burn.

 

Been potting up Parsnips & Celery today. Not sowing direct after the slugs ate the lot last year

Took these cuttings for Tetters last year, thems not dead yet

 

I decided I'd "attack" this area today under the acer in front of the tea-house.



I had to do some shopping this morning, so I made an extra eight-mile round trip to the "local" garden centre, for a couple of rolls of turf.

"We don't sell turf."

"You mean you don't sell turf any more, because you did sell it, a year ago."

So I had to go to B&Q near the Trafford Centre.

They had two half-pallets of rolls of turf outside, that was reduced to half price. I guess it'd been there for at least a week. But I managed to drag out a couple of rolls at the bottom, which were still a bit damp. I'd brought an old curtain with me to in which to wrap them, so I didn't get soil in the boot of my car.

They didn't look too bad.





I gave them a brush.





The turned them over and scarified the backs with my fine tyne lawn rake.





Prepared the area.





Laid the turf, then spread a mixture of top-soil and grass seed along the joints.
Hammered it down with a bit of 3" x 2" and my lump hammer.

Replaced the acer training wires.





Gave it a good watering.




I'm hopeful, that it will take, but it will get a feed tomorrow and daily check for a few weeks. If it doesn't, I'm only out, six and a half quid.

I've a few bits left over that will do for patching in a few areas. But that can wait until tomorrow, as it started to rain.

 

DHR absolutely pro workmanship patching in the grass. Your spring garden is looking great. As usual always the clean manicured lawn and a beautiful wide selection of plants.

 

Did a lot of weeding in the front garden, the robin kept coming down to get the grubs where i disturbed the soil.

 

I have a 40' x 15' thornless blackberry patch that I hadn't weeded at all since the fall. I had some sort of picky plant growing in there with a long tap root, about a dozen of those that I had to dig out and the rest were easier to get out. I got 3/4 done and the sun came over so I was tired and quit. Tomorrow's always another day !! I fertilized the part I finished before putting my tools away.

 

My hiller came today so I went out and put it to work. Planting tomorrow if the garden is not mud.

 

Hey Dirt, I've never heard of a ''hiller'' before, but I suppose it's not the first time you've ever left me feeling confused.

 

A hiller-furrower attached to my tiller. In other words a wonderful device to keep me from using a shovel to mound dirt to keep garden plants from drowning around here.

 

another man, another machine

 

Nice job on those rose cuttings! I can usually only get about half of mine to grow. (I don't try very hard - just stick them into the ground),

 

Very nice garden!

 

AnnieKay, do you know the blackberry variety? Is it good?
I grow Triple Crown - very good, juicy berries, thornless, but big seeds, very big plant Also Ponca - shorter canes, larger fruits, sweeter, but not too productive so far (three years).

 

Peach tree - might be peaches this year!