Today I did something in my Garden

New Home

magicbastarder wrote: »

i'd call to a builder's merchants first anyway, they may sell replacement handles are are probably the cheapest option.

Or a co-op.

Skipduke

best time to plant heathers? want to have summer and winter colour on a steep north-facing mound

ShiverinEskimo

Skipduke wrote: »

best time to plant heathers? want to have summer and winter colour on a steep north-facing mound

If they are potted, literally any time.

looksee

I am currently planting heathers both summer and winter, whenever a site is prepared. I have a good few and will continue on until they are all done. Keep them watered in dry spells (like now) until they are established. If there is a pot shaped mat of roots when you take them out of the pot, scrape at it till they are a bit separated, you will not damage the plant. I usually pick up a sharp bit of stone, or whatever bit of metal/trowel etc comes to hand and cut through the mat.

New Home

Re: new handles, this might come in handy.

nigeldaniel

I have a nice line of Thuja growing for 2 years now. Slow and steady progress. Bit of worry overwinter as rough grass and some brambles were encroaching on them. Yesterday I did spend a good 2 hours tidying up their bases and they look lovely.

looksee

New Home wrote: »

Re: new handles, this might come in handy.

That's not a spade, its a shovel. Just sayin'

Graces7

Ordering a new mop with handle from lenehans for just under E9... I always wait until I have enough to order to get free shipping...

Being cocooned I have no access to shops, etc so have a range of mail order suppliers. Life is so easy!

CelticRambler

New Home wrote: »

Re: new handles, this might come in handy.

"You might not have a stash of handles like I do ... " :pac:

I have a stash of broken handles. I'm convinced they'll come in useful one day.

In the meantime ... after a very productive week last week, I have too many jobs on the go and can't decide what to attack. Not helped by a persistent, cold north-easterly wind blowing straight into my "workshop" area, kicking up dust and freezing my fingers. :mad:

We had one day of solid rain at the weekend - 10 whole mm of it! :cool: That makes a grand total for the year to date of ... 12mm. We were forecast more "unsettled" weather for this week, but it's only more of this blasted wind again, rapidly drying out everything it blows across.

I potted on a load of bedding plants on Monday (mostly into plastic milk-bottles split crossways to make two half-litre containers) and couldn't quite believe how bone-dry the soil in their pots was this morning. Ditto for the 200-litre planters out the front, that have been getting 5 litres of water a piece twice a week, as well as the rain. :eek:

Graces7

CelticRambler wrote: »

"You might not have a stash of handles like I do ... " :pac:

I have a stash of broken handles. I'm convinced they'll come in useful one day.

In the meantime ... after a very productive week last week, I have too many jobs on the go and can't decide what to attack. Not helped by a persistent, cold north-easterly wind blowing straight into my "workshop" area, kicking up dust and freezing my fingers. :mad:

We had one day of solid rain at the weekend - 10 whole mm of it! :cool: That makes a grand total for the year to date of ... 12mm. We were forecast more "unsettled" weather for this week, but it's only more of this blasted wind again, rapidly drying out everything it blows across.

Where are you? Yesterday out here ( offshore West Mayo) was perfection and I worked in the garden for hours. Planting out pea seedlings, clearing and sorting my small patch at the front. even sat out in the suns while. Did far too much so am off my feet today, but am impenitent. Hardly a breath of wind.

I potted on a load of bedding plants on Monday (mostly into plastic milk-bottles split crossways to make two half-litre containers) and couldn't quite believe how bone-dry the soil in their pots was this morning. Ditto for the 200-litre planters out the front, that have been getting 5 litres of water a piece twice a week, as well as the rain. :eek:

Hope it eases soon for you.

magicbastarder

CelticRambler wrote: »

I have a stash of broken handles. I'm convinced they'll come in useful one day.

i turn them into garden dibbers, and give them away as gifts. i dunno why, i never really use dibbers myself.

CelticRambler

Graces7 wrote: »

Where are you? Yesterday out here ( offshore West Mayo) was perfection and I worked in the garden for hours. Planting out pea seedlings, clearing and sorting my small patch at the front. even sat out in the suns while. Did far too much so am off my feet today, but am impenitent. Hardly a breath of wind.

About a thousand km south east of you! And a long way from the sea.

No shortage of sun to sit out it in (well, work, rather than sit) and I have a great tan after the last couple of weeks. :cool: I wouldn't mind the wind so much if it was coming from almost any other direction, as the house (and garden) has been laid out to take account of it coming from the south-east/south/south-west at this time of year.

Oh, and yesterday I saw that my late season (Oct-Nov-Dec) apples are flowering before the July-August earlies. It's going to be a crazy, mixed-up year.

CelticRambler

magicbastarder wrote: »

i turn them into garden dibbers, and give them away as gifts. i dunno why, i never really use dibbers myself.

I have one dibber, made from a stump that still had a fancy plastic handle attached. Use it a lot (mostly for planting potatoes and onions) but I can't quite see the need for two!

looksee

Entirely due to the layout of the site and the people before me and the previous existence of an old pigsty, and no credit to me, my garage (which is used for anything except being a garage) faces south. So if there is a glimmer of sun in the winter I can work away in there with the door open and its lovely!

Graces7

looksee wrote: »

Entirely due to the layout of the site and the people before me and the previous existence of an old pigsty, and no credit to me, my garage (which is used for anything except being a garage) faces south. So if there is a glimmer of sun in the winter I can work away in there with the door open and its lovely!

My windows face south west so if there is afternoon sun the place gets blissfully warm on the coldest of days.

And the front garden area is sheltered by the gable end; but the back patch is scoured by the northerly gales etc straight off the Atlantic a field away. It makes growing challenging but interesting. Last year I etched out a border protected by the big old fuchsia for flowers and peas.

beggars_bush

Carrots and parsnips sown
I also said hello to the first shoots of my early spuds

New Home

looksee wrote: »

That's not a spade, its a shovel. Just sayin'

That's you calling a spade a spade!

CelticRambler wrote: »

"You might not have a stash of handles like I do ... " :pac:

I have a stash of broken handles. I'm convinced they'll come in useful one day.
piece twice a week, as well as the rain. :eek:

Sharpen them and get ready for the zombie apocalypse. :cool:

CelticRambler wrote: »

I have one dibber, made from a stump that still had a fancy plastic handle attached. Use it a lot (mostly for planting potatoes and onions) but I can't quite see the need for two!

Paint stirrer, perhaps? One for every colour? :pac:

looksee

Has visions of trying to stir a 500ml can with a fork handle dibber.

looksee

New Home wrote: »

That's you calling a spade a spade!

No, its me calling a shovel a shovel

CelticRambler

New Home wrote: »

Paint stirrer, perhaps? One for every colour? :pac:

Heretical! :eek:

I have embraced the sad fact that I'm getting old and:

Sky King wrote: »

You have a stick in your garage specifically for stirring paint.

:pac:

One stick. One, with a complete record of every colour ever used since we moved here!

Anyway ... I found a sunny wind-free corner in the courtyard this afternoon and put a load of pansies into one of the new planters I made last month, then pricked out another couple of dozen pansies sown in February. All my bedding plants are now moved on to their next stages, so I'll sow another batch of seed in the plugs in the next few days and hope that I have enough water for the whole lot all through the summer ... ... though not entirely sure why I'm bothering, seeing as there's still no immediate prospect of any visitors.

Also had a minor brainwave in the early evening: sit in the oven-baked comfort of my campervan and look at the garden from a different perspective. I moved the camper at the weekend and parked it somewhere it would never normally be. Sitting in that particular place, instead of traipsing through it with a barrow or a digger, and with my sightlines higher than usual gave me some food for thought regarding the on-going re-landscaping. Some modifications to the plans are under way.

Graces7

Hoping to sow more seed today and prepare beds at the back ready.

NB I thought poached egg plant aka limanthus was perennial? Not a sign of it where it was last year.

looksee

Limanthus is a self seeding annual, so it may well reappear. Gardeners get enthusiastic about it because it is pretty and vigorous, but I have seen it rampage off into the wild, and it grows with such masses of fine stalks that it creates a kind of mulch, suffocating out more native plants. Its pretty but I am not a fan.

Graces7

looksee wrote: »

Limanthus is a self seeding annual, so it may well reappear. Gardeners get enthusiastic about it because it is pretty and vigorous, but I have seen it rampage off into the wild, and it grows with such masses of fine stalks that it creates a kind of mulch, suffocating out more native plants. Its pretty but I am not a fan.

Thank you I need pretty and vigorous..for edgings where nothing much will grow r Where it can do no harm to any other plants. I first saw it on ( and around) a neglected grave way back and loved its spreading ways.

No sign of mine from last year. It was such in such a pretty new border too where not much else will grow. I may have more seed...

CelticRambler

Graces7 wrote: »

Thank you I need pretty and vigorous..for edgings where nothing much will grow

Have you got/thought of heartsease violet/wild pansies?



Years ago, one of my dancing buddies gave me six plants for my courtyard (no soil other than what's in the cracks between the cobbles) ... this is about one tenth of what's in flower at the moment. Remarkably resilient, prolific self-seeders (everything in the lower half of the photo was self seeded last year from what was in the planter above) but very shallow roots so very easy to strip out of any area they ought not to be.

whelzer

Planted borage plants out yesterday, they were getting too big for the pots, covered with fleece overnight, they seem grand today (covered again for tonight).

Have tons of seedlings on the go, herbs (dill, french sorrel, etc), flowers (comfrey, echinacea, helenium) and a shed of veg, inc tomatoes.

The GIY seed thingy came in the post today - so will get the kids at that tomorrow/weekend....

fryup

any hope for my venus flytrap?? had it in a bag for winter

magicbastarder

i've never heard of that before. a clear bag?

it doesn't look good anyway.

SouthWesterly

looksee wrote: »

Has visions of trying to stir a 500ml can with a fork handle dibber.

It would do a better job than stirring it with 'four candles'..

As for shovels and spades..... Can I take my pick?..... .. I'll get my coat

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

First you get four candles...

get to the back of the queue...

Graces7

CelticRambler wrote: »

I have one dibber, made from a stump that still had a fancy plastic handle attached. Use it a lot (mostly for planting potatoes and onions) but I can't quite see the need for two!

They would be great for lighting the fire...