What's happening in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

We baled out of pruning the trees today, as it's damp and only +3c. So we've re-scheduled for next week-end, when we're promised sunshine and +14c.
Hmm..

I finished "tarting up" the new hedgehog doorway in the fence. I needed my new mains drill to be able to attach it to the concrete fence base panel. No sign of any hedgehog activity yet.




I've come to a decision about this area under the acer in front of the tea-house.

I think I'd be kidding myself, if I thought I could rescue the grass. It looks a mess at the moment and squirrels digging in it doesn't help.





There's a reclamation/brick-yard near Asda, where do some of our shopping. So one day next week I'll check them out for similar bricks to these.
I'll make the perimeter much bigger. I'll also need a couple of bags of fine concrete mix, in which to set the bricks. It will probably need a roll of turf too.
I'll also give the acer's skirt a trim once I've taken the net and wires off, to allow more light to the area around the bricks' perimeter.
Of course, I won't be doing any of this until it gets a bit warmer.
But I'll be ready for it.

 

[Anniekay]

We baled out of pruning the trees today, as it's damp and only +3c. So we've re-scheduled for next week-end, when we're promised sunshine and +14c.
Hmm..

I finished "tarting up" the new hedgehog doorway in the fence. I needed my new mains drill to be able to attach it to the concrete fence base panel. No sign of any hedgehog activity yet.


View attachment 3000

I've come to a decision about this area under the acer in front of the tea-house.

I think I'd be kidding myself, if I thought I could rescue the grass. It looks a mess at the moment and squirrels digging in it doesn't help.


View attachment 3001


There's a reclamation/brick-yard near Asda, where do some of our shopping. So one day next week I'll check them out for similar bricks to these.
I'll make the perimeter much bigger. I'll also need a couple of bags of fine concrete mix, in which to set the bricks. It will probably need a roll of turf too.
I'll also give the acer's skirt a trim once I've taken the net and wires off, to allow more light to the area around the bricks' perimeter.
Of course, I won't be doing any of this until it gets a bit warmer.
But I'll be ready for it.

Why don't you plant some low-growing, shade tolerant plants under it and put a brick edge around that? Some snow drops and hyacinths with some begonias for summer as a suggestion. Much prettier than brick paving .

 

[Sean Regan]

Why don't you plant some low-growing, shade tolerant plants under it and put a brick edge around that? Some snow drops and hyacinths with some begonias for summer as a suggestion. Much prettier than brick paving .

Thanks for that, but I want to get back to this look. less maintenance required.




As is the other one.

 

[Sean Regan]

A cold day today, seems lower than +5c.

No hedgehog activity. I've put the second camera out to cover the new doorway.

 

[olly-buckle]

Blooming chilly wind. Mostly I have been filling sacks ready for potatoes. roll the sack down to the bottom, put in a layer of wood to hold moisture, then leaves and all the stuff I sweep up around the chopping block and work it down into the wood, then a bit of well rotted manure, then I thoroughly mix 50/50 earth and manure with a bit of blood fish and bone, and maybe a bit of wood ash if there is a lot of oak in the wood, but not too much, potatoes like acidic. I'll put in three or four inches of that and then stand them aside. When the potatoes have chitted properly I'll probably put three to a bag, then they will get another five inches of mix on top, that will be topped up and the bag unrolled as they grow. I'll do them as they chit, so I get a bit of a succession, the first ones will probably be a bit early and go in the greenhouse to avoid frost for a bit.
I made a bit of an error this year, I ordered a potato selection back last year and forgot I had done it and ordered another one early January. they are from different companies, so I have a selection of ten different varieties, Ill try and keep some for summer planting in july-august.

 

[Tetters]

A cold day today, seems lower than +5c.

No hedgehog activity. I've put the second camera out to cover the new doorway.

Maybe they'll venture out soon when the temperatures improve (hopefully) . Evidently Kent should expect about -5C this week (about 23F) they might be best off staying asleep a bit longer.

 

[Logan]

It's too cold but i did plant out 10 pots of crocus and hubby did a bit of clearing in the back garden.

 

[big rockpile]

Fed .y Worms. Too cold and snowy to do anymore.

big rockpile

 

[Sean Regan]

Too wet for gardening, but I did some related shopping. I bought some Hedgehog food, from Pets Are Us, which was reduced in price, don't know why, they're only just coming out of hibernation.

I also bought some, "Grass Gains," for £7.50 (less than half retail price) from the local Homebase, which is closing on Saturday and being replaced by B&Q.





My search for brick setts goes on. To remake the ones around the smaller of our two acers.

The nearest I've found are these from a brickyard 20 miles away at 80p each.






Or these at £1.85 from B&Q. "Your local rip-off merchants."





"It's just lawn edging." I'll leave getting the cheaper ones for a couple of weeks.


I've linked another hedgehog video from last year, to my, "Build a Better Hedgehog Feeder" on my YouTube Channel
It's of the old feeder, but demonstrates how a 4" pipe entrance, is quite acceptable to those hedgehogs who used it.

 

[Sean Regan]

Couldn't edit my previous post.
I bought a replacement corded drill for the one that went U/S when I was drilling holes in concrete making the new hedgehog doorway.
I knew it didn't come in a case, just a cardboard box.
But I decided it needed a case, but wouldn't find a purpose made one. So I saw this on eBay and thought it had possibilities. I've no idea what was its previous use. It had two hard foam inserts that completely filled both halves.



It arrived this afternoon.

But with "a bit of fettling" with a hacksaw blade, it now has a case.

 

[Anniekay]

I got all my tender plants covered up. I used up all my cardboard boxes, (which I save to help kill off grasses for a new garden bed) and weighted them down with a brick. It never got up to 50°f, 48 but felt much colder with that north wind blowing !! We'll see if all survives tomorrow. They now predict 27°f for the low tonight. Hoping it won't get that cold since my nectarine has a few flowers open and I was hoping for fruit this year .

 

[Logan]

Hubby's been clearing the ivy that has grown through the hellebores and stinging nettles, i had to wash my hair.
But it's very windy but mild.

 

[Anniekay]

Hubby's been clearing the ivy that has grown through the hellebores and stinging nettles, i had to wash my hair.
But it's very windy but mild.

Then your hair will dry really fast !!

 

[Anniekay]

Removed all these boxes this morning.



Then, I found I made a boo-boo.
When I uncovered one of my Pepper plants, I found that I had planted it over top of a potato !! Not too bright of me but then, the pepper will probably not interfere and I will just leave that potato plant until after the pepper crop and hopefully, all will be well ?? I really don't know !!

 

[Logan]

Looking good @Anniekay

 

[Anniekay]

Looking good @Anniekay

Thanks @Logan

After removing all those boxes (they're still sitting outside up against the house for now) I went to buy milk and what did I see? A big sign in front of the Tractor Supply store, or TSC as we call it. Brown mulch $2.00 a bag !!

I put my brakes on, snuggled the car up to the pile and bought myself 12 bags. Once home I got my two garden beds that parallel the front walk, all weeded, fertilized the two climbers that are on each side of the arbor that spans the walk, fertilized the rest of the plants in there and gave each bed two bags of mulch.
Now I need a rest !! It was wall-to-wall weeds in there !!

 

[Sheal]

$2 a bag is a good price Annie! What was the size or weight of the bags?

 

[Anniekay]

$2 a bag is a good price Annie! What was the size or weight of the bags?

2 cubic feet. They have a color guarantee for one year and since this was last year's stock, they reduced it. Doesn't bother me about the color fading as that's not the point. I don't really buy it for the color. I always get brown mulch not red or black, because it gives the impression of just being dirt. I buy it because it keeps weeds down and improves the soil. People seem to like red and black over brown, so brown (my color !!) that's the color that get's the discount.

When it's not on sale it's $3.59 - $3.99 a bag.

 

[Sheal]

Thanks for the information Annie. I've never bought mulch and didn't realise it was available in different colours. What I've seen here has always been brown, so perhaps someone else can confirm that for me.

 

[Sean Regan]

Did quite a bit today.
Gave my garage a good tidy and chucked out any stuff I thought I might never need.
This still left quite a bit!
I keep a lot of bits and pieces in these thick walled polystyrene boxes, which are used when on-line suppliers send the frozen food we've occasionally ordered over many years.




Then I sorted out the "cupboards" under my bench. They are really an old sideboard which I recycled when we bought a new one. Then vacced everywhere.




By lunchtime it had warmed up and was bright and sunny.
So I got my lawn scarifier out and did both lawns, using the highest setting. I collected a lot of thatch and dead moss, without ripping out the grass.

I then mowed both lawns and gave them a feed and chucked some grass seed about. If the weather stays mild, I expect to see an improvement over the next two weeks.
Watered the rose pots and sprayed them with Sulphur Rose, which is supposed to stop black spot, but doesn't.








Although there's been no hedgehog activity, it can't be long now, so I put out the second feeding station. I did put a brick on the roof.