What have you done on the plot today?

[campagman]

Dug up a bumper crop of fartichokes today. Of course these are just from bits of root left last year.

[Flite]

Finally got round to planting the cowslips that I raised from seed collected fresh from the garden last year.
There were 72 plugs, each with about a dozen young plants.
We used an auger, as pictured by Mrs Pingu in the Spring.
OH used the auger and battery drill to make holes in the grass area, and I just stuffed the plugs in.
Only took about half an hour. We should have two new drifts of cowslips by next year.

Oddly, the existing area of cowslips produced very few flowers and seeds this year - I suspect the very dry summer of 2022 meant they didn't build up enough reserves. The plants are healthy enough.

[Mrs Pingu]

I sowed some cowslip seed a couple of months back. No sign of anything yet. (Same for the bugloss and borage)

On Monday I planted the last 20 Allium Nectaroscordum Siculum in the garden at work. There are a lot of rabbits up there so they may not come to anything, but I tried.   

[The Family Cyclist]

We have uprooted two of the triffids Jerusalem artichokes which were blown over by recent winds and blocking our access to the back garden. Jan has been gathering the tubers for consumption later.

From my experience they don't store well so use them soon  I've got a bucket outside my door fulani need to sort. Feel sorry for my colleagues next week

[rafletcher]

Cut down the last of our clematis now the seed heads are over. Noticed it had started to shoot in places. Also raked up more leaves - spits amazing just how many a small Quince can drop!

[SteveC]

As it's not raining and we had nothing planned for today, I managed to get a couple of hours in the garden.
The twenty year old blackcurrant bushes have gone. They were becoming less productive year on year, despite pruning and are blocking light from the greenhouse.
We will get some more, but will put them in a different bed.
I've also removed a buddleia which is not MrsC's favourite plant and was definitely in the wrong place. As I know there is some root still there, this may only be a temporary fix.
Obviously loads still to do, but the combination of decent weather at a weekend when I have spare time is a rarity, so I need to make the most of any opportunities.

[SteveC]

A dry day, at the weekend, when I was actually at home.
The compost heaps have been turned. The compost which was ready has been used to mulch the large border. All the other bags of old compost from pots and so on has also been used as a mulch.
When written down that doesn't seem much but it has taken several hours and quite a lot of effort. Add that to this morning's parkrun and I should sleep well tonight.

[Mrs Pingu]

Covered my hebes in fleece being as we have a cold snap forecast from tonight for the next week.

[The Family Cyclist]

Actually got up the plot yesterday. Harvested artichokes, parsnips and some leeks which were more like large spring onions.

Lots of plots looked abandoned with pumpkins and squashes rotting on which is sad. I'm likely to not plant anything in that plot as father in law wants me to start taking on his plot which is more local and we can also split work which works for me

[SteveC]

The roses in the front garden have had their annual prune. I started yesterday, doing an hour or so when we were back home rather earlier than anticipated. There are nine or ten bushes. I also had to removed a dead woody penstemon and cut a couple of hazels to the ground to get at some of the roses. I seem to have little holes all over my hands!

[mrcharly-YHT]

Cut up a willow into short logs.

Only a small tree, trunk about 15cm. We have a line of grey willows, shallow rooted, they get blown over in bad storms.

This one was hung up on some other small trees, so was awkward to get down.

Took ages with pruning saw and bowsaw. Not a very large pile of wood after a lot of sawing!

[SteveC]

The roses in the front garden have had their annual prune. I started yesterday, doing an hour or so when we were back home rather earlier than anticipated. There are nine or ten bushes. I also had to removed a dead woody penstemon and cut a couple of hazels to the ground to get at some of the roses. I seem to have little holes all over my hands!

And now all the roses in the back garden have been sorted. Job done for the next 12 months or so.

[fimm]

A little bit of weeding, and admired the one crocus that has bloomed. There are lots of other bulbs appearing.

[SteveC]

Managed to get the lawn cut (between Zoom meetings). Still looks a mess, but it's a start and I won't need to borrow a sheep or a scythe.

[drossall]

Managed to get the lawn cut ... Still looks a mess...

+1. More of a "one man went to mow the meadow" job if I'm honest, except that it's not exactly meadow-sized.

[Mrs Pingu]

Weeding, lots of weeding. Bloody ground elder (what have the Romans ever done for us?)
Then hoicked up a pathetic lavender that's been pathetic ever since we moved in, probably partially due to being overshadowed by a ceanothus. Speaking of which, I lopped a load of the dead branches off the ceanothus which appears to be 80% dead. Not saying I won't dig it up entirely at a later date, but that was a decision kicked down the road, until I have something I want to put in it's place.

[rafletcher]

Used Roundup on more bloody Coltsfoot. Reduced the sarcacocca so the washing line can turn, raised the canopy of, and then lollipoped the bay tree. Pruned the rosemary and dead headed the Vibernum.

[fimm]

Planted a load of bamboo-alike (they bloody better be non-invasive as they claim) to provide a screen to the neighbour. Planted a rambling rose cutting given to us by a friend: it's the descendant of one that grew round his grandfather's house in Isle of Whithorn. Planted sweet pea plug plants. Planted runner beans in tubes of newspaper like my parents used to do. Tried to pot on some petunias but felt I was being a bit keen so stopped and if they don't make it we have plenty more.
Moved herb plants and gave them a lot more compost and cleared and tidied and raked the little veg plot ready for some veg.

[rafletcher]

Potted on some “Big Daddy” tomatoes. These are quite expensive, some £3 for 12 seeds. I’d put them in a seed tray, covered with clingfilm, and into the airing cupboard. 11 germinated in 4 days, but quickly got leggy despite being put on a windowsill. Then after another week the 12th seed germinated. So 2 days later (being today) I pricked them out into modules to grow on a bit. Then, in more modules (I’m eking out the last of my peat-containing multi-purpose) I planted 32 “Swift F1” sweetcorn, a variety we’ve found reliable and tasty. Also fed roses, clematis and wisteria. Seedlings and seeds will be on the hearth during the nights until it get a bit warmer.

[MikeFromLFE]

Earlier in the week the neighbours had their horrid Leylandii hedge that borders my garden chopped back very hard.

We contributed to the cost partly as a bribe to getting it done and partly because I could no longer get to the top of the thing - and they couldn't either.
The workers were very good about clearing the brash that fell on my side, but today's job has been trying to clear the rest of it (mostly small stuff) and reinstating the hole in the hedge that the cat and other wildlife use.

It's surprising how much extra light we've got in the house, let alone the garden.

[matthew]

I'm trying and failing to tidy my front garden.

Last weekend I cut out the overgrown box and lavenders and got the vegetation to the tip recycling centre.

Today I got the lavender roots out, cleared the over grown low heather like plant but failed badly on the rots of the box plants. I have managed to dig a full circle round with a spade but can't break what appears to be a tap root on each plant. I bent a tine on the gardening fork  before I went and borrowed my fathers pick axe, but still no joy.

I have reinforcements coming tomorrow in the form of my brother in law. Once they are out I will dig over the bed, lay the geotextile, plant back some of the heather and some small shrubs that I will have to actively prune to stop them going woody and then I can put the slate down.

[The Family Cyclist]

Took one pallet off the side of the compost bin and dug out a load to the side. Have then been running it through garden sieve to remove uncomposted bits and any weeds that haven't rotted down yet. Be close to 200l of compost by time I'm finished

[fimm]

Mr fimm has planted out some plug pea plants that we bought last weekend. Hopefully it is not too early for them!

[rafletcher]

Squinted hard at the modules on the hearth that bear sweetcorn seeds, and lo! a couple have germinated a week on from planting. Only 28 more to go. The hearth is also home to the 11 remaining Big Daddy tomato seedlings, the twelfth having turned up its toes for no discernible reason. They’ve been terribly slow to grow but the promised step change in the temperatures forecast for tomorrow means they’ll be spending their days in the sunshine from now on.

[Mrs Pingu]

I have 5 from 6 of each of the 2 sunflower varieties I sowed, no courgettes yet, but I think they took longer last year.