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More yard work.
May. 11th, 2009 10:29 pmAnother lovely day, but this time without much wind, just a gentle zephyr and warm sunshine, so I've finished all the jobs I urgently needed to do in the yard, except for clearing out a trough and planting my clematis. I'm disappointed to see that what I thought was a heavenly blue clematis is in fact, more of a delicate mauve. It's still very lovely, but I'm a bit disappointed. I can't imagine how it can have happened. I wonder whether the plastic corrugated sheeting over the plants at the garden centre may have been coloured rather than clear and so made it look much more blue. I think I will get a blue morning glory to go with it. Actually, I've just remembered that Lidl are due to have clematis in sometime soon at a much cheaper price than the garden centre. I shall have to look at the handouts and see what date that will be.
I took a chance and planted out the four runner bean plants I bought the other day. I've put them into an improvised trough made from a green plastic crate with holes cut into the base for drainage, I've put in the bamboo poles and I've put them where they'll get plenty of sun, but where they'll be shielded from wind, and maybe even frost, by the shed.
Charles planted catnip in a small rectangular container, which was the litter tray when we only had one cat. All we have to do is keep the little brats off it until the seeds germinate. Yeah! Right!
The four patio roses have been planted out in individual tubs or pots; they all have lots of buds so I should have roses in the yard soon. I've grubbed up some violets to send to A, because they've tried to take over almost every pot in the yard. I don't want to get rid of them entirely, but A has a large garden and I'm sure she'll find somewhere to put them where they won't be too much of a nuisance; I have warned her that they're invasive.
I put one of the roses into an old bread crock we no longer use. I got John to drill a couple of holes in it, and it took him a lot of trouble. It makes a really nice plant pot!
I've repotted the dianthus I bought on impulse and that too has loads of buds, but so far no flowers. The picture on the label is of a beautiful bloom which is a sort of cross between scarlet and purple. I don't know whether it's scented; I hope so, I adore the scent of carnations, but in my experience it's usually the white ones which are heavily scented.
I've decided against getting the hostas which are on offer this week; I'm already running out of space, I have to buy bedding plants yet for the hanging baskets and I'm not confident that I could protect the hostas from the slugs'n'snails. On the other hand, maybe I could put them in the front garden if I can ever get round to sorting it out. I shall definitely go next week to look at the acers which are going to be half price. I want a dwarf one, but if I find one I can't resist, I shall have to buy another tub for that too, which will be expensive. But then I shall have to find a place for it, which won't be so easy. I was quite glad when they sent us a blue wheelie bin for recycling, but two wheelie bins take up a lot of room in my tiny yard and there's also the compost bin, lurking like a headless Dalek! I don't think there's ever going to be room for a raised bed which I had rather set my heart on for lettuces and so forth. I did think I would have a spare tub this year because we cut down the bay tree in the yard which I'd had for years, bringing it from Hampshire but which was badly affected by scale. Amazingly, it's grown new shoots and leaves, which so far show no sign of scale, so I haven't had the heart to turf it out, even though I bought a new one last Autumn which stands outside the front door.
I'm also hoping to squeeze in a small fruit tree, but will probably wait till next year to do that, as I want one of those which has different kinds of fruit on it and I imagine they'll be rather expensive.
Next year I'm going to make an effort to get new garden furniture which won't, I hope, take up so much room as the huge table and benches which was fine in our large garden in Four Marks, but which is Far Too Big for our tiny yard.
As soon as I'd finished my chores out there, a freezing cold wind blew up, but I didn't care by then, even though I'd planned to sit out there and read for half an hour. How lucky was that?
I took a chance and planted out the four runner bean plants I bought the other day. I've put them into an improvised trough made from a green plastic crate with holes cut into the base for drainage, I've put in the bamboo poles and I've put them where they'll get plenty of sun, but where they'll be shielded from wind, and maybe even frost, by the shed.
Charles planted catnip in a small rectangular container, which was the litter tray when we only had one cat. All we have to do is keep the little brats off it until the seeds germinate. Yeah! Right!
The four patio roses have been planted out in individual tubs or pots; they all have lots of buds so I should have roses in the yard soon. I've grubbed up some violets to send to A, because they've tried to take over almost every pot in the yard. I don't want to get rid of them entirely, but A has a large garden and I'm sure she'll find somewhere to put them where they won't be too much of a nuisance; I have warned her that they're invasive.
I put one of the roses into an old bread crock we no longer use. I got John to drill a couple of holes in it, and it took him a lot of trouble. It makes a really nice plant pot!
I've repotted the dianthus I bought on impulse and that too has loads of buds, but so far no flowers. The picture on the label is of a beautiful bloom which is a sort of cross between scarlet and purple. I don't know whether it's scented; I hope so, I adore the scent of carnations, but in my experience it's usually the white ones which are heavily scented.
I've decided against getting the hostas which are on offer this week; I'm already running out of space, I have to buy bedding plants yet for the hanging baskets and I'm not confident that I could protect the hostas from the slugs'n'snails. On the other hand, maybe I could put them in the front garden if I can ever get round to sorting it out. I shall definitely go next week to look at the acers which are going to be half price. I want a dwarf one, but if I find one I can't resist, I shall have to buy another tub for that too, which will be expensive. But then I shall have to find a place for it, which won't be so easy. I was quite glad when they sent us a blue wheelie bin for recycling, but two wheelie bins take up a lot of room in my tiny yard and there's also the compost bin, lurking like a headless Dalek! I don't think there's ever going to be room for a raised bed which I had rather set my heart on for lettuces and so forth. I did think I would have a spare tub this year because we cut down the bay tree in the yard which I'd had for years, bringing it from Hampshire but which was badly affected by scale. Amazingly, it's grown new shoots and leaves, which so far show no sign of scale, so I haven't had the heart to turf it out, even though I bought a new one last Autumn which stands outside the front door.
I'm also hoping to squeeze in a small fruit tree, but will probably wait till next year to do that, as I want one of those which has different kinds of fruit on it and I imagine they'll be rather expensive.
Next year I'm going to make an effort to get new garden furniture which won't, I hope, take up so much room as the huge table and benches which was fine in our large garden in Four Marks, but which is Far Too Big for our tiny yard.
As soon as I'd finished my chores out there, a freezing cold wind blew up, but I didn't care by then, even though I'd planned to sit out there and read for half an hour. How lucky was that?
