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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 5, 2013 23:10:47 GMT
Showery today.Five roses arrived that I had ordered from R.V.Roger.The ground is far too wet for planting so I just planted them temporarily on the chrysanth bed.
I had some coleus in the greenhouse-3 large ones in 7 inch pots that I had been showing in the summer and about 8 smaller ones that I had grown from cuttings. I know thet wont survive in the greenhouse during the winter so I put the three large ones in a sack to be put on the compost because there is no room for them in the house. I will just grow on the smaller ones over the winter so I put some on a tray and some on the windowsill in the house.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 6, 2013 22:49:16 GMT
Went to my sons house this afternoon and did some weeding. I have told you before that his garden is full of bittercress. I wanted to get rid of as much as I could before it seeded . Couldn't finish though because I got rained off at 3.15.Went home and went in the greenhouse. Planted some crocuses in a bowl then started going through the pot plants again as I do often,tidying them up and cutting them back if they needed it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 7, 2013 21:35:40 GMT
A nicer day today -it didn't rain.Couldn't go on the allotment though because Rosemary needed the car.So I decided to start my autumn lawn treatment this afternoon. I scarified both lawns and forked the back one which is twice as big as the front one.I don't have a mechanical spiker so I push the garden fork in about 6 inches and do it all over the lawn about 6 inches apart.I then brush sand into the holes to help with the drainage .Didn't get time to do this today and apart from that I was too tired because I find spiking hard work ,much harder than digging.Every year I say I wont do it again but I still do .
I have also cut down the spray chrysanths that I grow round the back lawn and dug up the stools.When I boxed up the chrysanth stools a few weeks ago I didn't need these as I had enough without them so I put them in the recycling bin.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 8, 2013 20:59:17 GMT
Not been able to go on the allotment this week for various reasons but I had the afternoon there today. There are so many jobs need doing that I didn't know which to do next.The Brussel sprouts were falling over so I re-staked and tied them up. Then I decided to coil up the hose pipe and put it away because it is not needed now. Spent the rest of the time clearing annuals from the beds and putting them on the compost heap. Didn't quite get time to finish them though.In spite of a showery weather forecast it managed to stay dry . It is pouring down at present though.
I think the next job there will be the dahlias.They have not been blackened yet by frost but they are no longer any good and many have been blown over by the wind.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 9, 2013 20:43:51 GMT
Very heavy showers today and the terrace is flooded. Therefore the allotment was out of the question.I worked under the car port and did 4 hanging baskets that a friend had brought me to do for her.I hadn't enough plants of my own so I went to my local garden centre for some more first.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 10, 2013 21:53:43 GMT
Dry today . We seem to be having dry days and wet days in turn .Friday was dry,yesterday wet,today dry and it is supposed to be wet tomorrow.
Went to the allotment this afternoon . Finished removing the annuals and putting them on the compost heap. Then cut down about half of the dahlias. They were blackened for the first time but I was going to start cutting them down anyway.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 11, 2013 22:33:49 GMT
The forecast rain didn't arrive till this afternoon. It didn't look promising this morning though so I didn't risk going to the allotment in case it started.I cleared the plants from the border between the back lawn and the path and put the bird table on it.There is no room for the bird table until this border is cleared.We don't feed the birds in the summer but we have been putting feeders out for about two weeks.I will now keep the bird table topped up every morning as well.
I then carried on with the back lawn.I spread sand on it and brushed it in so that it would go in the holes that I made to help the drainage.I used to buy sand from the hut for this job but now I use the sand from the propagating benches in the greenhouse.There were still some cuttings on these benches but they had rooted and were ready for potting so I took them off and removed the sand.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 12, 2013 22:39:46 GMT
A better day today so I went on the allotment this afternoon and finished cutting down the dahlias. Didn't get time to dig any up though.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 13, 2013 22:27:13 GMT
Another dry day!Went to my son's this morning to do some more weeding in his garden.
This afternoon I cleared the border at the other side of the back lawn.There were 5 dahlias on here and 5 on the other side that I cleared before so I dug these up and labelled them. After, I forked the front lawn and brushed sand over it like I did with the back lawn.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 14, 2013 23:00:14 GMT
Another dry day and I had a full day on the allotment digging up and labelling the dahlias but didn't manage to do them all.First of all I had to put all the tops on the compost. The two compost bays that are for new green material are full to overflowing and I had to keep standing on top to tread it down to make room.All this will have rotted down and be ready for use in a years time.I know that you all have your own way of storing dahlias . When I dig them up I scrape off the loose soil (I don't wash them ),cut the stems down to about 4 inches then knock a screwdriver down the hollow stems and out at the other end to help drain off excess water. I tie on the labels using waterproof string right round the tubers and not just round the stems. Stems will shrink when they are drying and the labela would come off.Then I stand the tubers upside down in boxes and put them under the greenhouse staging where they stay till they are boxed up in January.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 14, 2013 23:17:20 GMT
 Two compost bays full to overflowing and one a year old ready for using |
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 14, 2013 23:20:31 GMT
 Dahlia tubers upside down in a box ready for storing. |
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 16, 2013 21:37:34 GMT
No gardening time at all yesterday and not much today either. All I have done is pot some rooted geranium and fuchsia cuttings in the greenhouse.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 17, 2013 20:44:54 GMT
I have had the afternoon on the allotment and finished digging up and labelling the dahlias ,brought them home and put them in the greenhouse. I will now have to make room for them under the staging.
At choir practice last Thursday our organist asked me if I had room for two tubs of fuchsias in my greenhouse because they were nice and she doesn't want to lose them in the winter . She brought them to church this morning. So I will have to find room for them. They are still flowering well but I will probably cut them down to put them to bed for the winter.
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Post by Tel on Nov 18, 2013 19:49:01 GMT
Dahlia tubers upside down in a box ready for storing. Don't you grow any as pot tubers Derek ? |
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