May In Your Garden - Page 40

So happy for you, Flowerchild, to get a job doing what you love. Rain, that one has me stumped-doesn't look like a lilac, though.Winter, you must have a sense of great satisfaction-so exciting to have a blank canvas to fill.

Yesterday was rainy and windy-and today is supposed to be sunny later, although it's grey at the mo. After I deliver the dogs for their playdate, I'll be out for a stroll around the garden-might gather the last load of wood chips for the path---we'll see. Need some warmth!

Dean, seems like you've got it sorted. Hope you have some potatoes growing - its so rewarding digging up the first baby new potatoes and they taste so much better than anything you can get in the shops!

FC, you seem to have found the perfect job for you, am very happy for you. but the closest I will get to Chelsea is to watch it on TV! I might make it to the Hampton Court show if I'm lucky.

Wintersong, sounds like you've really had your work cut out there, but at least the end is in sight - literally!!

Home for birthday cake later, yum! Haven't seen the birthday boy today as he hadn't surfaced when I left this morning!

 before n after...hope they survive, checking them every am till they settle in...neighbours very impressed...fab weather at the min, been sowing seeds direct in the borders, fingers crossed...lovin' Chelsea...laughed at Carol saying there were lots of Queens at the show this year!!!

david spikes - love the pics...your garden I pressume, looks great...

Question - we are taking up our front lawn and stacking the turf upside down in the hope of it turning into loam in 12 months (so i have been told) do i need to stack it all upside down or will just the top layer do?...yeah lazy me...don't believe in doing extra work of not necessary...

Debbie 11, I'd hazard a guess and say as long as the outermost layers are upside down the rest won't really matter! Well done with that border, it looks lovely - and I'm sure will improve further as things get established.

A friend of mine went to Chelsea yesterday and complained it was too hot and too crowded. No pleasing some people, I'd just like the chance to go. We are never satisfied are we?

I think I would be disappointed at Chelsea just because you cannot walk around the gardens, so your impression would not be as good as the TV view.

Debbie very impressive I would think it will be fine with just the top layer. I turned all of mine, just because they fell that way, I have sown it with poppies as an experiment.

FC will you get first dibs on the rescue plants?

Wintersong put your feet up and have a nice iced tea.

Lottie what sort of cake?

Debbie11, that border looks fab--will fill in nicely.

My idea about the turf stacking is that it might grow on the sides--I might be tempted to cover it, just in case.

figrat I think you are correct on the turf stacking, when I was doing mine it was so soggy that I just abandoned it as it fell. More of a heap than a stack You are lucky to have a bloke who sorts rats OH is a wimp, but I did keep door shut for weeks

@Debbie, great job! And figrat is correct, turf should be stacked face to face.

@figrat, rats! Omg! Poor you

Hi everyone, not been on here for a week so havejust been trawling through all your posts, everyone has been so busy.

@Flowerchild, congratulations on your new job and well done!

@Debbie, a brilliant job, such a difference

@ Dean, your greenhouse and polytunnel look amazing, shame youve had to be away this week, hope the good weather continues when you return home

work has kept me really busy this week so havent had much opportunity to get much done outside, have to work all day Saturday too.... keeping fingers crossed for a dry Sunday!

Inkadog, hope you're feeling much better

Thanks, Woo2, the sun came out today and so did some of my energy--attacked the monster ivy on the pergola. Got some sad news about the death of a friend's son--they finally found him after he had been missing for 6 months. Such a tragedy.

Inkadog, that's very sad news. Your poor friend.

Just summoning up the energy to go out and plant something - I think it will be courgettes and the last of the sweet peas.

Kate it was an iced madeira type cake, although I've not had any yet! There is a large chunk missing but it wasn't me, honest.

OH has started the (long overdue) woodwork painting at the front of the house today - hope he remembered to put sun cream on as he's very fair skinned. I did remind him.....

Lottie- iced madeira cake sounds yummy I am already struggling to get a fork in the ground, I have some more sweet peas to go in but they will struggle in this sun. Will OH answer to Rudolf?

A beautiful day is dawning----lots of cleanup on the agenda---along with strimming, pruning, and tying things up!

OH will more likely answer to lobster if he's forgotten that sun cream!

The ground was very dry and dusty but I planted the courgettes, with a good dollop of manure under each one to help them along. My first sowing of peas is going great guns but the second batch seems to be struggling - maybe because its a different variety of seed. The sweet peas will have to go in later as I ran out of time.

Inkadog sounds like you are in for a very satisfying day. I tend to get carried away when pruning things.

Sad news, Inkadog, but at least your friend knows what happened to her son, even more tragic,if possible,  if he was never found.

The sunshine has been lovely but even that has it's downside. There was no calling for food from the wren's nest in an outhouse and I thought they'd left the nest but they were all dead. then later this afternoon I saw a bluetit pulling a dead baby from the nestbox. Again no frantic calling from the nest and the parents have stopped visiting. The nestbox faced east but I can only put the failures of the two nests down to the heat. 

thanks all for the advise...already stacked quite alot so don't fancy the idea of "face to face" tho' it makes sense, think I will continue to stack upside down and spray weedkiller round the edges where necessary...I'll let you all know the results next May/June...if I'm moaning that I have created an unwanted grassy mound you can tell me "i told you so"...ha ha

very hot weather today with a breeze, dug up some bulbs that only sprouted very sad looking 12 inch long...erm...like grass, so popped them in a pot to see what happens next year...something exciting is growing, just one 12 inch stem but with a 2 inch chubby "bud", have marked the spots ( 4 of them) so they don't get lost, with a cane...hope they are fressia...maybe the sad ones are the same thing...

pottiepam - how sad...poor little things...what to do...maybe they would be better facing north...no idea really...get in touch with RSPB for advise

figrat - thought it was only me that gets easily spooked in the garden...bet I'm the only one who has a feather duster just inside the greenhouse door to chase spiders away...