What did you do in your garden today?

[Esther Knapicius]

Raining, and soggy mess out there. so inside stuff for me.

 

[Sean Regan]

I've been off-line for a few days due to a serious computer hack, some threats and a demand for $400 to remove a Trojan.
It managed to get through Microsoft's security.
Fortunately, my trusty computer servicers, cleaned it up and removed any nasties for £55 and installed additional security for £30 a year.

Anyway, nothing in the garden today as it's rained for two days so too wet although, we've blue skies now, but I pruned the acer in the front garden on Friday.

It still needs a bit of tidying, as unpruned twiggy bits will bolt and make it look like a pincushion in the spring. But it's a pain constantly viewing it at a distance from all sides to maintain the shape and trying to get at the top bit with a long pruner.

I needed both my Barnel telescopic pruner for the twiggy bits and my extended..extended.. Fiscars lopper for the thicker branches.

I've taken about a foot off all the way round as I do every year.

Here's a "twig." Some were over a foot long. Lots of buds already. I chose Friday as it was reasonably warm, I wouldn't do it if frost was forecast.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Glad you got the bad guys sorted Sean, it has been a day for pruning. The wood store is what my journalist friend called "Good enough for copy" and now so are the grapevine and the quince. there is still a bit of fussing about I can do with both plants and the wood store, but it's aesthetic rather than vital. The last of my row of trenches has been dug out, filled with wood, and the earth from the first trench put on top. It is a bit rough, but everything is sodden, I'll rake it out flat in Spring. It is an area about 10ft by 6ft and is slightly under the canopy of the oak tree. It is a nice bit of ground, sheltered to the North and West, I grew mange tout there last year, but I had to keep watering. It was a dry year, but also the canopy in leaf stopped what rain there was. I am hoping the wood will help retain moisture.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

My collection of limbs, twigs and branches goes large. Soon the match with lit it and a blaze it will go.

 

[Sean Regan]

I wanted to prune the trees in next door's garden that are overhanging ours, but it's too wet. Rain is forecast for the week!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Tomorrow, Tuesday, a huge tree is being cut down. it is over 200 foot tall. Lots of noise will occur.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Filthy weather for doing things outside, but I found two nice little brown ceramic pots about eight inches across and planted ten miniature white daffodils, five in each. The pack was labelled 'three for the price of two', I think I bought them for two packs of crocus and forgot the third pack, so a bit late going in, but I should get something.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Filthy weather for doing things outside, but I found two nice little brown ceramic pots about eight inches across and planted ten miniature white daffodils, five in each. The pack was labelled 'three for the price of two', I think I bought them for two packs of crocus and forgot the third pack, so a bit late going in, but I should get something.

my favorite miniature is rip van winkle.-------Picture attached. I also have the ones called---tee tee ( spelling) Lots of them in lines of groups.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Today looks fairly dry, I am sure I can find more leaves to relocate. Boring.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I like your little daffs, different. Mine are showing some places, but only four inches or so at most. I quite like the 'boring' jobsThe ones that are mostly mechanical and don't fully engage the brain. It is when I come up with story ideas, think about interactions I have had, weigh significance of different things so I know what I am doing next; all that cognitive stuff.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Finally was able to toll this ugly cement to a flower bed. Could not until every thing died around it for winter . In the spring will work on painting it.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

@Oliver Buckle. Also have many daffodils showing in various places. My early early group is about 5 inches. But as you know I have over 400 thousand daffodils. So some appearing is not unusual.

 

[Sean Regan]

Finally was able to toll this ugly cement to a flower bed. Could not until every thing died around it for winter . In the spring will work on painting it. View attachment 93996

That looks very ancient. It looks OK as it is. Could do with some moss, a coat of natural yoghurt would encourage it.
The 4ft concrete Japanese lanterns I made, have an outer skin of mortar with yellow cement dye, so they look like sandstone.
I like to think they look ancient, but I made them in 1987. Because the outer skin is mortar, they've weathered over the years adding to the aged look.

But I do re-paint the 6ft pagoda made the same way, every few years.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

well thank you @Sean Regan if you like the oriental cement thing the way it is, then it is fine with me, less work. I can smear some yoghurt on it in the spring to see what happens. We got it from husband's parents property, they had a few cement structures about in their garden. So we got at least 5 of them. When they passed things were cleaned out etc. This is one of the other ones---the naked boy

 

[Sean Regan]

well thank you @Sean Regan if you like the oriental cement thing the way it is, then it is fine with me, less work. I can smear some yoghurt on it in the spring to see what happens. We got it from husband's parents property, they had a few cement structures about in their garden. So we got at least 5 of them. When they passed things were cleaned out etc. This is one of the other ones---the naked boy

I like his necklace!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

This is another one again from father inlaws place. Had to move it here far from the tree that was being cut down. Not going to remain here.

 

[Sean Regan]

I did a bit this afternoon.
I chopped up the dead mimosa, recovered some of the compost from the big tub, spread it along the narrow border and put the root in the green bin.
I then got into next door's trees and pruned a hell of a lot off.
I had then to take the pruners to what I took off and cut it up, so it would all fit in the bin. That took for ever. The bin is now jam packed full.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Lovely day for a change. A largish dead branch had blown down from the oak tree, so I chopped up enough to fill the bottom of another bucket. I am lining up hügelkultur buckets ready for spring.
Went through the beetroot patch, we have already had most of them, and a lot of what were left were starting to rot in the crown, but I got about a dozen small ones and the patch is free of weeds and ready for spring planting.

 

[Sean Regan]

Raining on and off, but there was half an hour when it wasn't too heavy and I could get out to feed the birds.

The trees in next door's garden look rather ugly after my pruning yesterday where they overhang our fence. They were reduced in height last year by about ten or more feet, by a firm brought in by our neighbour, but naturally continued to grow, mostly towards our side as the sun is to the left of our garden for most of the day. I'll have fewer catkins and leaves to collect later this year.
But they're out of sight from the French windows.

Some rain on the camera lens.

The incessant rain doesn't leave puddles on the lawn. Of course, it's not good for any wooden structures.

Fortunately, with the overhanging roof, the teahouse veranda floor doesn't get too wet and dries quickly.
The floor is marine plywood tiles, with no end of coats of Dulux mahogany "Woodsheen," or whatever they call it now. It's increased in price over the years to nearly £60 for 2.5ltrs, but worth it. It had another coat last year.

Given that I built it 36 years ago, it's still in perfect condition.

Each year, I have to check the other trees that could overhang the back right-hand corner, to make sure they can't rub on the roofing felt.

The shed now 49 years old is still water-tight and vermin proof.

This afternoon, I may take my secateurs into the garage and sharpen them. I've four. I tend to lose one over the years, buy more, then find them again. Not always, I like different types for different jobs.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Lost our internet connection for a while, apparently there was a power cut during the night that screwed the router, back on now, obviously.
Lots of wind and rain, not inviting out there at all.