Helen's Garden Renovation Project

Today I took a day off work and pulled up 600 more weeds. I am going to take a picture when I’ve finished.

The peony which I dug up and stuffed in a pot earlier this year has produced two buds and has been sitting there holding them up for some weeks now without any discernable inclination to unfurl them into flowers. I can read its mind: it’s thinking, “She doesn’t deserve any flowers after digging me up when everyone knows you’re not supposed to move peonies. On the other hand, if she can be cruel enough to dig me up, goodness knows what she’ll do next year. This could be my last chance to start a family.”

Yesterday I managed to mow both lawns and pull up 200 weeds from the annual seed bed before it started raining. Today there is no sign of rain, and I have pulled up 600 weeds. I also repotted a few plants, including my climbing hydrangea from Wilkinson’s, which is putting on a good amount of growth. I am continuing to harden off my tomatoes by putting them in my sheltered front porch by day and taking them in at night. Some people have put their tomatoes out already, and I probably could have got mine out this week if I had started hardening them off earlier, but I don’t think it really matters, as they will catch up. Anyway, if all goes to plan, next year I will be able to put them in the greenhouse and start them off really early.

Just after I finished writing the above, my order from Crocus arrived. That was quick! I only ordered the plants on Sunday. I ordered a Cornus Alba Sibirica and a Campanula portenschlangiana. They both turned up in excellent condition, looking none the worse for being put in a cardboard box. The Campanula portenschlangiana looks familiar. I think I used to have one, some time ago, but it got smothered by a more vigorous plant growing next to it. I shall make sure I grow it on in pots before I plant it anywhere this time. It was one of the ones recommended by Yvonne, and I can see that it would make excellent ground cover between stepping stones.

So Crocus join my list of good guys, and I would definitely buy from them again. Their only fault is that they don’t have any plain elaeagnus x ebbingei (they only have the variegated version).

After a very hot and dry April, we have had huge amounts of rain in May. Today, at last, the heavens closed and I enjoyed a sunny morning in the garden, weeding again. Unfortunately I found that my water butt was completely empty, despite all the rain, because the downpipe was blocked. I had to take it off the wall and empty it into the compost bin.

However, the grass seed I planted in April has really benefited from the cooler, wetter weather. I was lucky there, because I did plant it rather late.

I have pulled up 600 weeds from the annual seed bed, and I estimate there are about 6000 left. And that’s just in that area of the garden. The weeds are growing very strongly in other areas, particularly around the pond. If you are wondering how I know I pulled up 600 weeds, it is because when I have a huge amount of weeding to do, I pull up 100 weeds and then go and do something else, and then come back and pull up another 100 weeds, and so on. At least that way I can count my progress, even if I can’t really see it.

In the raspberry bed I am planting golden marjoram. I am hoping to cover the half nearest the house with marjoram, because it keeps the weeds down. It also smells lovely. In the half of the raspberry bed furthest from the house, I am pleased to see that the geraniums and phlox that I bought last year are taking over. So there isn’t such a weed problem there.

Today we were supposed to have rain, since it is a Bank Holiday, but it was only splattering slightly so I went out to survey my annual seed bed. Oh dear.

Here is a close-up of part of it:

You can just about make out some of the annuals trying to grow in a straight line as instructed in the book, but there are also totally unreasonable quantities of forget-me-nots and bittercress, together with a few other weeds whose names I don’t know.

So I got on with it, and pulled out about 10% of the weeds and none (I think) of the plants I actually want, and then decided to go indoors for lunch, and a good thing too because the rain has now properly got going. We could do with it. In the parts of the garden I haven’t been watering, the soil is as dry as dust.

I am pleased to report that the Waldsteinias are producing new leaves, which is a good sign that they aren’t upset about being chopped into pieces. They haven’t gone as far as flowering, though.

The grass seed I sowed on Friday, ten days ago, has suddenly germinated. It definitely hadn’t done anything yesterday morning, but this morning the ground was covered in little shoots. Now all I have to do is to keep it watered, and it should grow beautifully in that lovely soil.

Today I have at last succeeded in drilling out the stubborn screw that was fixing the metal plate for my hosepipe reel to the wall. The other three screws came out easily but the fourth would not budge for anything, not even WD-40, so I bought a metal bit from B&Q, broke it while drilling into the screw, and then bought a fatter metal bit, and succeeded in drilling enough of the head off to get the metal plate off. It was necessary to do this because I want to install two water butts in front of that part of the wall. When I feel confident enough that we won’t have a hosepipe ban this summer, I will attach the metal plate for the hosepipe reel to the wall the other side of the tap, and remember to dip the screws in petroleum jelly before screwing them in.

I ordered two water butts last year, and like many people, had to wait several months for them. When the delivery finally arrived, I only got one, so I asked where the other one was, and then the company delivered two. I emailed them to ask them if they wanted the spare one back, and they emailed back to say they would collect it within fourteen days, but they never did. Technically, according to Consumer Advice, I either have to send loads of registered post letters, or wait six years for it to become my property (so that’s about five and a half years to wait) but I don’t think the company will want it back now, and if they do suddenly come to claim it, I’ll ask them to send me an invoice. So I now have four water butts, and I think I can use them. I am thinking about asking the man who cleans my gutters to install them for me. It is not very difficult to install a water butt, but you have to make the cuts in the right place and if you get it wrong you have to buy a new drainpipe, which would be inconvenient as it wouldn’t fit in my car.

The main thing I now need to get on with is specifying and ordering the tool stores. It will really help if I can get most of my gardening equipment out of the garage because then I will be able to find it all, and also will have space in the garage to store the greenhouse in between delivery and installation.

Just as the garden is gathering momentum, the demand for maths tuition does the same. Friday is the first day this week I have been able to do something in the garden. The tomato seedlings germinated on Wednesday, which was only four days after I sowed them. I think this is quicker than normal, so the propagator speeded the process up.

I sowed the grass seed on the dug-over patch of ground in the front garden. The packet tells you to divide the area into yard or metre squares and weigh out the amount to scatter in each square. I decided to just guess. Then I raked in the seed and stuck some canes around the edge and put a piece of light netting over the ground. I want to protect against cats, pigeons and footballs. I am not sure how effective the barrier will be against any of them, but I shall just have to hope.

I also dug up the dead wisteria in the front garden and replaced it with the new wisteria I bought from Notcutts. This is my third attempt to grow a wisteria. The first one lasted quite a few years before it suddenly died, but the second one only lasted one year. I think the problem is that I have not watered them enough. From now until October the new wisteria will get watered twice a week, along with the cherry tree. If that doesn’t keep it alive, then I think I will have to call it a day with wisteria and grow something else instead.

I have repotted my hedge (Thuja Plicata) into larger pots. It was certainly ready for it. I also divided my ajuga “Chocolate Chip” into four plants. Instead of my usual method of pulling it apart with my hands, I decided to slice it with my biggest spade. I think this was more effective. Mind you, the Waldsteinia, which I brutally divided last week, appears to be still alive.

Finally, I painted the kerria with poisonous red gel. I was pleased to see that the shoots I have already painted do not look well. It may take more than one season to eradicate the kerria, but I have to just keep going or it will take over the entire border again.

Now that my Pieris “Forest Flame” is sitting in a pot instead of hiding behind the buddleia, I can appreciate how beautiful it is. Remind me to plant it somewhere where I can see it next time.

This morning I dug up the magnolia soulangeana in the back garden and stuck it in a pot. I had to cut four or five roots with a diameter of one inch. I also pruned out one of its three stems in the hope that this will give it a better chance over the coming hot summer. I have no idea whether it will survive, but I will water it every two days and hope for the best. It left a big hole behind. I put some of the poor quality soil that came from the side passage when it was paved over into the bottom of the hole but I haven’t filled up the rest yet. I will have to check the plan to see exactly where the hole is in relation to the greenhouse base. If it will be underneath the greenhouse there is no point in putting good soil into it.

I have finished firming and raking the soil in the front garden. I added some 6X fertiliser to the top layer, and sieved the top inch or so of soil, so it looks lovely. The grass seed packet says I should wait four or five days after adding fertiliser before sowing the seed, so I think Friday will be a good day for doing that.

I also need to get on with my tool store. Taylor’s Garden Buildings haven’t given me a quote yet so I will have to send them a reminder. There is also another website I will investigate: Titan Garden Buildings, who are based in Guildford, not far from me.

Usually I grow lots of vegetables in the garden, but this year I know I will be too busy with the renovation project, so I have decided that this year I will just grow tomatoes. I always grow “Sungold”, which is an orange-coloured cherry tomato. It tastes better than any other tomato I have ever tried. I wanted a long thin tray to put on the windowsill, and at B&Q they had a windowsill propagator containing 22 peat pockets, which are little discs that swell up to cylinders when given some water. I thought I would give that a try, although it is an expensive way of raising seedlings. I normally sow them on St George’s Day, 23rd April, but since I may be busy on that day, the Queen’s birthday will have to do instead.

While I was at B&Q I bought a pickaxe for £14.99. I will have a go at breaking up the path with it later on.

This morning I went to Notcutts to pick up my waldsteinia. I thought it was quite expensive at £6.29 but I did get a lot of plant for my money. Here it is.

It is supposed to do yellow flowers at about now, but I couldn’t see any signs of them. The first thing I did after photographing it was to dunk it in some water and then chop it up into six pieces. It was very pot bound, and I had a hard time dividing it. I hope at least some of its children will survive, otherwise I will have to go back to Notcutts and order another one. If I have to do that, I will not admit that I killed the last one in case they mark me down as a plant murderer. I will pretend that mine was so successful I decided to buy another one as a present for someone.

I also had a look under Elaeagnus, and the fragrant shrub is definitely Elaeagnus x ebbingei. They had some fine specimens there, but they cost £9.99. I will try taking cuttings first and see if they take. If they don’t, then I know where to get the plant now.

I took a picture of my cherry tree from an upstairs window on 5th April 2007, just as it was beginning to get going. I thought I would be able to take a better picture later on, when it was in full flower, but sadly, this was as good as it got.

My neighbours’ cherry trees are much better. Here is a lovely pink one.

And here is another lovely pink one, except I don’t think it’s a cherry. I think it’s a crab.

Here is a close up of the possible crab tree.

Even the cherry tree about twenty yards away, on the communal ground outside my house, has done better, and I think it is exactly the same make as mine.

If I hadn’t done all that digging at the front, I would not have the first idea why my cherry tree has been so feeble, but now I have seen how much rubble it was having to contend with, I don’t think it is feeble at all. It is a very brave and determined tree. I am hoping that now the rubble has gone, it will be able to be brave and determined about producing lots of flowers.