Saturday, January 14, 2012

weekend garden


It has been a great day here. 

Weatherwise, pretty cool and grey, with little bursts of sun, but we have got a lot done in the garden department.  My dad came round, and he and Gary got rid of a big gorse bush on our fence line. We have a bush block next door to us that is quite bushy and grassy, (and maybe snakey) so we need to keep our fence line a bit under control. I went in and gave it a bit if a whipper snip and mow along the fence after they were finished, which tidied it up nicely.



My dahlias are flowering now and are such brilliant colours...




and there are still some gorgeous roses in flower like the beautiful pink and white Delbard one I have out the back.


.....and I love the sunflowers that are everywhere now!

I have planted some more snowpeas, a bed of mixed lettuce, and a couple of punnets of spring onions today too.
I sowed a few trays of french beans and lots of different salad greens the other day, and they are already   germinating, so hopefully I should get a heap of little plants soon.

 It felt good to work in the vegie patch, planning the plantings for the next few months, checking the progress of the tomatoes (looking good, not ripening just yet), and  just doing a bit of daydreaming.

I have decided to take out 2 big fruit trees (a nectarine and an apricot) in the chicken run, the fruit has always been disappointing, and they are pretty huge now.
 I planted this little row of fruit trees in honour of Max's birth 11 years ago, and they were a bit experimental, the cherry and snow apple are still good, the peach has been swamped by the nectarine and the apricot was not the best variety, so if I take 2 out I can put in a Moorpark apricot, and give the others some extra space.
Mum and dad have one of these in their garden and they are the most delicious apricots I have ever tasted!  So I have been hacking back a huge amount of growth with my big pruners today as well. 
Pruning is a lot of fun and it is hard to stop sometimes!
Now I just have to deal with the pile of cuttings.  
I think a bonfire might be in store in the cooler months.

I got so involved in what I was doing, I forgot to pick Jesse up from work!  Luckily he phoned me after 1/2 an hour or he would have been sitting there for ages.

Hope you are having a great weekend too!



9 comments:

  1. Hehe. How wonderful to be so involved in something you forgot to pick up Jesse! The sunflowers are stunning, mine usually get eaten by slugs.

    I'm glad I don't have to deal with snakes in the UK.

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  2. How satisfying to get clearing and pruning done, your veggie patch sounds impressive and your dahlias are gorgeous, I love their showy heads....one day I will have me a dahlia border!

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  3. I spent a little bit of time in the garden yesterday too. It was a perfect day for gardening, not too hot or cold, not wet, not windy. My job was attacking some of the weeds. It would be fair to say that probably no one else would be able to notice what I have achieved but I can see a difference! Still a lot more to do however.

    I have only a few fruit trees at my home (rented): an apple tree that actually has apples on it for a change (now that the possum has been moved from the ceiling of the house they are growing!); a cherry plum in the front yard that needs pruning so badly that the last two years I haven't had any blossom or fruit; and a nectarine tree that when I moved in was a sad little stick - literally - so when the suckers grew up from the rootstock I let them grow, and now this year I have fruit on the tree - 9 perfect peaches. Yes the rootstock was peach not nectarine!

    xXx Helen

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  4. What gorgeous flowers! Make me feel so "Springy"! ...even with this bitter, chilly weather we've had today!

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  5. I love hearing about your garden and seeing those pretty flowers! You are inspiring me to think about spring! Xo

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  6. Ah such pretty flowers. I really enjoy pruning too, and I agree sometimes big trees have to go if they aren't producing anything. We cut out three apricot trees that had never ever fruited and replaced with pears and nectarines. Yum!

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  7. Your flowers look gorgeous and such a lovely injection on colour. Its lovely having your own home grown vegetables they taste so much nicer than shop bought ones. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, dee x

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  8. Sounds a perfect way to spend your day, I can't wait to get back in the garden and on my allotment when the winter is over!

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  9. I keep forgetting that its summer somewhere. Its lovely to be able to share your sunny summer garden while I look out on a cold frosty English day.

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