Things to Do! & Things I've Done!

I though I would be very organised, especially as spring appears to be round the corner, and write a list of all the jobs that need doing in the garden....

not in any particular order

Move one foxglove tree
Paint Coal Bunker lids and gate
Take down trellis behind baytree and arch
Put up new arch for Blackberry
Paint Rabbit hutch (where cats like to sit)
Paint table and chairs in Potager
Cut lower branches off Rocket Tree
Plant other Box plants round Potager
Repot or plant eucalyptus
Dig over veg bed 1, 2 & 4
Plant 150 bulbs I have
Make & fix wooden kick boards around chicken run (should stop them kicking out all the bark)
Dig out dead Smoke tree
Put new weed membrane down Far side of Bed 4 & Gravel
Sort out bottom of Garden:-
Decide what to plant round bottom patio
Decide what to do with stone river bed bit
Resite pond pump box and hide
Major sort out of bottom flower bed
Serious tidy up round Greenhouses
Sort out waterbutts round greenhouses
Dig out stumps outside big greenhouse and decide what to do with that area?
Sort out shed contents
Do something with compost bins
Dig out raspberry canes & give to neighbour
Plant Trachycarpus
Plant Cordylines
Consider whether to buy more gravel or slabs
Plant veggie seeds
Get more staging for greenhouse

Front Garden
Clear leaves
Replant clematis
Find new home for Minature hop
Plan & Plant up summer window box

I wish I hadn't as its just getting longer and longer!!!!

I have also been to Wilkinsons, my favourite shop and acquired some more tree ferns.


At a garden centre near by (not my usual one) I also acquired another Caster Oil plant,


at the bargain price of £5.99. I expect your wondering why I should duplicate my plants, well....................... after much deliberation I have decided that this year my front garden should reflect my tropical garden. Now both the Castor Oil and the Tree Ferns grow well on the shady side of the house (its north facing)and by the time its warm enough for them to be round there, the caster oil should be quite large. The Tree Fern (Dicksonia Robusta)is slow growing but is still of a size I can lift back through to over winter it>

I have planted today the seeds of this plant

Ricinus New Zealand Purple (Caster Oil Plant) its an annual and provided they all come through I may pop one out the front.If you remember I grew a couple last year and the foliage is pretty spectacular!

My really, really naughty buy (please don't tell hubby)is this

a double Brugmansia, I know I have loads already, but the worst of it is I bought 2 and they are white! (he goes mad when I buy white flowered plants) They are potted up and will be brought on with the view to grow them as standards and have one either side of the front door!!!

Awhile back I purchased the seeds of the Hardy Tapioca (Manihot Grahamii)


these I planted today also. Apparently although easily germinated they more often than not get to the 2 leaf stage and keel over. So I have planted 8 out of the 32 seeds I have, six have gone into a heated propagator and 2 are just covered and in the heated greenhouse. By the way if I am successful this could be a nice little earner!!!!!!!!! I will keep you posted!

Growing!

Well after a very hectic week normality returns. We had a lovely time and K popped back for one night which was lovely of her, it seems ages since we have seen one another!

Crafting has halted slightly as I have hurt my neck and been told not to sit in one position for too long. By the way my mum was thrilled with the apron I made her for mothers day! So now I can make some more!!

As for the seed growing, well that is coming on in leaps and bounds!
The first Ensete has sprouted


and a second one has sprouted roots!


I get such a buzz out of growing things from seed. Hubby loves me having the propagater in the kitchen, he says he likes to watch my face when I check it each morning. If something new has sprouted I'm like a mother hen (apparently), I'm sure I'm not!

My 'Wilko's Colocasias are coming along in an altogether different way!

Wilko's 1, as it is called


has decided its a hedgehog!

Wilko's 2 is doing what it should do!!!


I have planted some Basil seeds, and if you grow nothing else you should have a go at Basil. It grows quickly, comes in different colours, smells beautiful when you brush against it, can be kept on the windowsill and is divine when cooked with. Just in case you think I'm nuts having so many pots of it, some is for K at Uni!



Remember I showed you the 'Red Banana Collection' I bought from Ebay and recieved the 27th Feb, well look the Tandarra has sprouted a new leaf already!


I have so much I want to plant, but I am being a good girl and doing a bit at a time!

Growing Competition

Do you remember last year when I had 'The Great Pip Challenge' well I did fairly well and the date seeds are still growing merrily away in the greenhouse!
On the Hardy Tropicals we are having a competition using the 'Wilkinsons Alocasia Corms' (Elephants Ears)as to who can grow the biggest leaf, to be measured before the 30th September, from a corm bought this year!
So mine are in the propergator


I have 3 corms in here at the mo! The one on the left at the back is nothing to do with the comp, the label showed it had dark purple and green leaves, I thought a lovely combination. Sadly, when I got back and did some research it turns out the picture could be lieing and it may just be a plain old green!! We shall see!
The two on the right at the back are from Wilko's. One is planted in a pot I only bought that yesterday and its already sprouted a pink bud. The other is propped up on a pot as there is some discrepancy as to which way up it needs to go, so I am bideing my time to see which end sprouts first!
The other little pots have Basil and some of the very tall Nicotiana seed in.

The other competition is for who can grow the biggest 'Colocasia Leaf'. Because I have a heated greenhouse mine never really died back it just went dorment. So I potted it up and popped that in the propergater to but had to get it out when it lifted the lid!



This is my competition! Although its not yet planted it did get really big last year! But what I really, really want is one of these its a Alocsia macroriza. Do you see why I like these plants?

Now for some exciting news! Remember I started off some tropical seeds on the 8th February. They where given to me as an exchange for a brugmansia cutting. I didn't hold out much hope for the big seeds as the germination instructions go something like this:- Soak seed for 48hours. Sow in sterile seed compost. Daily temp cycle 9hrs @ 30-35C, 15hours @12-30C constant! Not being the most patient of gardeners I did what I always do and soaked them then put them in damp perlite and shoved them in the airing cupboard and forgot about them, but this morning I checked them, well look......



Dam things have sprouted, now what the heck I do I don't know but I will find out! I am sat here with a massive smile on my face, for having sprouted something that should have been difficult but also because I got two lovely parcels in the post

I received a gorgeous brooch from my friend Vallen all the way from California

Thank you so much, it is gorgeous!

and the Potting Shed held a February Swap and I got these

Lavender Bath Scrub, Peppermint Footcream, Orange and pumice soap 'ideal for gardeners' and a turquoise facecloth!

You can't beat 'Snail Mail' its so much nicer when small parcels arrive on your doorstep!