First crocus

The weather has been a bit milder the last couple of days and the first crocuses are out in the garden. All the other bulbs have really had a growth spurt as well. The feb gold daffs better hurry up though if they are going to come out in feb.

A few more snowdrops are out. The hellebores at the end of the garden have perked up and teh one that hides behind the lavender is also out again.

Snowdrops

We've had a cold couple of weeks. The snow last Monday hung around for a few days but we're still getting frosty nights. The bulbs are a LOT further behind than they were last year. There are shoots about - but I had daffs and a tulip by this time last year!

The first bulbs to have come out are some snowdrops at the end of the garden.

There is still a bit of tidying up to do in the garden. I cleared a few leaves today and found lots of shoots hiding underneath. I also need to cut the grasses down. Maybe in the next few days...

Snow

Lots of lovely snow in London last night.

I know you are meant to shake it off the trees and bushes but they all look so lovely with it on I can't bring myself to.

This weekend

Finally got in the garden a bit. Yesterday morning was a lovely crisp winter morning. The sun was nice and warm on my face though. Tidied the end of the bed by Joes and the hot bed. Cleared away the summer bedding, put a few tulips in, cut back the perennials and then mulched.

Most of the yellow and red tulips went into pots in the end though. The soil on the side by Joes is just too clay-y to put tulips in.

Cleared up some more leaves.

So just the cottage bed and the lawn to do now. Woke up this morning and there was a light covering of snow - so not really the weather for lawn care. Hopefully I'll get a chance next weekend.

Bonfire night

Bonfire night and we've people coming round to watch the fireworks. Unfortunetly its rather rainy. I want to get out and carry on clearing the garden up and plant the tulips but its wet and miserable and I'm so tired.

Daffs in pots

Planted the last of the daffodils today. Too hard to put them in the ground so they went in pots.
So that is all 20 of the sweetness ones in pots and the last 9 of the feb gold. I also put some crocuses bulb from last year in a hanging basket. This is to try and stop the squirrels from digging them up.

Still got the 200 tulips to go. Will just have to plant them a few at a time over the month.

Cleared up leaves from the back bed and have put in bags to make leaf mould. I guess I need to check on last years leaf mould at some point and put it round some plants. I think it would be best for the ferns. Maybe I'll keep it until spring and use it if I plant some more ferns (actually probably shouldn't plan to do any planting in spring!).

We drove to a garden centre in Enfield this morning. It wasn't as good for plants as the one I went to with mum and dad last year. I'll try a different one each time i go up there. It was massive and had lots of gardening stuff there. Got some manure and bulb compost.

Have now mulched the back bed with two bags of manure. There is a little bit not covered but I'll add the soil from the tomato grow bags at some point.

So the two new beds left to clear, plant bulbs in and mulch....

Snow in London in OCTOBER

For the first time since 1934 according to the radio.

Now I wish I'd brought the last two Deliah blooms into the house!

It finished the Cosmos off as well.

70 daffs in

The rain stopped and I got 70 daffs in along half the bed by Joes.
30 Jenny
41 Feb gold.

Its really hard getting into the ground. Its almost solid but very sticky clay. Couldn't use the bulb planted as the little one broken and the big one pretty useless the soil (clay) just got stuck in it and I can't get it out. The bulbs were huge so needed a big hole to be buried twice their height let alone three times. So dug big trenches and mixed in loads of homemade compost from composter and grit.

I was to tired to plant the last 9 Feb Gold so will buy a clay pot to plant them in.

Still got 20 of another sort (I've forgotten what they are called) plus most of the free bulbs to do. Hopefully I'll get time next weekend.

the lawn got pretty muddy where I was walking on it to do the planting. Need to do some autum lawn care next weekend as well. I hope its dry the weekend of bonfire night otherwise it will turn into a mud bath with people walking on it.

Its raining and the bulbs will have to wait

My daffodils arrive this week and today was planned to be the big bulb plant. Its pouring with rain though. I did try and plant some but its just to wet.

The end of the garden did need some rain I guess.

Thanks for the toms tip. I will put the soil along with compsot on the end of the garden. If I ever get out there again.

What to do with the soil from tomatoes with blight?

My tomatoes eventually got blight. I've burnt the plants but am not sure what to do with the soil from the grow bags which still has the roots of the plant in. Can I put it on the compost or over other parts of the garden.

I've started clearing bits of the garden but lots of it is still looking OK. The cosmos are doing wonderfully. Star plants of this year. I will definitely get lots more next year. The rose has also got new flowers on it that have just come out this week. And the fushias are all still doing well.

After a rainy miserable summer most of September and October haven't been to bad.

I've ordered all my bulbs now. The tulips are here but still waiting for the daffs.

Yesterday I started planting the free gardeners world bulbs in the back bed and some pots but didn't get very far. Where the xmas tree used to be I planted some Chinodoxa and Brodiaea. There are some puschkinia to go in there as well but I ran out of time and got to tired. I spread a think mulch over where I planted the bulbs and hope to continue with that over all the beds.

I've just found Brodiaea in my book and it needs light soil and full sun and shelter from strong winds so i don't now give it much hope where I've planted it. It should come up May - July.

The puschkina along the front of the bed will be much more suitable. Needs to be planted september / October (I'll do it next week) and comes up March-April.