GreenFly - A 'flylady style' gardening thread with weekly tasks to tame your garden

redofromstart

Another big bucket of weeds removed, this time from around the hard standing area.  I had a lot of spring bulbs in pots this year which have now all finished flowering.  I have dead headed them, fed them and moved them up to the hard standing where they can focus on putting some energy back into the bulbs for next year.  Similar with the indoor Amaryllis, cut the faded second set of flowers off and fed it.  

There are a few hyacinths that need planting out into the garden and some unexpectedly orangey coloured daffodils that need to go somewhere else, in the front where I will not see them for example or in the green waste bin.

I have been hardening off a few things in the cold frame ready to pot them on.  Some dwarf pink sweet peas went into a white ceramic pot, a pale pink trailing fuchsia will go into the next size up, and I need to see what small pink bulbs I have for the smallest pot.  They can then be grouped together.  

Suggestions:

Weeding little and often
Do you need to do anything to spring pots - weed, feed and tidy?
Is it time to start hardening off anything that needs it?  Be careful, little cold snap the last couple of nights in some places.
Any April seeds that you meant to sow that could go in now?
Is the soil warm enough to start thinking about direct sowing?

Sun_Addict

Post holiday gardening done today. Everything now looking a lot better but still plenty more to do. Need to make a list …

HulseHound

I've spent the best part of a week doing a much needed mega-clear up of my relatively small back garden.  

I now hope to join this group with a daily walk round (although still plenty of ivy left clogging up the hedge).  

redofromstart

Very welcome to join us HulseHound.  I have a bit of an ivy problem too in that it comes in from the neighbours on all sides, and if it touches the ground it roots.  One season of neglect can do a lot of damage.

Cherryfudge

I'm on holiday - Northern Ireland - and keep seeing an unfamiliar tree or shrub laden with scarlet pods, or possibly berries or flowers. They look as though they are longish and hanging in dense bunches. It's not something I'm familiar with at all - please can someone enlighten me about what I'm seeing?

greenbee

Can you take a photo? Could it be a fuschia of some kind?

I'm currently having a rest as I'm emptying the hotbin/sieving soil and mixing both with bagged composted manure to top up the veg beds ready for planting and sowing. And trying to make a decision about a gravel order... 

KajiKita

Done a lot of watering today and emptied the greenhouse of winter stuff now that the kale has stopped flowering / the bumble bees have lost interest which made room for the dahlias to go down there 😊

KK

debtfreewannabe321

I've been out potting lots of little seedlings on, I started them in half cut loo rolls as couldn't find any pots 😆 thought that most wouldn't make it either so didn't want to waste money on pots. But they've all sprouted except for one! So I've potted them all on. They're a mix of flowers as I'd like to fill a few beds with them. I am too late doing any veg like tomato and cucumber I'm guessing so I'm going to buy some from a local lady I think as soon as the greenhouse is done. DP is having a nightmare with it as the plastic panels don't fit into the slots they're supposed to. He's had to use his router on it to make the holes bigger. So I'm still waiting on that to be done. 
I have lots of weeding to do but my back is still super twingy after throwing it out last week so I daren't get down for too long to weed....I have also found several conker trees sprouted up everywhere. I've already re-planted about eight into a large pot which has been renamed 'the conker pot' as it's filled with seedlings of conkers 😆. I will keep planting in there and re-pot on when bigger. They make pretty bonsai type size trees. 
I've fertilized the hedge at the front. We've 11 left from the 20 we planted. 9 now have died. Got half my money back though so I will just get a few more when I can. I've also fertilized the trees at the back and watered it all in.
My lilac tree that I bought from lidl is doing really well! It's grown over a foot already and is very fluffy and bushy. 
Checked the compost bin that I'd covered over only to find an ants nest with lots of eggs ☹️ ummmm don't know what to do now. They were right on top! I've left it uncovered and as soon as I did uncover it they started moving the eggs but probably deeper into the compost bin 🙈. I'm new to composting and guessing I've probably done something wrong in the set up as I don't think ant's are supposed to be wanting to nest in there 😆.

KajiKita

@debtfreewannabe321, if ants are setting up home in your compost heap it suggests it’s a bit dry.

KK

debtfreewannabe321

KajiKita said:

@debtfreewannabe321, if ants are setting up home in your compost heap it suggests it’s a bit dry.

KK

Oh! I'll water it well tomorrow then thank you! I keep reading conflicting advice on how to look after it.