Thoughts turning to Spring

[Nana]

We've not been able to do anything yet either. We need to plan a re-shuffle. At present we have a large red plastic sand pit (with big googly eyes) on the patio which takes up a lot of space. Thinking to loose some border space & move it there. So we'll need the weed liner & pebbles or something to put down.

My sister has an allotment too Daisy & they're having exactly the same problem as you. No problem to them just now tho' as they're holidaying in Sth Africa for 2wks.😎😉

[Daisy]

Nana - it's a good time to go away as far as the allotment is concerned - and hopefully warmer and drier for your Sister in South Africa.

We've still got an assortment of big plastic toys kicking round the garden. I don't think anyone played with the water table cum sand pit thingy last year. I only seem to have the GDs here on rainy miserable days! But we've kept them because they haven't got room for those sorts of things at their house.

It was nice and warm in the greenhouse today - even the vents opened up. I tracked down a funny smell I'd noticed a couple of days earlier - two clean but very dead mice in the filled watering can. I've washed enough 4" pots to pot on the broad bean plants I got yesterday - that took ages - and fed and top-dressed one of the hydrangeas.

Then a cup of tea was calling to me so I came in again.

[Plantaholic]

Talking to a farmer friend at the weekend and he is very frustrated because he should be drilling his fields but they are waterlogged.

[Grauntie Mag]

Broad bean seeds sitting on the side looking at me now so I will have to sow direct. Garlic in waiting too, and now the forecast is snow this weekend. Enough I say, enough!

[Daisy]

GM - I totally agree - enough is definitely enough - I'm fed up with all the rain. The Forest is like a bog everywhere, not just the boggy areas!!

I'm still going to sow broad bean seeds in root trainers in the greenhouse, if I wait until I can sow directly into the allotment they'll be so late they'll just get overcome with rust.

I'm going to start one head of garlic off in pots and get them outside this week-end for the blast of frost we're expecting.

[Daisy]

It's nearly two months since I started this thread - thinking 'any day now it will definitely be Spring'!!! What a joke!

This afternoon it was dry and not quite so cold, so I abandoned the sucky up thing in favour of a bit of gardening. I cut down a hardy variegated fuchsia and one of the hydrangeas and top dressed the pots. Repotted a couple of tiny patio roses, cut down two buddleia in the front garden and removed some dead leaves etc from a few other plants that were looking a bit scraggy. There's so much to do, but the garden itself is still far too wet to do anything on the borders. The garlic and broad beans I planted in root trainers and small pots need to go in the ground now but the allotment is far too wet to walk on, let alone plant anything. The potatoes are ready for planting as well.

How is everybody else getting on?

[Gemini]

I m so glad none of us knew, when you began this thread Daisy, that two months later we would still be awaiting spring

Apart from the beautiful daffodils, blossom and lighter nights, no one woud guess it was spring. I have written on another thread about a day out yesterday, when all wore several layers all day, and some of the children wore gloves!

Our garden is really soggy and I have seen no evidence of greenhouse activity , I will enquire!

[Nana]

Fingers crossed things might be on the turn here. OH has at least been able to do the lawn's first cut of the year. The GC were able to play out in the garden in the sand pit & on the slide in the sunshine. Daffs, magnolia flowers, primroses etc out in bloom. At the funeral last week the road to the Crem was lined with mature cherry trees in full bloom. 🤞things might be looking up.

[Plantaholic]

Sil did the first cut of the lawns yesterday evening, it looks so much better, the borders look so much better.

[Gemini]

OH did our lawn at the weekend.