Hello my friends



First, Have you had your Flu injection this year ?
 
Well this week has been a complete wash out with  the weather rain  rain plus more rain, on the days we haven’t had rain I’ve not been able to get  into the garden  But I say no more. So I  have decided to plant some more pots up with miniature iris  and daffodils  (Large Cupped Salome) also so some of the cutest smallest dwarf  daffodils (February Gold) I have received my tulips this week from parkers with some
free patio tulips.

 So I shall we see how they go and grow I’ve read  some very  horrifying stories about plants, bulbs plugs alike from this supplier but we will see. Ok tulips are best planted in December or so I’ve  read.

Why? 

Well it’s claimed that they require the cold to set the flowering part of the bulb and planting any sooner would aloud the bulb to wake up to  early. Also a very important information some tulip’s will only flower for two or three year and then they will need replacing. So for this purpose I’m going to write the date  on the underside of my pot so I can record this.
 
So I’m going  to try and give you a step by step guide to how I planted my daffodils with images of each  stage.
 
Here we go 

First I found some bits of terracotta pots for covering the drainage holes, my sorry but I couldn’t find my camera in time to take a image,  OK I forgot to take a  photograph but take it from me there is terracotta in the bottom of my pots.


Second stage


 I mixed John Inning’s number three with equal parts Arthur bower’s general purpose compost,  any
compost will do, I only bought this as it was on offer. I then filled my pot to within 10 cm from the top.
 
Third stage
 
I added some granulated fertilizer proceeded by a layer of grit, I’ve been told that bulbs  don’t like to have their feet wet I also didn’t want the bulbs sitting on top of  the fertilizer and burning/rotting. I then added a
little layer of the mixed compost to the pot just so the bulbs didn’t fall over.

   

Forth Stage 

I’ve been told It doesn’t  really matter which way a daffodil is planted however I’m not going to go there with it for the beginner I’m going to plant my bulb the right way around, now you may be asking well which way is bottom and is there a top well to that question I will answer yes there is a bottom and a top so here
is an image of a iris bulb.

As you can see the bulb is pear shaped. You plant the bulb with the thickest part of the bulb in to the soil first with the thin tip pointing up so it can cut through the soil. 
   
 


So after I placed my daffodils in my pot  I covered them with my compost mix. Watered them in and when the soil level drops as I’m sure it will I will add some gravel to the top.

So after I placed my daffodils in my pot I covered them with my compost mix. Watered them in and when the soil level drops as I’m sure it will I will add some gravel to the top.

I hope you enjoyed my step by step guide to planting bulbs, I’m not saying this will work but this is all the information I have found on the internet and in my gardening books.
 
I’m always open the advice and comments good or bad and if I’ve done some think wrong or you have a different way of planting your bulbs please I would love to know.



Friday is a dry day form me so I’m going to poo pa scoop and work on my lawn as we have had some nice wet weather over the last week or two with more rain expected over the weekend it a great time to add Autumn granulated fertilizer to my lawn.

Morning all not a lot to report this week, I fallen over and
  twisted my ankle again but not before I finish cutting the wooden frame for the
  greenhouse base.


You may be saying well he’s spending a lot of time and money on
the green house base. Well it’s like this I have a very uneven garden and in the
two meters I have a fall of around eight  inches, maybe more but I want maximum
soil on the inside of my greenhouse without losing it to footing also I want to
add some wooden posts to the inside of the green hose to attach wire for my
  tomatoes also money is a big factor. The wood I picked up was on sale 6x2.4m
  decking wood sealed for only £18.00 I think it was a bargain and it’s thicker
  than most decking at a whopping 32 mm were as the decking that I already have
  is only 20 mm (this needs replacing next year as a chair with me sat on it
  broke through a big knot. This this also were I intend to pinch the wood from
  for raised beds and compost bin I shall be cutting the wood and routing my
  posts for this project later is month.



Not to miss out on free compost I have my green  waste
this year in to green bins I use for recycling I may even keep it  going
in a plastic bin and just empty it out after two or three months. I keep a
bucket it the garage for when I have muddy boot on just to pee in and then I
empty it on to my compost bin.


I have also started to collect leaves for my garden but I only
have three smallish trees and a neighbouring tree that will soon just sneeze and
shake all its leaves at any time all over my garden however like Monty did last
week was to take his lawnmower out to his lawn and collect leaves for composting
I’m going to do the same but I’m taking my lawnmower down the local walk way/
park and bag it up to take home (only about 300 yards and I’m
  collecting).


I have to re-pot some herbaceous perennials the names I have
  forgotten but I will have a look on line as to their names but these need
  re-potting as I haven’t decided where I’m going to plant them and they are
  beginning to look pot bound.



Ok I’ve found the names of the plants I need to re-pot  



Papaver “double tangerine” Spanish 
poppy

Papaver “double tangerine” Spanish  poppy

 Echinacea Pallida “coneflower”
Purple
flower

Echinacea Paradoxa  “coneflower” Yellow
flower

I know it  looks a little bit  empty at the moment I hope to fill it with my hope dreams and  desires  also
on-projects  which at the moment have doubled in  size.