Now is a great time to plant the fruit trees you meant to last year, but never got around to. A peach or nectarine likes a warm, sunny sheltered spot away from the wind - just do it.
Give those big, woody fucshias are pretty severe cut-back & feed them up lightly.
The English Box in tub & planters will love you if you give them a light trim & tidy up now.
The same applies to any of their relatives you've hedged in the garden.
Hydrangeas desperately need your attention now so a good prune, cutting out the dead canes & opening up the centre of the plant is the go here. If you want blue flowers, you need to start adding the bluing powder every couple weeks until the Spring buds appear.
Plant your strawberry runners (from the Nursery or from last year's plants) & treat them to a light feed.
Dig up your Dahlia clumps. Carefully remove them from the garden, wash off the dirt & cut the tubers away with a sharp knife ensuring the eye remains in the tuber. Store them away in a box, making sure you've covered them well with damp sand or sawdust.
Cut back Summer & Autumn flowering perennials like your Daisies.
Feed your Spring bulbs......the Daffodils
.......and Hyacinths
.......and Ranuculus
.......and Freesias.
Divide those scrappy looking Agapanthus & replant - they may be the only colour you have in the garden at the height of the long, hot Summer!
If you've got a little energy left & it's still light, start thinking about your Summer vegie garden. Make sure your beds get a minimum of 6-7 hours of full sun each day. Weed out the beds & dig some organic matter/compost into the soil to begin your prep. Wander inside, put the kettle on, warm yourself by the fire - you've earnt it!! Happy gardening & if I've given you a bit of encouragement, please leave a comment & let us all know what you got up to in your garden this weekend.
Images: 1, 10, 14. Mooseys 2. Montvale 3. Wildflowers of Ireland 4. Greenery 5. Garden Express 6. Leslie Rich 7. Country Living 8. Rochester 9. Wikimedia 11. White Flower Farm 12. Easy To Grow Bulbs 13. Whole Blossoms 14. Beekman
If only I had the time to have such a glorious garden. What a feast for the eyes your post is today, Millie. And the nose. I swear I can smell those Hyacinth and Freesias from here, let along the strawberries.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend. Hope you get into your garden.
Jennifer XX
Ok, yep, I'm definitely inspired! Thank goodness I've only got a courtyard garden though...it's far too cold here in Canberra still to do much but look out of the double glazed windows! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. And by the way...your boys are doing much better than mine...he forgot completely but then baked a cake to make up for it!!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful you are Millie! All the advice I need. This weekend is Bridget's birthday so that will take all my time, can't wait! I will have to get out in what's left of our garden (after the reno) when I have some time. The camellias are doing well and I'm yet to prune the roses. I need to plant a few more trees along the fencelines, some box hedge might be the ticket along the driveway, maybe plant some vegies..Yikes..I really do have a lot to do! Have a lovely weekend..Rachaelxx
ReplyDelete*Sigh*. What I wouldn't give for a beautiful colourful garden ( and I don't mean birds of paradise and hibiscus). I am pretty much over palms and shrubs, which abound here on the Gold Coast.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post Millie. It should keep me going for a while at least.
Angex
Crikey Mill's,
ReplyDeleteThat's going some !!!! You'll be exhibiting at Chelsea at this rate !! You are such a hard worker, you put me to shame.
Mr. Home and I are going on the London Eye today. Our son and daughter-in-law gave him tickets for his birthday. Then, in the garden this weekend I think a comfy garden chair, a little light reading and a glass of red will be the order of the day !!!!
Happy winter gardening to you. Don't work too hard. I'll be thinking of you as I'm soaking up the sun hehe. XXXX
Oh Millie, I wished my garden looked like this ~ love all the pretty inspiring photos you have shared.
ReplyDeleteIt is pouring with rain over here, so the garden will have to wait for a while. I pruned the few roses I have left after the drought put paid to some Iceberg roses, last summer {sigh}
Have a great weekend and enjoy the garden if you go out there.
Hugs
Carolyn
Dear Miss Millie
ReplyDeleteor is that Ms Green Thumb.. I was only thinking today.. now I have a garden I would love some hydrangeas and gardenias for spring.. so... can you advise when I should be planting those??? Gee this is a worry.. i haven't planted anything in a trillion years!! but with this wonderful inspiration I'll give it a shot!!!
so.. sorry I am so absent.. internet connection in new place has a mind of it's own... split personality really and goes on strike more than it works.. have a wonderful weekend.. xxx Julie
Oh, so gorgeous, Millie! You are such an inspiration, when it's winter here I usually just change out my container pots to pansies and leave it at that, I really need to be more ambitious! XO!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this post! Stuck here in a sultry New York summer, all of this talk of fresh spring things is so appealing. And you've just reminded me how much I adore ranunculas!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos! Wish I was a green-thumb ... Jane :)
ReplyDeleteThat's it..Tomorrow the agapanthas' are getting tackled,the daisies a haircut and the weeds better watch out,You've inspired me to take action, Thank you.xx
ReplyDeleteEverything is coming up daisies at PorterRanch. You know, I like tending better than planting...what is up with that?
ReplyDeleteI love nothing more than rolling up my sleeves, pruning back and plowing ahead. I find myself wondering why I don't just sit back and enjoy it more. Maybe because it's hotter than hell right now and I'm not into "having the vapors" as my mother calls them.
What a great post. The hedge is beautiful anytime of year.
xo
Mmmmmmmm gorgeous! The closest I came to gardening this weekend, was picking some Hellebores to bring some winter cheer inside.
ReplyDeleteYes Millie it is time for the garden! My herbs are doing fine, my roses are sprayed and trimmed and my climbing roses are in bud at present, lovely pink colour, my lavender is in flower by the pool and my hedge is neatly trimmed even though not very high yet, still trying to get that thick undergrowth before height. Getting there! have a good day, Cathyxx
ReplyDeleteThank you for the advice and lovely pics. I'll be sure to follow up on some of those joys.I just wish I'd planted the fresias earlier to get some blooms.Hopefully next year!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete