Advantages to Covid-19 Lockdown!

You get to spend lots of time in the garden with no distractions!

So there has been lots of seed planting, pricking out going on in the greenhouse. I have jet washed the patio and path. I have oiled all the tables and chairs, they are jobs I usually do at Easter. So I am well ahead of the game. The only problem is I have run out of the wood protector I use for hubbies office and the sheds, this is also and Easter job and of course I can't get hold of any as its not considered 'essential'. I disagree its essential to my mental well being!!!!!!
I have been very daring and unwrapped my plants. Its really a bit early but because I 'have' to stay at home I am on hand to cover them quickly if needs be.

My Cycas, first time overwintered outside, it got planted out because it was getting so big and heavy to heave in and out of the greenhouse. I wrapped it in scaffolding net, looked odd but hey!

Unwrapped today and its not too bad. Probably because we have had such a mild winter.

As you can see a bit fried round the edges, other than that its ok.

The Arid bed had it first uncovering today to. 16.5C in the shade, not bad for the 4th April. It always amazes me when I see it in the spring for the first time, it all seems so much bigger than when it was covered in the autumn.

The Dasylirion Serratifolium at the end is growing well if a bit wonky.

Just look at the size of the Montana!! I never ever expected it to get this big when I planted it back in 2015.

Just 5 years ago! It was so diddy. I do very little to it, I throw some chicken pellets on in the spring, water it in the summer and that's it!

The Rostrata has also gone mental. I think had I realised how much hardier than the rest, this is I would have planted it at an end.

A couple of losses, I need to check what they were, but I always have losses in this area. I' beginning to think its where the wind whistles through and I think just hits them. Its impossible for rain to get here so thats the only reason I can think of.

I never protect my banana's (Ensete), I get fed up of all the straw blowing around, plus it has to come through my house. As you can see they are still upright. Normally they would be mush. They are root hardy so always come back. It will be interesting to see how they grow this year, I have never had any come through like this before!

Just looking back up the garden on this beautiful day.

Just to top the day off, we had our first bar b que. Well you have to do things that make you happy when your in lockedown!!!

Measuring plants on a Sunny October Day

We had thick fog this morning but it has cleared and is now very sunny, I have even hung my sheets out to dry!
I have never measured anything in the arid bed and decided to today, just to see how they grow on a yearly basis.

The Dasylirion Serratifolium has never really recovered from when I had to put the weed killer around it last year to get rid of the creeping violet, it has sort of grown 'cock eyed' but it has grown and stands at 86cm 

The Montana excels and is 83cm tall and 114cm wide

Yucca Rostrata 109cm tall and a whopping 132cm wide

Trichocereus Macrogonus has been planted in since July 2017 I didn't measure it when it went in, but  am certain it is a lot taller and measures in at 78cm.

Agave Filifera, such a pretty agave, is now 20cm tall and 35cm wide. It was only planted out this year having been kept in a pot, and again it has romped away.

Agave Americana is off, compared to when I popped it in earlier this year it has grown and measures 30cm wide.

Pachycereus pringlei is 55cm tall

Aloe polyphylla is just lovely and 50cm wide

I shall be starting the big dig out on Monday. The frame is up and read for the cover over the Arid bed, so I am prepared.

What a Beautiful Day.

Just what the doctor ordered. We had our first bar b que of the season today, it was 'lush'.

I uncovered the arid bed, and boy hasn't everything grown,

The Aloe Striatula, is enormous and even though I cut off two branches before I covered it in the autumn, it has now really out grown this space.

The Yucca Rostrata, is smothering my Aloe Polyphlla so along with the Aloe Striatula we will be moving both.

I think someone has been feeding my Agave Montana something that has made it grow even during our winter, it is enormous now, looks so healthy.

The Dasylirion Serratifolium is looking decidedly lopsided, I think that is because of the poison I had to put around it last year to kill the creeping violet.

Pachycereus Pringlei has sailed through its first winter

as has Trichocereus Macrogonus

My daughter was over so we decided to dig out and move the two Aloes, this turned out to be a bit of a disaster as I stod on the gravel the back board gave way,

I slipped and put my hand out and impalled myself on this, it down right hurt!

The Arid bed has only been constructed since 2015, but we used the wood from around the old veg beds and they had been around for quite a few years. The reasons for this being we weren't to sure whether we really where going to like it.

This was just after t had been set up, you can see just how much everything has grown.

So a bit of a 'bodge job' to keep it together until we can get some new wood.

We managed to dig and remove varying plants

and I think it looks loads better.

Some of the plants have been moved to the raised bed by the pond

more to be added later.

But a good start to the gardening season, I had a good day.

My Garden .......... currently!

Sadly this is not 'all'  my garden, mine is the skinny bit down the middle, with the shed and the chimney in. The shed houses the biomass boiler and the 'runway' down the middle of the garden was my hubbies idea.
This is my bit of England, out in the middle of rural Wiltshire. I love it here.  We have no rear access, so everything and I mean EVERYTHING comes through my house.

Paulownia tomentosa  pollarded again and aiming high!!

Its amazing what a bit of rain can do?

Sonchus Arboreus in the centre

Sonchus Canariensis

Chenopodium giganteum, these have self seeded everywhere and can easily hit 6ft.  shall have to move these as they are close to the front of the bed.

My cardoon is enormous,  can't wait for them to flower.

Brahea Armata, strange palm, well I think so, should be a blue grey colour, never has been in my garden, still sending up new spears.

Ricinus

Dasylirion Serratifolium

remember I weed killered around this, you can see the damaged fronds, but the main plant looks fine  so I shall trim off the lower fronds and hopefully be able to see if the creeping weed (toad flax)comes back.

My beautiful Yucca Rostrata, how this has grown since I first got it.

This Agave goes from strength to strength.

what amazes me most is the fabulous markings which remain on the plant for years.

My passion flower, very hardy!

Well I could not finish this post without a pic of my Phormium lol!!! For reference I'm 5ft 9ins!!!

Phormium on Steroids?

10 days ago I showed you that my Phormium was going to flower with this pic

Today after a week of a lot of rain and not much sun it looks like this

I don't know what has been different this year but in a local town in the beds around a well known supermarket are lots of phormium and yes they are all coming into flower. Must be the year for it!!

Meanwhile in the Arid bed, I have managed to tie up the Dasylirion Serratifolium

which was a feat. The fronds have thorns that are 'inward' facing, so if you are unfortunate enough to put your arm into the fronds, they do not like to let go of you with out cutting you badly!! I have done this because I have (Cymbalaria) Ivy leaf Toadflax. Quite an invasive little blighter, normally I wouldn't mind it in a cottage style garden, but not winding its way around my arid bed.

I did initially try to unwind it, but kept cutting my arms to bits. So after asking advice from my Hardy Tropical friends, I decided to tie up the 'Dasy'. and see what is going on in the ground.

Initially it doesn't look too bad, that is until you pull back the gravel ...... it is horrendous...

a total mat of roots....

so I have hit the whole area with major weed killer, I am hoping it won't affect the 'Dasy' but if it does then it is a loss I will have to accept.
What ever happens I think I will have to dig out the whole of this section of the bed out to get rid of the roots/seeds etc. Unfortunately now its here I think I will have a battle on my hands to eradicate it!

The Prickly Pear (Opuntia) although growing is not looking good, so I decided to take it out. Whilst doing this I have disturbed a number of ants nests. The arid bed is ideal for ants as they love it so dry, but they are so bad as they add soil, undermine roots and sometimes even eat roots. So I have been given a number of suggestions as to how to get rid of them which I will try out and probably write another post about it.

I have placed one of my new cactus where the Opuntia was and put all the cuttings of it into a box and posted it to a friend who has 3 tortoise. Apparently they love it.

If I do have to dig out the end of the bed, then it might be the ideal time to add drystone walling around this end. Its something I have wanted to do for for the whole bed but is not a) cheap, b) easy to do. Whilst I wait to see if the weed killer has worked I will do some further research.

TTFN