Knockdene garden in 2021

Sunrise     07:14      Sunset      17:57 Another good day, a bit cold first thing but dry and bright. We continued with the removal of the shed, a lot of stuff removed and disposed of. I did a bit of propagation work as I  listened to the Gardeners Question Time. Some Geraniums and Scented Pelargoniums.  I also sieved some more of the carrot soil. I noticed that the Peach blossom was making an appearance, a very welcome sight behind the polythene cover protecting from peach leaf curl fungus.

Sunrise     07:16     Sunset     17:55 Another good start to the day with lots of sunshine and a good forecast. I hope to get some work done in the garden today. Alison picked the last of our winter vegetables this morning, a very small cauliflower. I checked all the seeds and plants in the greenhouse and potting shed, all looking good. Alison spent a bit of time sieving soil into the container for our carrot crops this year.

 Sunrise     07:18          Sunset 17:53 Another lovely start to the day. Forecast good for a few days. I decided to tackle the Hamemalis this morning. The wind and rain of the other day removed the last of the fragile blooms. I cut the growing shoots back after flowering each year and it seems to work, providing me with lots of winter colour and fragrance. Hamamelis I watered all the seedlings that are coming through from the planting we have been doing recently. I took all the cuttings from the Hamamelis and put them in water. I will pot them up and hope for some roots soon.

Sunrise     07:21     Sunset       17:51 A real good start to the day with wall to wall sunshine. The kale and broccoli are showing through. After checking the greenhouse I decided to tackle some more chrysanthemums. I did about a dozen Max Riley stools and got a shoe that of cuttings. A lot of them have bits of root already on them so in a short time they may be good to plant out. I got the band saw moved from the shed and a load of wood given to Gary so I am not far away from tackling the dismantling. I put some more staging into the greenhouse so we can put more seed trays in there. A real good day today. Lots of flowers poking through and blooming today Crocus Primrose Helebore Crocus Crocus and primrose Polyanthus Rosemary Polyanthus Polyanthus Edgeworthia Chrysantha Max Riley Chrysanthemum Max Riley Chrysanthemum Radishes      

Sunrise     07:23     Sunset     17:49 A reasonable start to the day with no rain and a good deal less wind. I had things to do today so all I got done in the garden was a bit of watering in the greenhouse. I had to visit with my sister in law in the morning and a committee meeting of the BHS. The peas are coming on.

Sunrise     07:25     Sunset     17:47 We are back to the wet weather again.  forecast to rain and blow all day.  This wind and wet has removed most of the remaining blossom from the Hamemalis, Witch Hazel. Not to be seen again until December. I had a nice reply from Beechwood Nurseries this morning about the Mulberry tree. I hope that it will grow away without any further bother. After some work getting the workshop ready for the bandsaw, I reverted to the gardening. I took 6 stools of the Chrysanthemum Hesketh Knight and got about 40 cuttings potted  up.

Sunrise     07:28     Sunset     17:44 A cold start to the day but very bright, no clouds to start with. Forecast a bit dodgy for the rest of the week. I started the day by bringing this blog up to date. Now for the garden. I moved the wet soil out of the shed into the sun in the wheelbarrow. I found good signs of growth in the greenhouse on the peas and the Ailsa Craig onions. Here is a photo of the new crab apple tree. I spent a good part of the day moving things around in the workshop to help m e get the place ready for some more pieces from the shed.

Sunrise     07:30     Sunset     17:42 I hope to get into the garden today the weather is good with a good forecast. Alison and I decided to plant the Crab Apple I bought last November in Walkers in Newtownards. We covered the ground with a large PVC cover so that the ground would not be too disturbed. We are planting it in the end of the wildflower patch closest to the house. When this was completed we tidied up and moved onto another job we had been unable to do because of the weather, Fill a container with soil from the wheelbarrow so we can use it to grow carrots, free from carrot root fly. We served as much as possible, but it was very wet. We put it a way in the shed to dry a bit. A job to finish tomorrow.  After lunch I decided to plant some seeds so I planted tomatoes. 2 types of yellow, the ones I got yesterday, Tumbling Tom, will grow in a hanging basket, and 3 seeds from last year that did so well, IldiF1. I also planted some Tomato Alisa Cr...

Sunrise     07:32     Sunset         17:40 Another damp start, forecast is for more rain. A message to do this morning so after a quick walk around the back garden to check things I had to go out. When I was out I called at Walkers and got 60 flower pots and 3 packets of seeds. Yellow tomatoes, Lovage and Chilli Tabasco. The rain started about 10:00 and stayed on until dusk. I did a bit in the potting shed, working in the garden was not possible. Here is a photo of my pot of hanging pelargoniums and a red pelargonium overwintering in the greenhouse.

Sunrise      07:34     Sunset     17:38 A wet start to the morning, 9 deg C outside this morning. Still blowing over 23Knots. Looks like another inside day today. First thing to happen today was a delivery of a Mulberry from Beechwood Nurseries in Ballywalter. This was delivered only 3 days after the order was placed. I was pleased. When I opened the box my delight was tempered by what was inside. I took to the email and sent them this missive. Hi there Messrs Calvert, I was delighted to receive by post this morning my delivery of the Mulberry tree, it was in a good sized box and I thought that it looked good. When I opened the box, I was a bit disappointed. The small whip of a plant was planted up in a 4" square pot, that was OK. I know that plants of this size do well and grow away quicker than larger ones. I was disappointed because the top two inches of the stem is dead. The growing tip is not on the whip and 2" below what was the tip is dead. The ...

Sunrise     07:37      Sunset     17:36 It has rained overnight but the morning is dry. Temperature outside is 4deg C. I concentrated on getting the shed emptied today. I gave a boot full of wood to Brian McMullin, on of the Ulster Woodturners. Alison and I worked together to rationalise the workshop and were able to remove one of the storage units, an old fridge. This will give me the opportunity to move the bandsaw into the workshop. The removal of the shed is moving closer. I spent some time in the potting shed and was able to plant the Sweet Corn seeds into the pots made yesterday. I planted 2 seeds into each pot as suggested on the packet. The seeds had swollen from yesterday. I put them into the greenhouse and await results. On a walk round the garden we found a lot of the newly planted Nerines had been uprooted by birds. We replanted them and covered them with mesh to try and stop the damage being done again.

Sunrise     07:39     Sunset     17:34 A bright start to the day, dry. I spent a good part of the morning clearing the shed and moving stuff into the workshop.  At lunchtime a made another 2  dozen paper pots. I half filled them with a new batch of made up potting compost. I opened the packet of Sweet Corn and immersed them in water. I will plant them tomorrow. I took a bunch of photos which show the fact that spring is coming.

Sunrise     07:41     Sunset     17:32 A good start to the day, sunshine and scudding clouds. Forecast quite good so perhaps another good day in the garden. There are flowers appearing in the garden today, I'll have to get the camera out. I never did get my camera out, I had to delivers woodturning to Helens Bay. Alison and I went into the garden before and after lunch. Alison picked a couple of Red Cabbages to eat later.  She then went into the greenhouse and planted up a lot of Strawberry plants into pots. When they start to grow we will plant them out. I got a lot more stuff out of the shed and then planted some seeds. Kale and Broccoli into a seed tray. We are going well today, the weather has been cracker.

 Sunrise     07:43     Sunset      17:30 A grey start to the morning, it has rained overnight. The dreaded cold has gone, 7 deg outside this morning. Rain forecast but to go through. Now at 1130 the sun has come out, so let's get gardening. After a bit of indoor housekeeping I sat and made up another pile of paper pots. After lunch I went out and planted another 26 broad bean seeds, in paper pots. I tidied up the greenhouse and put in a set of 3 shelves on which to put plants or seeds. I also took some cuttings from a scented pelargonium that had succumbed to the cold weather. The top was still green so here's hoping the cutting takes. SP Birdbush Bobby. We will know in a few weeks.

Sunrise     07:45     Sunset     17:28 Thank goodness the cold has eased a bit. The snow has vanished, to be replaced by rain. The frozen ground has thawed. The wind is still blowing although not as strong. I may get something done in the garden today. A first walk around has not found anything untoward. I went to the potting shed today and listened to GQT whilst working at various things. I made up some potting compost. I tidied up some Scented Pelargoniums that had been   hit by the  weather, they might come back. I planted some broad beans in paper and cardboard pots. When they start to grow I can put them outside with no root disturbance. I made up a wooden container and planted some radishes in it. It has sloping sides so I could put a transparent top  on it and use it to force the radishes a bit. The gardening year is now underway, hopefully there will be no more cold and dry winds for a while. The forecast is a bit more benig...

  Sunrise     07:48     Sunset     17:26 Still cold and a forecast of snow before a thaw which should lead to garden developments next week.