Rachel's Journal

Plants are looking snug there,the only gardening i did today was buy a house plant in woodies,i did attempt to clean the windows,but my fingers nearly fell off(i hate dirty windows!)

Good for you. My windows could so do with a wash!

I only cleaned one,its tooo cold!

Rachel, I think I'm  right in saying that Geranium maderense is really a bi-annual and seeds around freely so you will probably have seedlings coming up in springtime.

Very little done here to day, too cold.

I never got it that far, Periwinkle. No seed for me.

You wont need to clean the windows or even need curtains with all those plants!

Windows, what windows? OK they do need a washing, badly ;-))

Bright, sunny though cold here today and a fine day for the garden. I had lifted a bed of rhubarb last week and today added half a dozen wheelbarrow loads of garden compost to another bed in the veg. patch and, after splitting and cleaning it, replanted the rhubarb. Got a lot more done than I had expected. 

Paddy 

Great work Paddy, considering how cold it was here I wonder how you got all of that done.

Dick you need to move to the south of the County. here it was lovely. Cold but nice! Paddy's on the ball isnt he?

But Rachel how can you have such a superb garden with only one weekly go at it? Cant understand that! 

I planted out my geranium maderense so it will have to take it's chances.  I'd have taken more care but I bought it recently as a big plant and for all I know it's already flowered.

Ha ha, Myrtle. That's what I tell myself!

Fran, I guess it's the job no one likes.

Well done, Paddy. I'm half thinking of following your tip and putting some compost over a couple of things like Penstemon. It's hard to get motivated to go out into that cold though.

Scrubber, even gardeners deserve time of for good behaviour!

Here's hoping or a mild winter, Anne.

Dick, obviously it wasn't as cold here as you had it as it was quite pleasant once I got going. I was cleaning out the hen house in the morning and, my goodness, it was very cold when my hands were wet. 

Rachel, I use compost as a protective mulch each year and find it a good practice, good enough to protect beschorneria and gingers, for example. I haven't used it to protect penstemons but they have been fine here even in the last two winters. With these we find the important thing is to not cut them down until they are in good growth in late spring/early summer. #

Paddy 

well Rachel you still doing some gardening and planning very important Christmas get together.... i just lost interest untill spring and went to winter sleep....

Jungle in room :)))

I would be in a whole world of trouble if I attemped that, she's accomodating but that would be pushing it!

I'm still trying to think of places to stash things, my windowsill at work looks very bare...

Conrad, you should see my bath!

I just did! :-O