Sometimes it’s all too easy to put off those little jobs, particularly when there are larger projects that one would rather be getting on with, so I made a point of getting as many of the little jobs out of the way today as I could. The first priority was to plant up several of the pots that were sitting outside the back door, which included an achillea, lychnis and veronica that I bought at that Yellow Book garden a few weeks ago, a bushy erigeron from Wisley and the twenty geraniums offer from Hayloft. Most of the geraniums in the middle picture will be planted in a nursery bed until they are a little bigger, but the sturdier ones were planted out in their intended beds today.
Some minor deadheading was in order too, as well as staking a clump of Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ and sunflowers in the hot border, and the first picture shows an eryngium replanted at the back of the blue & white border, behind tradescantia and echinops instead of standing erect and alone in the middle, towering over its neighbours. My final task was lugging ten black bags of shreddings down to the fruit cage and emptying them ready to rake over the old bark between the fruit canes and bushes. I usually replenish the bark every 3 years or so, spreading it over a layer of heavy duty weed membrane, where it does a sterling job of keeping the weeds down whilst those that grow in the bark are easily pulled out. Having recently replaced our defunct shredder it is our first experience of using shreddings instead of buying bags of bark, so it will be interesting to monitor how it compares.
Rambling in the Garden 
You mentioned the “d” word and my pulse quickened and not in a good way. With all of my perennial beds, I have a lot of deadheading to do and I must say it isn’t a chore I relish. Hope your paper shredding works and that you let us know. I love repurposing.
Oops sorry to mislead you Judy – not paper shredder but garden shredder for prunings and small branches (although I do put paper shreddings on our compost heap) 😉 I have neglected deadheading for more favoured jobs, but it certainly neatens the borders up and encourages a second flush of some plants. I have had a few people say things that relate to the gradual move towards autumn – I certainly don’t want to think about that yet!!
You make me feel so guilty, my many pots of plants that need planting look reproachfully at me each time I go out of the back door, it really is time I planted them! I keep telling them I’ll plant them in the autumn when the soil has more moisture in it as I know I will forget where I have put some of them and forget to water them! Please let us know how you get on with your shredder,I’ll be very interested to know the results.
Hi Pauline – I didn’t think it would just be me with reproachful pots outside the back door! This shredder was the best of the mid-price ones recommended by Which? but even so has mixed reviews. I think the trick is not to abuse them and expect them to do more than they are capable of – and to be prepared to buy replacement blades every so often. This certainly made light work of the branches the Golfer cut recently and it’s fairly quiet too.
Hi Cathy,
Well done on getting your jobs done; I need to get out and doing some work, last week I managed a bit of weeding but either tomorrow or an evening during the week I plan on working on the upper tier which I’ve left most of the summer, brambles have shot up seemingly overnight, ivy is taking over and it needs general tidying.
I always struggle this late on in the year though, I’m tired after the last 6 months gardening and just want to relax! ha ha. I always hate planting spring bulbs too, because I’ve lost all motivation. But then by December I’m itching to get outside again!
Hi Liz.It’s so easy to put off doing some of the more basic jobs, isnt it? Sometimes I find a list helps as it glowers art me until I have done everything on it, and after all the positive comments I felt duty bound to finish all the planting out yesterday! I have just done my Peter Nyssen order, but like you I do not look forward to planting all the bulbs!
It’s very satisfying to get the little jobs done. I have also a few (many) which are waiting (or maybe they aren’t 😉 ). But sometimes I just like pottering around doing this and that, especially when I don’t have the energy for bigger things. We also bought a shredder years ago, very handy. Looking forward to your result with the composting of the rose prunings…but I guess that’ll have to wait until next year.
The pots glowered at me every time I went out of the back door, so it had to be done….
I’m putting off doing a host of little jobs right now so your post made me smile. My excuse is that it has been raining but it’s stopped now. Will be interested to see how your geraniums fare. Right must wither and get off this computer and get on with those jobs 🙂
Planting some of the geraniums in the nursery bed is a bit of a cop out really, but some are less developed than others so it probably makes sense. I have been really pleased with the plants I have had from Hayloft with only the odd failure which they will always replace. You will feel better for getting the jobs done – I know I have 😉
sounds like time well spent Cathy, I have got a lot of the plants in pots planted and it is nice now to be able to get on with other things and not feel guilty about leaving them, the nursery bed sounds a good idea I think I’ll have to make one in a sheltered area,
congratulations on the new shredder, a word about using material you have recently shredded and hasn’t broken down yet, sorry if you already know but just incase not, aparently as the shreddings decompose they take nitrogen from the soil, at this time of year around your mature fruit bushes I doubt that will be a problem, I use shredded material on some of my paths,
dead heading I’m learning is the down side after all those beautiful blooms, Frances
Thanks for the warning about the shreddings, Frances, although I am using it in place of commercial bark which has certainly not affected the fruit in past years so it should be OK. I shall be using the next batch for paths in the wood and woodland edge border, but at least emptying these has freed up some space ! I only thought of using one of my veg beds as a nursery bed quite recently and wish I had done so before – seems much better than keeping things in lots of little pots