Geraniums went into troughs this morning. Lilies were sprouting so TWO tubs were planted up.   Remainder of irises  also planted. A trough of Lavender was moved from  the patio at the back of bungalow  to a path under the wet room at the front.   

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Got some salad leaves in a trough coming up nicely and this afternoon I sowed some spring onion and radish seed in another trough.  Daniel bought some blue strawberry seeds that he wants me to grow - I personally prefer my strawberries to be bright red, but we'll give them a go! 

My front garden is swathe of yellow and blue with mini daffs, muscari and hyacinth, which smell lovely too.  I love it at this time of year! 

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Spinach, basil, and tomatoes shrivelled up... in a propagator in my sunlounge - hit 40°C in the sunlounge in recent days with the fine weather... so you can imagine how how the propagators got!... will have to resow 😞

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Shall need to start watering if this dry spell keeps up...

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Spinach, basil, and tomatoes shrivelled up... in a propagator in my sunlounge - hit 40°C in the sunlounge in recent days with the fine weather... so you can imagine how how the propagators got!... will have to resow :(

  Sorry Nick.  I couldn't help but chuckle at your first few words. 

Seriously, April can be a nightmare when the temps change so much.  I've had to take my bedding plants out of the conservatory for the same reason but it's too early to plant them outside, so I've planted them up in hanging baskets which I put out in the day and bring in at night.

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More compost bought today. Must prepare TWO hanging baskets. Weather change towards the end of month getting cooler. Will be in and out of the shed. Bubble wrap in the growing room....

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No frost risk here tonight, so I'm leaving my baskets out tonight to help them harden off.  One of the biggest mistakes people make is putting out tender plants that haven't been properly hardened off.  If they're hardened, they withstand cold spells much better and their growth isn't checked back as much.

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I said I'd post when my spawn became free swimming tadpoles and I've noticed today that the jelly is now frothy and almost empty, so they have left the nest, so to speak and it's taken about two weeks from spawn to tadpoles.

My mum has a pond that I dug out about 18 months ago and she has one clump of frog spawn that is also becoming vacant jelly.   Today, I noticed something that I thought had fallen into the pond but on closer inspection I realised it was toad spawn.  It's a lovely thing to see draped around a plant like a double string of black beads and there's yards of it! 

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I said I'd post when my spawn became free swimming tadpoles and I've noticed today that the jelly is now frothy and almost empty, so they have left the nest, so to speak and it's taken about two weeks from spawn to tadpoles.

My mum has a pond that I dug out about 18 months ago and she has one clump of frog spawn that is also becoming vacant jelly.   Today, I noticed something that I thought had fallen into the pond but on closer inspection I realised it was toad spawn.  It's a lovely thing to see draped around a plant like a double string of black beads and there's yards of it! 

Slugs won't know what's hit them!

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Slugs won't know what's hit them!

    No they won't.  But I have your nematode idea to fall back on if the amphibians turn out to be anorexic. 

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Tidy up day. All little weeds pulled up. Compost in pots given a stir. Hosed the outside of pots troughs and gave the plants a watering at the same time. Planted some more red garlic in a pot. Nice in the sunshine. Sat down on the bench after and ate an apple. ...

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Geraniums in the troughs are full of buds.. Fuchsia has  been planted in trough and a pot.  Also have a flower basket full of them.. Also in bud....

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I planted a plum tree a couple of years ago and it has blossom on it for the first time.  There won't be enough fruit for jam this year, but it's a start. 

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Two plums , One Cherry. One Pear in blossom in pots on patio. The apple yet to break out. Blackberry  is swelling up in the buds and looking promising. Just do not need the dreaded frost to come along. 

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Called at my mum's this evening and was surprised to see her cherry, plum and pear in blossom and the apples blossom just about ready to burst. 

The birds have been pecking at the coconut fibre liner in my hanging baskets and at the compost with my fuchsia cuttings in.  I suppose they both make good nesting material! 

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The blackbirds had most of my coir last year. this year I used black bags but crinkled them up for better effect.  have to keep an eye on these low evening temperatures.  Got some lilies just poking through. Iris is showing as well. The chrysanthemums need protecting. The shed gets pretty full at night.  

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TWO trailing geraniums purchased today. Along with a tray of Petunia for the hanging basket .. Watered them along with all the other pots. Will be planting up the basket  tomorrow sometime. ...

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My baskets stay out most nights now and they're doing OK except a female blackbird is still ripping my coir basket liners to bits.  Even though I've pulled some fibres out and put them on the garden, she still likes that in the baskets better and Meg, our cat isn't much good at keeping guard either!  The radish and spring onions I sowed in a trough are through but the lettuce is a bit bedraggled thanks to the blackbirds pecking at the compost, so I've sown more today. 

Everything is looking very green now but it's been so dry I've had to top my pond up and had the hose on the borders a couple of times this week.

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Netting covering pots has stopped the birds looking for grubs and worms.  Basket planted this morning about  07:45.  Trailing geraniums, petunias and a fuchsia for the middle.  Just need to skewer the bottom of black  plastic delivery bag turned inside out.  All set to go out the front later on this morning......Watering of pots,  tubs, troughs, and basket no 1   done  last night. Will be ok for the weather to do it's job the next 10 days or so.......

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Bit more potting on done this afternoon. Some pottering around the garden also done. Looking tidy now. Need to sow some seeds and place the pots on trays in the growing room. So in the morning its in the shed then place them under shelter if wet.

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