As a few other have been posting in a garden blog, I thought I'd do the same as there are things you can update that would not be worthy of a full topic of its own
Started late as still suffering from sleeping sickness, but out in the garden shortly after the sun came out at 10am. Temps warmed up very quickly prompting me to put many plants outside to help harden them off. All the colies, Ensete, canna, Musa zebrina, Musa basjoo overwintered pups, Brugs Trex etc Then the toms, Carica, Corbea, Dahlia imperialis seedlings all had a day in the garden.
Then lots of watering particularly the Dicksonia antarctica abd Musa basjoo clumps.
Repotted Musa zebrina, a couple of Jack's Giant Colocasia. Then manhandled the Ensete Monbeliardii up the garden to see what it looks like in a different place to where planted before... nearly killed me as weighs a ton
Then the Alocasia x calidora had to be carried across the garden and up two small terraces.... again weighs a ton.
Kids had lunch up the garden as over 23C on the deck. No time for me to stop, as lots of hay to make while the sun shines
I know many people are eager to get started on planting out as the weather is good, but I have been caught out a few times in the past so overcome the urge to plant this early. Instead I place the plants where I think they will look good, wander up and down looking at them, much to the disgust of the other half who thinks I'm wasting time
When I am happy and can visualise them growing in those positions, I dig shallow holes and pot plant. This way if the weather suddenly turns very cold, they can all be brought to shelter, but at the same time are being acclimatised to their new environment.
Here are a couple of shots of the proposed Colocasia bed
2 weeks ago empty
Alocasia x calidora provisional pot planting
Colocasia initial draft positioning. These won't necessarily stay in the same position, and some smaller ones were returned to the heat mat for further fattening up before hardening off.
Then had lunch of mussels and brownbread with a banana to finish off, before moving the Alocasia macrorrhiza to the pond side. Quite pleased with the instant jungly effect.
Then moved onto the Dicksonia antarctica bed. This was largely planted already, but needed some tweaking as I was not quite happy with it. The 3 foot Dicksonia antarctica planted last week was on its own with a 1foot Dicksonia antarctica about 5 feet away. I decided to move the 1 foota next to the 3 foota leaning slightly outward like it was growing away from the larger one. This vacated a hole near the top of the retaining wall.... an ideal spot for one of my standard Brugmansia. This give an instant extra couple of feet of height so the trumpets can be seem more from below.
Pic 'Little and Large' Dicksonia antarctica to the left with the poy planted single stem Brug leaning in the centre
Standard Brug above wall pot planted
Finally as the light was fading here is a shot of the Ensete Montbeliardii it proposed new position. Not dug a hole for this yet as not entirely sure on it's positioning. That is the most sheltered place from the wind as the Trachies are to the SW.
Came in a 19:40 and had dinner, feet up now with a glass of red
