We have had a busy week. Alice’s year group is closed now as a child in her class tested positive for Covid so she has 2 weeks at home. So, Amy and I are splitting our work time to home school while returning to work to school-school. Alice was initially upset to be off and then she realised this means she’s getting lots of time with us doing lessons again.
So onwards with this weeks six. I thought this week I would have a look at a few wooden tools for the garden. A new shop opened in town two days before lockdown. So, sadly it has had to close. It is stocking lots of wooden sculptures and gifts, but it also has many garden tools at cheap prices.
1. Dibber
We have quite a bit of bulb planting to go and Alice has got the hang of using my dibber so we can have 2 so she can have her own. We have a mass of Iris reticulata to pot up so that will speed the job up.
2. Trug basket
I thought this might be useful to carry some of the tools out and keep track of where they are. I might stain it before I use it just to hide the muck a bit.
3. Cane topper
I’ve got this cane topper ready for next year to erect for the sweet peas. I’ll need to get some canes to slot in the holes. Ideally, I’d like to make it a little taller than what I used this year. But this year was making do with what was around with lockdown. I might ask if they can make some smaller single cane toppers as be nice to have some instead of the less attractive rubber ones. Though they may be practical they aren’t the nicest.
4. Yew pot tamper
This tamper is used for pressing the compost down and smoothing it off in pots and seed trays. It was supposedly made from a yew grown by the great plantswoman Gertrude Jekyll. I like to think some of her talents rub off on the plants started using it.
5. Yellow rose
The yellow rose has managed its second flush of flowers. Very late on but much appreciated. Some years it has managed a third flowering but I don’t think I’ve fed and mulched it as much this year.
6. Dahlia Tamburo
I think this was a basal cutting I took from Dahlia tamburo earlier this year. Either that or Black Jack. The dahlias are still going. The dahlia flowers are lasting well currently as we’ve had dull dry days. The wet days bring the petals off and the warm sunny days lead to the fading. I’ve still got quite a lot of dahlias looking good. But I could do with them being frosted now so I can lift the ones coming out and put blubs in. A lot will be getting left in the ground and getting a mulch but the potted ones come out.
We might be on lockdown but we still have Alice’s dance lesson coming virtually through zoom so I will be busy for part of the morning. Then Alice is asking for a home-school lesson. She doesn’t have a concept of the weekend giving me a day off. Hopefully might manage a few jobs in the garden over the week if I can persuade Alice that they are part of her home-schooling. Enjoy your weeks.
Major dibber envy. I always think one would be handy and yet never acquire one.
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I’ve had one for ages but only really started using it after working at the plant nursery and this year as been potting on so much with growing more in lockdown
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Nice blog
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Good craftmanship in those tools.
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They feel nice and solid and nice to support local craft.
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You and Amy are having to think on your feet at the moment. As long as everyone stays safe, that is the main thing. Loving all your wooden things this week. Did you make the trug?
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No the trug was from new local shop. Looks easy enough to make but don’t have time and they are selling them for not much more than the cost of the materials.
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I like it!
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Original Six with these wooden tools. And this so pretty Dahlia😍 (seen a few days ago on Twitter ( gardenshour , if I remember correctly, right?))
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Yes, this and soulman featured a lot. Took cuttings from both and think everyone rooted and has grown to a good size within the one year.
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I laughed at “school-school”. What a fun way to say it!
The dibber looks marvelous. I’ve lost almost every bulb I ever planted, which is a discouraging statistic. I truly have none of your talent.
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Lovely wooden tools. My father used to make these items many years ago. Pretty dahlia.
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Yes, I’ve made a dibber before but don’t have access to a decent workshop to make anymore.
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I like the wooden tools too. They must be a real pleasure to use – and the Gertrude connection is so lovely.
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Liking the dahlia much. The deep purple pink colour is fab. Need a dibber for my bulb planting and a trug. A trug would be very useful for one like me who spend so much time looking for misplaced tools.
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My cutting devices largely have holsters to prevent losing but there are always odds and sods that need carting around
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I’ve used a plastic fibber for years but treated myself to a beautiful wooden one last year. No contest. Such a beautiful Dahlia
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It’s done well. Lifted one of the potted dahlias yesterday. An absolute mass of tubers.
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The wooden tamper looks perfect – lovely smooth wood. Your life seems so complicated what with teaching and then also teaching Alice. It’ll be nice to have her home but it’s a shame when they miss their friends. My lot used to moan about school but I think they now realise how much they get out of it and what a great job you teachers do. Keep up the good work.
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Lovely blog and interesting topic. Hope you all stay safe!
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Cheers. Just trying to keep our sanity with Alice house bound. A bit limiting even with the garden.
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