Catalogues

Don't you just love catalogues especially at thie dreary time of year.

These all start arriving through my door November, December

I wonder if you can guess which is my favourite?

I have had lots more

far too many really.

Its been really bad this week as I have been confined to the house because I have been carless! Hubbies car is very poorly, so he uses mine, well he does earn the money!!!

Do you have a favourite Catalogue?

Do you get one I don't?

If you think I would like it do let me know..... please x

Spending Money........... again

I have had a lovely week spending money!!!! I managed to get a couple of good bargains off Ebay as well.

Having bought one or 2 packets of seeds, I really need to get a move on

some of them need to be sown now, but really the light is not good enough. I have been talking for awhile about getting some lights in the greenhouse, when I came across one of these, just what I needed. especially as the light raises and lowers.

A couple of years ago I managed to get hold of a large propagator, when I saw this (on Ebay) at over half the price of a new one, plus it had extras, I just had to go for it!

Luckily I won it so I am looking forward to them both arriving.

This wood is for going around the veg beds, especially since we have had the new path laid, I really don't want lots of soil in the new gravel.
The sleepers currently in use at the moment will be used to raise the edge of all the other beds.
Thats Sassy, walking past, we don't see her out and about very much, she and Tango are 14 this year!

This Cycas Revoluta, another bargain buy from Ebay!

When I visited Will Giles at his Exotic Garden a number of years ago he had lots of pots full of different types of Bromeliad, which I loved. I managed to pick up a couple and have successfully overwintered them in my greenhouse, for a couple of years now. These have pupped and flowered like crazy so I decided as I seemed to be able to keep them alive I should add to my collection, so I have with a Aechmea Recurvata and a Neoregelia Carolinea var.Roseo-Striata -Tri-color Blush not for any other reason than I liked the look of them.

I am also going to have lots of 'none lacy' Hosta's this year, again I shall follow Will Giles lead and smear the bottom of all their pots with Vaseline/Petroleum Jelly. Lets hope it works! If not I shall send him a note!!!! lol!!

Well off to do some online browsing as it is raining!!! 

New Ideas

With the weather being so mild and trying to get ahead of schedule for the grand opening, I have had to reign myself in alot, otherwise I would be out planting right now, which would not be the best of ideas.
So during my surfing trips and facebook trawls, I came across this idea

isn't it amazing, a Living Wall.

So then I started to do some research into this as I have a wall

above the coal bunkers that needs something doing to lift it. If you see what I mean. I can't grow anything underneath it, usually I put pots of plants along the top of them. But me being me, always need to go a little step further, I also like to be different and this should have a 'wow' factor.

So research began, I looked at varying ways that this could be done. I then drew up a spreadsheet. My hubby loves spreadsheets and I am more likely to convince him that this is a good idea if he can see the costs written down. Mind you once I showed him pics, he was sold.

The product I have decided will work best for us is Wooly Wally Pocket as I am pretty nifty with a drill and a screwdriver. I am waiting for our lovely builder to come back and fix our roof, whilst he is here I will get him to check if he thinks this wall is strong enough to support a 'Living Wall' and discuss the raised beds ideas.

Its all happening here!

New Year in my Garden

I spent a lovely day in the garden yesterday. The weather has been so mild, I was working in a t-shirt!!!

I want to get a head start, as the garden will be one of several opening in July for our village open gardens. Having agreed to this I am in a bit of a panic as I am not good at growing to a timetable. I did manage a good display for my hubbies redundancy party which was held at the end of July 2009 this is how it looked on the day.

If it looks like this then I will be very pleased.

I have been scouring the tropical and jungle plant sites which is not a good idea as in my mind I have spent £100's if probably not £1000's. But before we get ahead of ourselves this is what I am dealing with.

We are still toying with raising the veg beds by another sleeper, in the hope that we manage to keep the soil on the bed not in the gravel.

My friends Mark and Gaz have a magnificent 'Jungle Garden' and are busily constructing a 'Koi Pond' if you have a look through this blog post you will see that they have built brick raised beds. Both hubby and I really like this idea and are thinking of doing this on the patio but using sleepers. This would give us a bit more height and hopefully stop the dog jumping on the beds.

Currently the patio area looks like this

The Ensetes are still upright, which is more than they have been for the past couple of years. Lets hope February is kind to us.

Looking up the garden from 'Terminal 1'

To you this probably doesn't look too bad, but to me there is a list of jobs...

Can you see the new extended flue to the left of our dormer? Well the old one had been there for 20+ years and began swinging in the breeze. So we had to get someone in to redo and attach it more securely, doesn't it look awful. I mustn't complain at least we got it done before the bad winds.

this is the worst part of the lawn and took a hammering last year. I can't decide whether to dig it up and re-turf or just re-seed.

This turf I laid at the very end of last year, then it was folded back so the path could be laid, it hasn't recovered so may need to be redone. If you remember this is where one of the old veg beds was.
Below is the other side and where I had the strawberries, looks quite good I think.

The flower bed or should I say the twig and leaf bed. This needs some major work, I will raise the edge of the border and find some new plants, plus grow some bedding plants to fill gaps.

I have finished the compost bins, using up the left over bits of wood, still need to fix a lid, which is currently being used as a shelf in the greenhouse, so I am using carpet and odd bits of wood to protect it.

The bottom patio is now clear of all the wood and debris, but looks a right mess. The fence belongs to our neighbour and is collapsing but they can't see this as they have a huge hedge hiding it. My garden is slightly higher so I am going to get some scaffold boards in and put them along the base of the fence, to protect their fence and keep my soil in!

All the post, bags of compost and wood got stashed here

Apart from ordering sleepers, I need to clear this lot of wood next. This will have to be moved through to our log store.

So day off today to let my back recover, but maybe some online shopping? lol!!!