Ready! Whether your coming or not!!!

These will be the last pics I take of the garden before the 15th July our village 'Open Gardens Day'. All the big jobs are done, I am thrilled with how its looking, I just hope some of the flowers that have opened manage to stay open and don't die before the day, we shall see.

Now its all the silly little jobs that add the finishing touches. Plus of course with all this humidity, the weeds are growing faster than the plants!!!

We are hoping that the disease we had in the pond has been eliminated. We have lost well over half of our fish. Quite upsetting as alot of them were ones that where bred in our pond.

The only thing I wish is that it was later in the season and the jungle could be seen at its best!! But I am now so fed up with non growing veg I may very well extend the tropical area next year!

2 Weeks & 5 Days

Not that I'm counting of course. Still lots to do... we have been cleaning the patio as it gets so grubby over winter, 

Usually I use a jet wash, but end up wetter than the patio, this year we found this rather 'doody' brush which has some wire bristles in it. You can see how well its worked in the pics above. Yes its a bit of hard work but to be honest we found it quicker than the jet wash!

The living wall is coming along, I have 3 more plants to squeeze in, although it won't be totally 'green' its going to look alot better than it did!

My boxes full of sedums etc

Still keeping one or two plants in the greenhouse, along with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

I can't believe this is more stuff for the tip, we have already had a couple of skip loads, I shouldn't imagine this will be the last either.

My newly painted front door and windows. I am really pleased, at last the yellow, looks yellow again and not washed out.

 if anybody needs a painter I can recommend this guy wholeheartedly, he did some work for us last year too. Just contact me and I will forward his details to you.

Autumn in June??

Just past the longest day and the leaves are falling off our neighbours tree like its autumn.

I do hope not!

Operation Pond

The infection in the pond has worsened, we have found a number of dead fish, even though we have been treating them. So yesterday we took a sample of water to 'Water World' Swindon and had a long chat with the guys there. The water quality was fine which we where thrilled about. So a plan of action was hatched, we have to do a partial water change then add another treatment which we have been told will work with one treatment.

So we took the opportunity to use the vacuum and clear out the muck at the bottom of the pond

This is one of the really poorly fish, not that the picture shows it so well

Then whilst we where refilling the pond we also gave the pond patio a good scrub

Came up quite well I think.

Refilling the pond

With the treatment added. It turns the pond a wonderful psychedelic green. Quite impressive! So fingers and toes crossed this will work, as we have some quite old and large fish which we would be sad to lose.

Cheat mode, now in full operation

To cheat when growing tropicals for an Open Garden you need, one of these

and one of these..

then add all of these ingredients

mix with warm water and feed well, Then keep your fingers crossed

Meanwhile the pond is looking lush, sadly all the fish have a bad infection, which we are working on....

and I am now sat in front of this



So much for flaming June!!!

5 Weeks & 3 Days

In just 5 weeks and 3 days time my garden along with 6 others will be open. I was looking through last years photo's to see how the garden was in comparison



this was, this time last year,



this was earlier this week!!!!!



Roll on September!

Take 2,

I have had a slight problem with the 'Living Wall'. The plants where wilting and dieing even though I was watering etc. Bearing in mind I planted it in very extreme temps. Nothing I did seemed to help so after a chat to the lovely and very helpfully people at 'Garden Beet' where I purchased the 'Wally Pockets'.

This was the wall after I first planted it

 
it was decided that I needed to unplant them, change the soil mix, check the drip watering system, which I am pleased to say was working well . I did a balancing act along the top of my coal bunkers and unplanted the pockets, you can see my arm in the top left of the picture. Hubby was under strict instructions not to include me in the pic. Lol!

So here we have 'Take 2'. The weather is now very cooler, so lets hope this solves the problem.

I have been working like a 'trojan' this last week. I love it, time just flies for me when I'm out here.

The veg bed has at long last got something in it! I am currently working on the flower bed. The greenhouse is practically empty apart from the tomatoes. I have had to pull the 'Butia' in to the greenhouse as the temps are a due to drop even further. Possibly 6C tonight,  is worrying, so later  we shall be out fleecing the tropicals, just in case. Being in a frost pocket I just can't risk any damage. It is a first for me to have the fleece out in June!!

Right I am off to watch the Jubilee events. I am having a day off today!