Sunday 22 February 2015

Garden in Winter

I do not like my garden in winter, it is so dull and brown/grey. But now the evenings are getting lighter I start to get excited about what I have planned!

The bamboo is doing exactly what I wanted it to do and that was hide the water butt


but it is doing it a little too well. As you can see it has spread out quite significantly, when I bought it I was told it was a 'clumper'. I do not want it to break the brick wall, which it is well capable of so it will be coming out, with the help of my birthday present 'money for a gardener' (to do the heavy stuff!

In its place I will move the TRex, provided it comes back to life!


The Tree ferns are doing well, the lower one better than the taller one.


See what I mean about brown/grey!!! That Cordyline was planted as a filler a few years ago and should have died by now (winters) but it hasn't, so before it gets much bigger I (or the gardener)will move it down the garden behind the Phormium!


Trachy is looking pretty good now and must be double my height?


Butia seems ok in the new bed. Just not sure about the bamboo trough, great for winter protection, but???????


The Phormium, has settled well in its new bed, in fact its looking a lot perkier than when it was in its tub, just need to look out for a solar pump for the ball pool, and some rocks.


Cough, cough! a new dumping ground! This is something I am really, really bad at. Space that doesn't have a use becomes a dumping ground! The smaller phormium is coming out and going to my daughters, she has the Hardy Tropical bug too!! But what to do here? Its not big enough for a seat so do I extend the flower bed? Really not sure!


The rest of the flower bed, with the damage panel that is only just hanging in there. The neighbours (its there fence) won't replace it as they can't see it!!! Anyway lots to be done in this bed I really would like the whole lot dug out and gone through to get rid of the bind weed roots. I know I will never find them all but I can certainly reduce them considerably!


Bloomin veg beds! these have not been good for years, so I have seriously thought about getting rid of them. To what though lawn? possibly thats what was there before, but its boring. Sarah Raven has plants for cutting which I think would look fabulous here, but if the veg don't grow would the flowers. Still to be mulled over!


The lawn? well the moss!!! New turf both sides of the path last year, dug and aerated and treated and it still comes back!!! I'm not sure the new fence has helped.


2 years running this has happened so there is no point in growing grass here. The bed below is easily incorporated into the flower bed. But the one above mmmmmmm??? Playing with ideas, I suppose if I got rid of the veg beds turned them to lawn with a small bed along the fenceline for sunflowers, ricinus, foxgloves and other tall stuff. I could use the wood to create a triangular raised bed so it would get more sun for ??? I was just thinking I could make it an 'Arid' bed, more thought needed I think, but I like the idea.


The pond, just look at the state of those fence panels just wish the damn things would fall down. They where put up 3 neighbours ago probably about 1990 they have concrete fence posts. For some unknown reason they never ever get blown out like the others, each year I paint them to hopefully disguise them abit!
Should be interesting to see how the pond has faired this winter. If you remember last year we had lots and lots of baby fish, which will have to be found new homes if they survived.
So far no frogs spawn.


Passion flower still hanging in there.


Olive has been out all winter this year. Not planned just got forgotten, but doesn't look any the worse for it.


This is the bottom bed that backs onto the compost. It gets very damp here so is or was planted with loads of hellabores and spring bulbs followed by 2 very large ferns. The ferns are fine, the spring bulbs are just starting to poke through, but this is the only Hellabore to survive. To be honest I'm pleased I like Hellabores.

So on the walk back up the garden I notice all the new shoots






 So I think spring is not too far away!

1 comment:


Thank you for visiting my blog. Please let me know what you think, and that you have visited. If we met in real life I would offer you cake and coffee or tea x