Sunny but Freezing

I love cold frosty days with blue sky and bright sun. So I toddled outside with my camera.

This has been frozen for a few days now.

I am trying to decide what to do with this trough. Its on wheels so easily movable.

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It used to have bamboo in it, but it basically out grew the trough. It was a tremendous struggle to get it out. I think this is why I have held off putting something else in it. It remained empty last year and if I am not inspired this year I may sell it.

Another work in progress, the large trough by the pond. This is east facing, and gets full sun most of the day. I have tried a number of plants over the years, with varying success. But not quite right. Last year I made the decision to make it into another Arid bed.

Once finished planted up, it should be relatively easy to protect over winter. Especially when we get the new fence.

In the Greenhouse all the cactus, Agaves and succulents

are doing well

 

 

 

 

My palm is looking very poorly this year, it is not hardy so every year I dig it up and bring it in

and every summer out it goes. When outside it grows like crazy seems to have an incredible recovery, then every autumn I dig it out and it suffers badly. But this year is the worst. I know there will come a time when  A) I can no longer dig it out. B) It dies. I have considered keeping it in a large pot but because of its amazing recovery once it is planted out, I have continued. We will see?

The rest of the greenhouse looks like this. I have had a massive whitefly infestation which has very sadly nearly decimated my giant dandelion. I am amazed with people who have a crammed greenhouse and never suffer any beasty invasion.

Winter is the time when you can actually see the messy parts of the garden. Can you ever have too many pots? These are my larger pots, I hate throwing these ones away. The two deep troughs will be used this year as I have great plans for using them in the front garden. The others are 'just in case'!

Looks such a mess, but all useful maybe the big blue box could go??

Good wooden stakes on the floor. I have had them, for years,another 'just in case'. They where going to be used around the palms for winter protection, until I found that 'clothes props' where easier and lighter to use.I think I may chop them up and use them for firewood.

The wheelbarrow fortunately has holes in it, is full of soil that came out from between the pond and the fence. I am going to need soil to go back in there, once the fence has been done, so its just sitting at the moment.

Lots going on. Plans whizzing around my head, catalogues strewn across the floor, choices, choices.

Wrapping for Winter.

Winter has passed, you may say. The Spring Equinox is 20th March, but winter still has a grip.

The other day I got an email from the lovely man at Hardy Palms where I bought most of my rather expensive palms from. He advised as we were due to have a long spell of extremely cold weather, we should wrap up our palms.

Normally they cope well, as the temps go down to minus something, then up during the day to single figures. But this next week we are due to have sustained minus figures day and night.

So a bit of work was needed today.

These are the covers that have got us through so far.

They have not done too badly.

So I unwrapped my new Butia and it is looking good. I have to protect the growing tip and Mr Hardy Palms recommended wrapping a duvet around it. I had a suitcase full of single duvets that we used to use when my sister and her 3 girls used  when they where little and came for a visit.

So being ingenious, I cut them in half length ways and sewed along the cut seam, which made them more manageable to wrap around.

Doesn't it look cosy now.

My other Butia, before

and then after..

and finally my Brahea Armata with a new spear growing

sadly I forgot to take a photo of it all snuggled up in its duvet, but it is.

My Olives have also been wrapped up.

All we can do now is wait and see if they survive.

Pond Area, done!

The gardener came in today, it was a beautiful cold and sunny day.

If you remember this is how it looked

and this is it now. The far side has been cleared, the waterfall has been moved to this side

It is all ready to be planted up after the new fence is put in.

The Rheum has also been dug out, although the board is still bent, once the new concrete gravel boards go in I can remove the old wooden ones so the beds will be wider.

I may need to move the waterfall down a bit, but on the whole a great start.

It was my birthday recently and I was given some 'Garden Vouchers' which I will use to buy some shrubs to go in here.

Plans for the Garden, so far!

Come the spring do you plan what you would and would not like in your garden. Do you have areas you like and dislike. I do. Some more than others.

The neighbours fence is my biggest hate. It has most definitely taken a battering this year, lots of panels have popped out and refuse to go back in so I have had to put up chicken wire to stop Darcy going through.

For the past few springtime's, they have said 'we will be doing the fence' and nothing has happened.

This top part, I was trying to work out must be about 10 +/- years old

Now the blue painted fence is closer to 25 years old. It surprises me how it still stands.

The other day I was informed that they will be replacing the fence this year, you could have knocked me down with a feather. Hubby and I have always said that if ever they did do this, that we were prepared to buy the concrete gravel boards, as out garden is higher than theirs, I add more compost than they do and this would hopefully prolong the life of their fence.

I told them this, saying we would add 6 inch gravel boards at the top and 12 inch ones on the section by the pond area. So to allow for this when ordering. They where keen to go ahead quite quickly so I have ordered the gravel boards which will be arriving Wednesday and yes they do know! I just hope they buy the fence panels and go ahead.

I have been having physio on my back since before Christmas, it has been giving me so much jip! The physio has threatened me with all sorts if I dig in the  garden, but as you can see there is a problem here by the pond. The Rheum has started to roam and the piece of wood we put in to help protect the fence, has bowed considerably, so much so, no gravel board will slide in there!

Not sure what to do, but I suspect I will do it myself!

Whilst we are down by the pond, the other part I want to sort out is the other side by the water fall. This looked amazing when it was first done, 8 years ago, now, it looks a flipping mess. So I will be digging this area out as well. What I shall do with it, I have no idea?
A work in progress!

One is Growing!

The Hiniba is growing!

At long last we see movement!!! Little growing bud.

So excited , just got to keep it alive now!