A lovely morning gardening!

I have had an awesome morning in the garden. I have been digging

and saving my jungle bed from the invasion of the Kerria Japonica, from my neighbour! It is a pain. She moans like crazy about my Trachy, I have never moaned once about her Kerria or Pyracantha she has planted along large parts of the fence and I am forever having to cut back and it has evil thorns too, but I do feel a moan coming on.

Just dug this Brugmansia San Guinea out, lots of new shoots, will pop it back in somewhere.

Everyone who walks past it says this has grown? I hope so.

The flower bed, I have still to get the sleepers in, but need help to do it,

I have been planting my large plug plants today. I think what surprised me was how warm the soil felt.

I know its an odd combination having an English flower bed right next to the arid bed, but I have no idea what else to do with it.

Although it is south facing, with the fence and the other neighbours hedge. Which grows abotu 2 ft above the fence until they cut it down, I'm not sure what else to do with it. Don't get me wrong I love a flower garden, just a bit odd next to the Arid bed.

If you have any great ideas do, let me know.

I have now managed to get one of my shelves outside of the greenhouse.

This is a tetrapanax papyrifer ‘rex’ I have had up for sale for a while, but as no one seems to want it I thought I wouldn't let it go to waste. Now they don't like being potted, but I thought for one year, what could be the harm.

The greenhouse is emptier, honest!

I have tomatoes too.

and slugs definately jump!

The Rheum is the biggest it has ever been this year!

Colocasia Pink China, shows itself.

Its definately warming up as this little Colocasia has shown its self too!

Gardening and Ground Elder

So the sun has been shining and I have been out in the garden (of course). I have been planting, shrubs and bulbs in the flower garden. That's this part of the garden.

I have also managed to get some more sleepers which will replace the smaller bits of wood which edge the beds currently.

lots more to go in, quite excited as I'm hoping it will look super.

I now have ground elder!!!! Lived here for 28 years never had it before. When my neighbour got her fence replaced it must have set something off. I've been told the best way to get rid of it is to dig out all the plants and pick out the roots!!

To the right of the old watering can is a Sambuca Nigra, which is huge and magnificent in the summer. Mind you looking at this photo from last year I can see ground elder there!!!

We also have little visitors, its most odd, there is a track to the hole in the middle of the lawn

and a pile of soil has appeared from nowhere. I think the hole is to small for rats, but that pile of soil is too big for mice, not looking forward to digging this out!!!

I love this hellabore, it flowers for ages and ages, and ages.

and as to this lawn, well I have no words, I have to replace this every year! Maybe I will paint it green!

Crammed Greenhouse.

and of course would I be in the garden and not think of some changes!! I had mentioned that we wanted a pergola, but after getting some quotes, they are quite expensive, so has been put on hold till after our daughters wedding.
But.............
                  we can always do something that just requires muscle......   so the old gunnera is not doing as well as it used to, so I think it will come out, as you can see the new pump is quite an eyesore.

 So, I thought I might swop the pump with the waterfall and plant my new Gunnera where the old water fall used to be, I think it will have more room and will hide the pump well.

plus excitement, I was told today that 15 of the old fence panels will be being changed, so will look like a new garden.

Of course Darcy is never far away.

More next time xxx

Crammed Full

My greenhouse is crammed full at the moment. I have an extra shelf unit squeezed in the middle and I can't fit anything else in till the weather improves, which is a pain.

The reason for this is two fold, I have 72 plug plants stored for my mum, whose back garden was redone last year when she had a new patio laid.

As you can see, there is more than 72 plug plants an extra 144 to be exact! Why, well I bought two lots for my large flower bed next to the arid bed which has been totally neglected for years and needed something doing to it.

The bananas are a little bit slow off the mark this year, but seem to be alive.

These are my tomato plants, although they are on a heat mat it is not switched on, I ran out of room to put things!!

These tomato plants on the floor are my neighbours, I have been bringing them on for them.

My cannas? Some are and some aren't, growing that is :(

Under the bench some of my agaves and succulents.

The flowering stalk is growing longer and longer.

Now the problem is, I still have jungle seeds to sow, but no where to put them???

Work Like a Trojan!

Such a busy week this week, last weekend we went to Toby Bucklands Garden Festival at Bowood, a couple of minutes drive from here! Then Sunday went to get the new filter for the pond, which took a whole day to set up and when it did work it was faulty, to be honest I was re leaved as I didn't like it. We returned it to the shop and they took it apart and it was broken inside!!! So got our refund and went to Gardeners World Live on Thursday with the free tickets I won from Alternative Eden blog!

I think its about 2-3 years since I went and it has changed alot, it was enjoyable, but then again it wasn't. I found it didn't flow and in fact we missed a part of it totally, but came back with some nice plants, a pond filter (saving £100) a hotbox for composting and some ideas. It was very hot and very busy and sadly I am not good in or with either!!!

So meanwhile back at home just some of the plants I bought, the rest are in the garden.

Usually I go to Quilting on a Friday, but my car was playing up so had to go to the garage, so I took the opportunity to go mad and plant as much out as I could before the forecasted rain downpours arrived.

My garden enjoying the rain but not nearly as heavy as predicted!

I did alot of planting yesterday then after that I did alot of watering too, just to make sure it rained!!

I can't believe we are in the middle of June and how small everything is.

Moved some of my Black Grass to the front of this bed.

The new bed with the Butia in seems to be coming along nicely.

I do like this part of the garden, I may make some raised beds so I can plant the Arum Lilies

New this year Green Goddess, I think she is stunning!

Hubby helped me plant this, that is why its all higgledy piggledy!!! He is such a kind, caring and generous person, but when it comes to listening, I often wonder who has been giving instructions on where to put things???

Inthe back corner of the above pic can you see?

here it is Variagated Bears Breeches or Acanthus 'Whitewater' isn't it beautiful, should be quite spectacular as it gets bigger.

This is most definately not the tropical bit  under the weed membrane is the old lawn I forgot I had done an order for £10 through the 'Money Saving Expert' quite awhile ago, fortunately they turned up yesterday I got, a Clematis, Alstroemeria, 2 Hydrangeas, 10 Begonia bulbs, 10 gladioli bulbs and 20 seed potatoes. The first 4 I have planted plus some of my own dahlias, the last 2 I have given away. I hate Gladioli with a passion, always remind me of Dame Edna Everidge!!!!!!!!!!!

The pond is surviving, we await delivery of the new filter, I have a large air pump going and we have to monitor water levels. I have a feeling it may not be the filter thats leaking, I think we may have a leak in the liner. But its slow enough not to cause any problems. If we have to redo the liner, I may hang on to September when the gardener is back and make it bigger, but don't tel hubby, I have yet to break it to him!!

Whilst planting I have found a number of TRex pups, I must admit I had a feeling the gardener hadn't dug out the majority of the root,which creates a forest of TRex pups!!! I shall bring them on then probably sell them on.

These are my other buys from Gardeners World. I have had them before and managed to kill them, mainly because I did not know how to look after them. But now I think I understand.
My Nana, grew a Venus fly trap, I can remember always being fascinated by it. I think she would have approved of these too.
I think back with fondness about my Nana, I remember going to Chester Zoo with her and when we came back she had a handbag full of cuttings!!!!!!!!!!!