Stocking Up!

Everyone is going mad buying up toilet rolls, tinned foods, pasta rice etc all due to the pandemic Coronavirus (COVID 19).

With hubby being in an 'at risk' age group we will have to self isolate at some stage, but to us this does not mean sitting in the house, on our computers. We will be 'doing'! Well I will be doing, I have been planning on what jobs need doing.
I need to finish decorating our bedroom and changing the wallpaper on the chimney breast in there. The wall paper I have, so I went out to buy wall paper paste and a wallpaper scraper.
I need to finish decorating the dining room, paint I have.
If  am restricted, I can go out in the garden, so needed some spots for all the seeds I have sown,

I also had a large delivery of bagged farmyard manure, which our lovely neighbours allowed me to bring round via there side gate. So they are all positioned ready to be opened and spread across the beds.

Nearly killed me, they where so damn heavy and because they were so heavy, I only managed 2 bags a journey. Maybe I'm getting old??

In the greenhouse there are loads of seedlings being started off. I have also got some begonias for my window box in the front. Now this is random for me because I actually don't like begonias, so why choose them you may ask? Well I always like to try different plants in my window box and in the 30 odd years of living here I have never planted begonias. My mum loves them, me, well we will see. I will admit if I see something else I am quite likely to buy them. All we can do is wait and see.

Take care and stay safe xx

Front Garden Decision

Today I have come to a decision reference my front garden. It requires too much water!  I only have a tiny water butt which collects water from the porch and is an awful eyesore when no plants are growing. I am forever having to drag the hose through the house to top up said waterbutt, so enough is enough.
I am really disappointed with the display this year, the sunflowers have been decimated by slugs. So what I 'think' I may do (as it can always change), is lose the troughs that sit on the wall behind the box hedge, which now has blight. Keep the hanging basket and windowbox, (my dad made that).
Take out the box hedge altogether and replace it with.......................

lavender! I already have two lavender bushes in the front garden and the bees love them, I always used to have lavender here and it has done well.

So as luck would have it when I was in B & M today they had a tray of 6 lavender plants for £6, £1 each not bad, so I planted them down the fence line.

I will pop out tomorrow and see if I can get some more.

Meanwhile trying to embrace the none watering theme, I made up some wall baskets for the back patio which gets full sun all day 

I basically used what was in the garden and could be dug up, to see if it would work. The planters were in B&M for £1 each. I used soil add lots of perlite so its free draining, added a layer of gravel on the top and 'Bobs your Uncle'!

They will have to be lifted in for the winter but I don't see that as a problem. It will be interesting watching them grow.

We shall see.

A Day with Sunshine.

We had a glorious day yesterday, really cheered me up. Started me thinking and looking through the plant catalogues which started arriving just after Christmas.

A photo to prove it was actually sunny, but one thing the sun does is show up the dirty windows!! But can you see whats on the windowsill...

Yep my gorgeous orchid. Funny plants, thrive on neglect, you just have to remember to occasionally water.

I have more or less decided on what I am doing out the front, something a bit different and may not work because it is north facing, but that has never stopped me giving it a go.
When out dog walking around the town (because its less muddy) I enjoy seeing what other people do. One thing that looks lovely (I think) is roses or honeysuckle round the doorway. This got me thinking..... being a cottage the height of the front door and the fact that the porch roof runs from the house towards the front door means there is not a lot of head room to actually have something growing round the door, but then, I thought there is nothing stopping me growing something either side of the doorway instead.

So I am on the lookout for some largish pots that I could stand an obelisk type of structure in. I will probably only use annuals in them, but we will see. Keep watching to find out what I do. Can't wait for spring.

Do your remember back in November I murdered my Hiniba?

Well they look very dead! But I have been assured that as long as they are not slimy or smelly there is till hope.

Busy Day!

at my daughters garden Friday & Saturday.
She and her partner moved into this house last year and over winter they have concentrated on the inside, but now the nice weather is on its way she is starting on the garden.

When they moved in it had a decking area and shed at the end which was full of woodworm so that went, they bought a small temporary shed for there tools and had the one enormous tree and 2 fairly big trees removed.
Now my daughter is a 'jammy' so 'n' so, she always manages to get the bargains of the century, last autumn she picked up a small green house 6 x 4 brand new, including glass for £30!!! so we put that up yesterday. Then last week she bought off 'Gumtree' a massive shed 8 x 12 including the gravel for underneath for £50!!! When they got it back its in pristine condition.
Now this might seem like a big shed (which it is) but my daughter likes to 'do up furniture' as a hobby, it is her switch off from a very stressful job which she loves, plus at the moment she is writing assignments for a management course she is on, so is working long hard days.
This is where her parents/me step in to help.
So a couple of weeks back we helped put up the greenhouse and yesterday we moved it as she realised it was not in the right place. (Yes I probably could have said something, but this is not my garden, I learnt by making mistakes) and I think now it is in the right place.
We then started to put down the base of the shed, but to be honest ran out of steam as K and
her boyfriend (BF) and hubby had, had to go and collect and dismantle it in the morning.
I will keep you posted how it progresses.

Meanwhile in my garden things progress a pace. We are nearing the end of my 'birthday present', next week should be his last week until the autumn. He said how much he has enjoyed working at mine as there has been so much variety in the work.

At long last I have found a new home for these box hedge plants and its not where you would expect them to be!

On the front drive! When the gardener dug out the trench for this there was a lot of gravel left over which was a bit mucky, I wasn't sure what to do with it but he suggested we did this, (well he is there gardener too) we shoved it under the neighbours hedge, as they never, ever, ever, weed under here. Every year I go round when they are out and weed the whole of under the hedge and I don't think they ever notice.

The family think I should do some topiary in the shape of a Dachshund with them now!!! Please don't look at the window box and hanging basket as obviously I still have to do these!! Plus the front door needs painting again quite a pain as we always have to do a paint match and it is never quite right!!!

This area has been an odd one really, it used to have a bench in it, then once the bench had died it became a bit of a dumping ground. So the phormium on the left has been dug out and is going to my daughters, the bamboo I'm selling, the slabs have been lifted and this has now been returned to part of the flowerbed!

Just need something to fill it with!! Won't take me long!!

Time flies..........

Since my last post time has shot by, the weather has been too hot for me to garden except for the watering in the evening.
K and her boyfriend have now moved into their house and all of a sudden I have time on my hands. Its very odd not to be needed, or not doing something for someone. Something I am still getting used too and probably will for quite awhile.
So out in the garden, plants are growing well, lots of watering is needed, but I like the cooler evenings. My daughter showed me a photo of a wintery scene and said 'only 16 weeks till this'! So I am definitely not complaining about this glorious weather!

I really, really love these Cleome's. To be honest the photo doesn't do it justice. They are definitely going to be grown next year.

 

A bit further down, lush and green and huge.The Hiniba, banana with the Red centre is doing really well.

The Ensete Montbeliardii racing the Paulownia Tomentosa.

My Cycas Revoluta, enjoying its 2nd flush in 2 years, I think its now looking like I expected it to. Well worth persevering with.

now has plenty of time to harden off.

French Beans. I love French beans, good job as there are going to be so many of them this year. I like Broad Beans too, but they are such a faff to do!

My lettuce has bolted! I like it, think it looks so pretty and you can still eat the leaves.

 

The cardoons are doing well where ever I plant them and the insects and bees love them. Hardy over winter is a bonus too.

The passionflower down by the pond, still flowering away merrily....

some of the fruit are ripening. I wonder if we could use them, and if so what for?

Some of the large leaves doing really well this year.

At the front of the house is my window box, now this window box without the plants is very dear to me, as my dad had it made along with another one, now defunked, for our family home. Mum let me have this one when she moved after dad died. Its make from teak and weighs a ton, but I love it.
Anyway as you can see I have achieved the clashing colours I wanted last year. The surfina's where/are not happy here at all , so not much trailing has been going on, it looks just as good inside as it does out!

My hanging basket was my hubbies idea, he saw one just like this in a garden centre, so I thought why not give it a go. Ipomea and Black Eyed Susan. It looks fabulous and has not stopped flowering.

Now for the best bit, I have a pot to the side of my front door and as I'm on a budget this year I ran out of plants, so wandered down my garden to see what I had left. I found a Passionflower I have had for a few years that has done nothing, so I thought if nothing else its green. Anyway it was planted, and bearing in mind this is north facing....

Aren't they the prettiest flowers ever. I may just keep this plant!

Until next time xx

Up & Down the Garden!

On the north side of the house spring is finally springing! This is one of K's pots and to be honest the photo does not do it justice, it is gorgeous!



This is one of my large leaved buys from last year which has come through the winter raring to go. Sorry the name has slipped my mind!!



My window box looking a bit better than last time I showed you!!




The tulip pots have once again excelled themselves...



The view down the garden!



The small greenhouse is bursting at the seems with seed trays full of tomatoes, chillis, peppers, cucumbers, aubergines, peas, french beans and bags of potatoes plus a few of my exotics which need heat mats! I shall have to wrap them all up tonight as a frost has been forecast!










The flower bed at the bottom of the garden needs a total makeover, but I am reluctant to 'have a go' as my back is still not up to major digging! I may very well have to get someone in, which I am also reluctant to do, as they may just dig everything up!!!! Maybe I could persuade K to come back for a workout one weekend!!!!




The bamboo is sending up lots of culms. I shall have to dig up this pot (well hubby will) and pop the bamboo in a large one.



I love the bamboos, never used to but do now!

Sorry just had to pop a pic of my fourlegged friend on!