All Change...... Again!!!

Before I get on with what I'm changing, just to let you know I managed to get the gro light fixed. We tried a new bulb, fuse etc etc then I took it to a funny little man in town who does all things electrical. He said 'I can't work miracles', as its a sealed unit. I said 'Fine, I just want to know if its working or broken!' Went back 3 hours later, all working, cost £5!!!! Bargain! Well chuffed.

Anyway, yesterday was a beautiful day so I decided to dig over the veg beds, but as usual got distracted. The first bed as you go down the garden, I had wanted to use to extend the jungle. As we live in a democratic household, I was out voted so this now has to be returned to veg! I need to find a home for the cardoon, but then got distracted trimming back the neighbours laurel hedge!

The third veg bed was easiest to dig over, you will see the neighbours apple tree in the next garden, she has decided it would be safer to take it down. Currently she has chopped of a few of the large branches and the difference this has made to my garden already, is amazing.

The fourth, veg bed next to hubbies office was added when we had all the building work done 3 years ago. It was never the most successful veg beds, so we had considered planting some tropicals in it!!

Last night, now the evenings are lighter, when everyone comes home from work and they know I have been in the garden we wander down discussing, the 'whys and wherefores'. We got here and a long discussion ensued.  I explained the rose was coming out and some tropicals where going in! We all agreed it was a difficult bed and had never really worked for what it was built for. Then K (eldest daughter, becoming a big gardener too) said 'put it back to grass'.  We all looked at one another, talked more and agreed it was the best option!!!
It will open up this part of the garden, but bearing in mind this was all put in by the builder could be a challenge.
So the plan:- 1. move the trellis (which I have an awful feeling is concreted in!!) to up against the compost bins. 2. take out the sleepers to be reused by the pond. 3. Then find somewhere for all that soil??????????? 4. Seed or turf.
All to be finished before June/July in time for the Village Open Gardens!!!!!

Why didn't we think of this last year when time was on our side!!!!

Totally in the Dark!

I got up in the night (as you do at my age) and realised how dark it was. Well of course it would be, being the middle of the night and especially as we live in the middle of nowhere, so no light pollution! Normally my growing light in the greenhouse shines like a beacon, but no, it was pitch black!!!

Mine is the four foot one,sadly the nylon string which you use to raise and lower has rotted or something and fell apart, so I now use 2 meat hooks!! Anyway after much checking of fuses and trip switches it looks very much like the tube has gone! Unfortunately for me, in the middle of seed sowing trying to source a new tube has proved difficult as 'Root It!' are no more. Anyway I found a man in Trowbridge who could help and I should be collecting it tomorrow.
Meanwhile, we have had a number of good days with that bright, warm, yellow ball thing in the sky. This has enabled us to do quite a bit in the garden.
One of my Phormiums looks really happy in it's pot. I am planning on planting this in a new Jungle bed I am creating, but wonder should I 'leave well alone'?

The Butia, which had been very poorly when I bought it seems very happy at the moment. It has been out all winter and is sending new shoots up. I would really like to get it out of this pot. I am currently looking for a galvanised trough for it to go in, I even have a place for it to go too!

As much as I loved the box ball's in the corners of the veg beds, they did take up alot of 'root room'. This fence belongs to my neighbour and is so rotten that if you sneezed it would probably fall down! (well maybe not quite that bad) As you can see we have had to put up chicken wire to stop Mr Darcy visiting as its our responsibility to keep our dog in. So we decided to plant them along here let them grow into one another to form a complete hedge..... eventually. I am actually quite pleased and think it will look good.

I have now taken on the roll of 'Organiser' for the Village Open Gardens. They have no idea what they have let themselves in for lol! I have lots of ideas which I hope they will embrace. It looks like they will open either June or July (date to be decided ).  I usually start my 'nanas' off the 1st April so I thought I ought to start a bit earlier as I would really like to get some height going. Well if Chelsea can do it why can't I, how hard can it be? lol!!!!!
So yesterday I dug them out from the back of the greenhouse, tidied them up, trimmed them up and bearing in mind these have been stood upside down for 6 -8 weeks and had no water for all of winter it still amazes me how much moisture is held inside them. So they are now stood in pots of compost, which is just out of the bag, no water added. I have four heaters in here,  2 tube ones and  2 fan heaters.
Its quite scary cos if they do grow quick what do I do with them once they have outgrown the greenhouse???

Here we have 2 potted bananas that have again, not been watered all winter, but since it warmed up have started back into growth. I have been kind and given them a very little drink.

I have managed to jig stuff around to create space for more shelving, as the pricking out continues space becomes limited. As you can see I also keep the bag of compost in here too so it is already warmed up.

I do love this time of year, it is so good to be outside in the garden again. I am fortunate to have a daughter who loves it as much as I do. I look round and think there is an awful lot to do, that is the perfectionist in me, I think if I sort the lawn out then actually there probably isn't although I am very good at creating jobs for myself!!!

More Greenhouse time.....

We had a fantastic day in the garden on Sunday, the sun shone all day, we had morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea in the garden, plus got loads done as well, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We have moved all the 'Box Balls' out of the veg beds as they where beginning to take up alot of space, I only need to find homes for 3 more. The lawn is no longer lawn, but moss. It will need a serious amount of work done to get it back to how it was 2 years ago!! I went down to the greenhouse today as I needed to do some pricking out, I know I am quite ahead, but I need to be, as I am now in charge of the organisation of the 'Village Open Gardens'. It seems very apparent that everyone else wants to open June and I need September. So we bow down to the majority, but I may just open September on my own as well. Anyway full cheat mode maybe put into operation and I may well start off Bananas etc in the heated Greenhouse in pots to get them going and hopefully a bit taller than they would be normally.

So on the heatmat we have Canna's, Brugmansia, some pricked out seedlings of Black Eyed Susan and Cobea Scandon Alba.

My Aeoniums seem very happy underneath the propagater. I don't do an awful lot to them over winter.

As you can see the propagater mat is full. I pricked out alot today and like to put them back on the heat mat for a little while to settle them down, then they will be place on shelving and I can start some more seeds off, it is all planned out. The problem is do I have space?? I haven't even thought about starting any veg yet! I may have to cheat a buy seedlings, not something I normally do!!!

Here I have 4 very large Brugmansia, one of my potted bananas has decided to start growing,which I may continue to encourage, the palm is quite happy. You can just see the new shelving I have put up to help take the seedlings as they begin to take over the greenhouse.

On the plus side the 4 Silver Birch in my neighbours garden are now 3, you can just make out the mound of ivy in between the remaining trees. It blew down at the end of last week.

Also a very old apple tree in the neighbours garden is very, very wobbly and has a decided lean to our garden. When we mentioned it to our neighbour she said she would chop off a few branches. We are not convinced, once in full leaf and covered in apples this may very well arrive in our garden!!!!