On A Great British Summers Day......... not!

So here we are, nearly the middle of July and the weather is miserable. We have had rain but not the sort that actually waters the ground. I didn't realise how dry the ground was until I planted some plants so I spent the rest of yesterday watering!!!

Today of course, it really rained!!!! So as you can see the garden is growing well.

I am being very good on the feeding front, this year. the tree spinach on the right of the stripy leafed banana is doing well, and yes you can eat it lol!

Its all coming along well, but we could do with some more 'heat'!!!

My Bromeliards  seem to be doing well, I am loving the colours of them up the trunk.

My Brahea Armata, is doing so well, two new spears coming up. I think I have been scared to over water it, but it seems to be enjoying the humidity!

The new jungle bed is romping away,

The marks I made to see if it was growing and as you can see, it most definitely is. This was always a very 'dry' bed so I must remember to water, water, water!

The Arid bed is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

the next two photos where last year just after it was planted...

you can see just how much everything has grown

The Dasylirion Serratifolium is growing amazingly.
 

I hadn't realised just how much they have grown. I am just loving this.

the centre of this Yucca Rostrata is solid with fronds or whatever they are called!!

A great success, smiling now.

My Zebra Grass has excelled this year, I had planned to dig this bed out and plant my new Gunnera here, but I have changed my mind (again) lol!!

I have decided to plant it here, next to the brand new trellis, my neighbour built and attached it to MY  side of the fence, then planted a Montana Clematis to grow up it and assured me it wouldn't encroach as she would keep it trimmed back!!!!! Not sure how she intends to do that my side!!!
It gets very damp here and every year I lose the grass due to the damp, so I will move some of the ferns, arum lily, box and other bits and plant and feed like crazy!!!

So all in all the garden is looking great..................................

apart from............................................

here, I am at the end of my tether with this bed, which runs down the right hand side of the garden. next to a 6ft fence, which has an enormous beech hedge the other side, which tops the fence by 2 feet, and whilst it does that it grows over into my garden taking at least 2+ft of light from a garden that is only 13ft wide!!!!

I have added so many plants this year and it looks a flippin mess.

Serious thoughts as to what to do. I may dig the whole lot out, well, I won't, I may get 'the gardener again and build another raised bed and fill it with more arids unless you can come up with a better idea?

Last Day of June

I cannot believe it is over 2 weeks since I last posted. What a lot has grown since then. The weather has been wet and humid, ideal for my jungle, I think you will notice a big difference between now and my last post!

Excuse the old chair in this pic, its due to be broken up and put on the Chimnea.

See what I mean! How things have grown. I am being really good and feeding everything like crazy this year, I hope it pays off.

There is a BIG difference here! My left had neighbour has cut her hedge back to fence height!!! You could knock me down with a feather. I could not believe it when I went out earlier this week. She is usually very reluctant to chop 'anything' back. All I can say is WOW! It brings sooooo much light into my jungle now. Wonder what she wants me to chop back?

Can't believe how big the Hiniba is already, especially after such a slow start!

I had been wondering if my Butia palm had been growing, so I marked it the other week and as you can see it is growing. Looking a bit yellow so it obviously needs some type of feed at the moment! Will look into that and see what is needed.

My lovely, lovely Arid bed! I do love this, I have put some masks on the fence for fun!!

I think I may have worked out why my Agave is not doing well......... ants!!! It has been a big problem in the Arid bed. Anyway I dug it out and boy did the little blighters bite!! Never had that before. So gave it a good soak, a feed, haircut and new pot! Will give it a while and see how it goes.

 

Looks better already!

 
I just love the colour of this... yep, I have no idea what its name is, as it came minus a label. Sadly its flowering, but I have removed some of the leaves , so fingers crossed they may take.

My very first Agave, is magnificant, just love the markings on it, looks so healthy.

I went out the other day to collect a cactus I 'won' on Ebay for £3.50. Came back with £25 of cactus and succulents!! As you can see my collection is growing lol!!

Garden Housework!

Me do proper housework, rarely but in the garden I do tidy up quite a lot and at long last the greenhouse is more or less empty of plants. Kathryn very kindly took my winter bubble wrap down, so today I have been sorting out the sadly neglected tomatoes!

So the greenhouse went from this

too this..

looks a bit better doesn't it.

I have also been busy up the garden too,lots of planting, I bought this Canna the other day and its already flowering!

My new elephant wall hanging, rather cute I think.

A new Tiki Mask, next to my tree ferns and Spotty Dotty.

George never cam out last year, totally forgot about him, but mnot this year!

I have decorated my Trachy trunk with my Bromeliads , I was surprised how wet they get in the rain I thought I would have to water them more. I do like them.

Everything has started growing now we have had some rain.

My Mexican Blue Palm, Brahea Armata, was planted here at about this time last year. I haven't done much with this area as I wanted to make sure the palm was happy here. It is and is starting to romp away. 

So I am placing plants to see what will look good. I will probably raise the edge and add more gravel before I plant anything.