So far so good....

it was a soggy old week and I despairing I would get the border done but yesterday the forecast was warm and cloudy so I put on my old gardening stuff and got started

My faithful shadow supervised me

This bed was much harder than the last one ...so stoney and lots of old China and some glass.  I remember my mum telling me years ago old broken China etc  used to be buried in gardens as in
those days rubbish collection was not what it is today and there weren't rubbish tips like today.

I spent hours pottering, pondering  and deciding.  This border has geraniums of all kinds, different fushcia, shrubs, penstrom, iris, bleeding heart, carnations and plants where the labels are long gone. "Colin" my little Cornish gnome is in residence and a,bird table that I drilled holes in and will pin down and add some bedding to.


I am so pleased...DH well he congratulated me with a glass of wine and a "well done sweetheart , you were right, the borders look really good" praise indeed bless him.  We sat  in the late sunshine, I looked a picture for sure in my muddy clothes, wind swept hair, filthy nails but looking over the
garden I was happy but too tired to even take a picture or put away the now empty pots.  The pictures I took this morning were after a night of rain and no slug or snail damage anywhere so Fred must be
in residence too.

The kitchen garden has enjoyed this rainy week and everything is doing well, but I am so far not impressed with the runner beans variety I chose.  They don't seem to be bushing out and are slow to climb..time will tell I suppose.

Inside my cucumber plants in the front porch are doing really well, I have two plants and have 12
cucumbers ... Now I am starting to feed them.  The chilli pepper are doing well on the kitchen window sill but need potting on..a job during the week.  The cougettes need planting out to and another batch of cabbage and chard too.    Onions are in and I am growing some garlic ... The bees are plentiful, not seen any butterflies or ladybirds yet.

I have been putting some log cabin blocks together using my favourite Lakehouse fabric and a few others.  This will be a large lap quilt which my sweet girl is "eyeing" up.  I am not sure if I will hand quilt, machine it or tie it...... This is it so far

Patiently waiting.....

Goodness it is cold here in Weat Wales and pouring down that the front garden is again like a bog.

The new flower bed has been prepared and the plants layed out but nothing more I can do until it stops raining so I can get out there

before it was dug out

but it should look nice when 

it does get planted up.

The roses have been purchased too 

But it's too wet to venture 

out to show the names  of

what we have chosen.

We have also 

purchased two new rhubarbs

and these we 

did manage  to plant  

first thing Sunday 

before the rain returned.

A bit of sewing

My first attempt at a fabric bowl.

May be a few more if this weather continues.

Oh nearly forgot

Fred the frog in residence

On a scale......

For anyone interested 2 new swaps have been posted this week.  Kimberley at Creative Chaos and Tracy at Mad about bags are both doing one so if you fancy some fun pop over and join in the fun!

Back to my week.......
on a scale of one to ten I am at about 9..... Post gardening pain that is !!! is entirely my own fault but once I started I just had to go for it and did it all in a few hours.  So the pain is well worth it ..

Here are the before and after pics.  Late Wednesday I decided I just couldn't bare the heather (inherited when we moved here) and the sheer volume of "elephant ears" so I decided Thursday I would "go for it".

This is what the front 

of the border looked like 

before it was extended around the

pear tree to the right of the picture

First

elephants ears cut severely back,

well the heather 

took ages to cut back to get to the roots, 

which then I dug out,

then new compost dug in

and the fun of planting began

Found this little chap 

and "relocated him under the miniature

bamboo..

he was quite large 

and finding him ...

well it  gave me an idea...

ready to go 

and ta da 

Complete with 

a frog paddling pool...

and frog was,placed,in it 

and I must say looked 

rather surprised...

but I have seen him in it again since

The new border now has hardy fuschia,

(2 varieties) , phlox, geraniums, sweet William, 

snap dragons, astilbe ,  lupin, carnation ,

to name a few

over the months some evergreens 

will be added 

Chris dug the opposite border yesterday for me .

Again it is quite long

but I have the plants for it

and they haven't cost much.

Most will be repotted from planters 

and pots dotted around the garden.

I can use those pots then for 

Annuals and plants that can't tolerate

the heavy soil here.

It's pouring here at the moment 

so more planting may have to wait.

The funny thing is DH is rather impressed

and gardens are not "his thing" 

impressed,so much that is

he wants to go shopping

next week to get some

roses!!

Wonders will never cease!

Just pottering

well June has been marvellous so far.  Daily bright, beautiful long days filled with sunshine, though yesterday evening rain and thunder storms arrived and this morning all around us is covered in mist but it is still very humid.

As it was half term last week little sewing has been done , but lots of gardening, days out here and there to the beaches, and just sitting in the sunshine in the garden,  long cool drinks, lollies and ice creams ....happy days.

Outside our kitchen and dining room we have a small patio area and it was here I decided to
locate our little "kitchen garden".  The patio is less likely to be hit by the winds we get here and of course it is ideal to nip out of the kitchen and grab what herbs and veg you need when cooking.  This little space is still a work in progress but it is coming along.  We have lots of 70 and 50 litre tubs which are getting planted up as I go along.  Pots of flowers too of course  to attract the bees needed for the beans, cougettes etc.

I have taken lots of cuttings

as my flower border

plans have begun.

My little stand alone greenhouses, 

also in the kitchen garden 

are getting rather full.

&

From this 

To this 

This border will have plants

added as I go along as 

I want to have colour through the

seasons. 

I imagine it will take several years to 

"Grow" this border,

shrubs, bulbs and plants

will be added as I go along.

Back in Kent our lovely old neighbour gave 

me this advice which is how I 

planted my old garden and will do so

with this one.

He told me every month visit car boot

 sales, garden centres and see what is for sale in shops.

Look at neighbour and local gardens,

See what grows well,

what plants are grown in tubs

He told me this way I would get 

borders to enjoy all

year round. 

So that will be my plan 

again. 

The opposite plot to this is going to have a border cut out this week.

Chris is going to dig it for me 

and I shall do the planting.

A friend sells plants from outside his 

house nearby and he is going to 

bring me some shrubs and hardies.

I am very excitied about this.  

Like doing patchwork with plants.

I still miss the colour and mature garden I 

left when we moved ....

but little by little 

the gardens here are becoming 

"Ours"

All the apple trees 

and our single pear tree

have tiny fruit..

the gnomes are 

back in residence

I found this at a boot fair this weekend.

Now freshly washed it 

is so summery 

and 

will be used on

the garden bench when the

sunshine returns.

Until next time