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Sunday 19 June 2016

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




Tuesday 14 June 2016

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





Friday 10 June 2016

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!
































Tuesday 7 June 2016

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