A famous face at our local DIY store.

Well, who should we see on our trip to the local B & Q but the guy who plays Dave in Gavin & Stacey (who knows what his name is? Stefan someone, Luke says) was at the checkout with a selection of garden plants. He and I looked at one another for a second and I could tell he was thinking, "She's going to fathom out where she knows me from in a minute" whilst I was wondering if I should save him the 25 quid he was about to part with for a bamboo and offer him a free clump, only four minutes away, at our house. I decided it sounded too weird; a complete stranger approaching a semi-famous face with an offer to "come back to my house and I'll give you something you want" so I said nothing, walked past and left him thinking he'd had a lucky escape from a fan.

We ended up taking the clump to the tip, we just can't seem to give it away now!

The greenhouse - the saga continues.

Ho hum, this greenhouse is NOT going to beat me. So, a week off and we now have the foundations dug, the area cleared and a layer of breezeblocks being cemented together as I type (by ever hard working Luke). He's been at it all day as his Mum and I have chatted. BUT, ta da! All this hard foundation work means that tomorrow we may finally get around to actually putting the framework up. Our tomatoes are rapidly raising their heads towards the conservatory ceiling and will so love their new home which is still a collection of metal and glass in the shed. Everytime I stray in there for the lawn mower or spade or whatever I worry that I am going to stick my wellie through some panes and then will have to 'fess up to Luke. So far, touch wood, that hasn't happened - there is still tomorrow though!
Talking of lawn mowing, I bought the cheapest strimmer I could find (two pence under a tenner) yesterday and put it together today to have a go. Whilst strimming the edge of the lawn I beheaded a pelargonium and hacked a great clump out of my golden thyme before I finally got the hang of it. It now languishes in the shed. I told Luke it was the worst tenner I've spent on the garden in a long while. It just goes to prove yet again that buying the best you can afford always pays. Of course most of us would buy the best we could if we had the money but it's not that simple, is it? However, when you work out how much the thing will cost you in the long run the good stuff often pays for itself, is more comfortable to use and ends up saving time and money. I think I've bleated on about this before so I will hush up.

I was up early this morning, 4.45am, as I couldn't sleep and I didn't want Luke's stepdad, Chris, to miss his early morning start (he's a wildfowler and was appearing at a Welsh show this weekend so had to be up and at the showground early). All well and good but now there are TWO birthday parties going on either side of the road and they are very, very loud. Dance music through speakers on one and karaoke from the other. Not a happy bunny!! Good night!

The next day - all Luke's hard work is not going to waste as you can see from these photos. First off, the hens have a messy dust bath in the overturned ground. They all budge up together and scrabble around, flicking dust up and over their bodies, they twist and turn and end up almost upside down and unrecognisable as chickens - there is often no head to be seen; possibly just a foot sticking out of a ball of feathers. Once finished they stand up and have a jolly good shake when a huge cloud of dust rises from them. Job done, they wander off though the falling dust in search of more food.





On the other hand, Socks (Jack's cat) makes use of the ready made litter tray - we need to get this greenhouse up and sorted quickly before all Luke's hard work just becomes Poo corner!





July 5th
This greenhouse milarky is turning into a saga. I keep grumbling to Luke that if we ever buy another greenhouse it should be new (which totally goes against our mean streak) but now, finally after weeks of digging, concreting, foundation building, frame erecting and glass and clip (a huge thanks to my Mum) cleaning we are on the final stretch and now it looks like a real greenhouse. We even planted it up before the glass went in as the tomatoes were in desperate need of some root space and had all flopped over in their pots. We have quite a bit of glass to buy as there were some missing panes when we bought the greenhouse. We have to wait until the weekend before we can get them, no time in the weeks. Somehow, Socks the cat has decided to stop using the greenhouse base as a litter tray which is a relief (but not for her).
I'm looking forward to putting the staging in so we can pretend it's Mr McGregor's greenhouse and start potting up.



The view from the conservatory.

And now for the greenhouse.

No real garden is complete without a greenhouse. It allows you to garden much more cheaply and ensures you have a wider range of plants and a longer growing season. Now we have more space we have invested in a second hand greenhouse, bought on EBay for £265 from a lovely guy, Leighton, in Devon. We've gone for the largest we could find and afford after careful investigation (the complete gardening book by Geoff Hamilton is still my bible). He suggested getting the largest greenhouse you can as you soon run out of space in it. He also stressed how important ventilation is so you need an adequate amount of windows that actually open (second hand ones need to be checked to ensure they work correctly before you buy them). Leighton helped take the greenhouse apart and we parted good friends. We hope he'll pop by and see how it looks when he's over in Cardiff.
Because we have both been working full time there has been little time to get the greenhouse erected. We have this week off work so are hunkering down to get the job done. Luke has dug over the ground we are putting it on and is now laying a base whilst I am cleaning the glass and metal of the greenhouse. Boring but worthwhile. Let's hope a few of the angry wasps don't make a (sorry about the pun) bee line for us!

June 18th.
We had a break yesterday and drove down to Cornwall to visit Luke's Dad. A trip to Fowey, reached by the car ferry was very pleasant. We had a pub lunch with Trevor (Luke's Dad) and his girlfriend Julie, who drives the local bus. A group of unsuspected pensioners were dive bombed by a huge and hungry seagull who disappeared with one of their sandwiches, grabbed straight out of a hand of one of the group. The pub had a sign stating that if anyone had their food stolen or spoiled ("natural causes") by the seagulls then they wouldn't get a replacement or reimbursement. I guess it happens a lot. Anyway, after wandering along the little main street, punctuated by stops to nose in shop windows, we caught the ferry back and drove to Hannafore where we sat on the grass and looked over at Looe Island whilst eating clotted cream topped icecreams. As Trev said, "This is the life" and it was. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday, hey?
Now we are back and hopefully ready to tackle the huge job that is the greenhouse. How I long for it to be up and ready to use. Today Luke is going to carry on with the other two sides of foundations whilst I am meant to be laying the blocks it will stand on. Sure to be some grumbling going on before the day is out!
Tonight Luke's Mum\and stepdad are coming to stay so we have to be done and dusted in order to welcome them. Best crack on.....

Half past eight and our work is done for the day. These long evenings will allow us to garden longer for normal for a little while longer. Who can believe we are almost at the longest day of the year? I've been reading about biodynamics, the waxing and waning of the moon and such like. It sounds pretty interesting but for now I am just getting out there and planting away.

Plant information

I will add more information about each plant, time permitting. For now, this is a list of all the plants I have in the garden. At the bottom of the page I have used the BBC plant finder website to add information on each plant.

Acanthus spinosus
Acononitum – Album
Ajuga reptans 'Atropurpurea'
Alcea – Nigra and Chaters white (see Hollyhocks)
Aquilegia – Clementine Dark Purple
Arabis – white and pink
Armeria (see also Sea thrift)
Atrum Lily (see also Zantedescia)
Astrantia – Snowstar
Berginia – Bressingham white
Calla Lily (see also Zantedescia)
Campanula - Alba
Carex – Rekohu Sunrise and Everest
Chaenorhnum – Blue Dream
Cineraria – Silver dust
Clematis – Vyvyan Pennell, Multi Blue and H.E.Young)
Conifer (see also Picea Glauca)
Dierama – Blue Belle
Digitalis purpurea Alba (see also Foxglove)
Gentian – Verna angulosa
Gigitalis purpurea
Elder (see also Sambucus)
Eryngium – Variofolium, Jos Eikjing and Jade Frost (see also Sea Holly)
Eucomis – Bicolour
Euphorbia – Baby Charm
Foxglove – Alba (see also Digitalis)
Gladioli – Black star
Geranium – Lotusland and Chocolate Candy
Hardy Lily - White
Heuchera – Midnight Rose and Obsidian
Helleborous
Hibiscus – speciosus
Hollyhock - Nigra and Chaters White(see also Alcea)
Honeysuckle (see also Lonicera Japonica)
Hymenocallis Festalis
Lavender
Lilac (see also Syringa)
Lonicera Japonica – Hall's Prolific (see also Honeysuckle)
Lupin – Blossom and Gallery Pink
Mahonia
Nemesia – Vanilla Scent
Oriental Lily - Muscadet
Picea Glauca – Daisies White (see also conifer)
Polemonium – Stairway to Heaven and Brise d'Anjou
Rosemary - officinalis
Rose (Rosa) – Mme. Alfred Carriere, Geoff Hamilton, Teasing Georgia, Crown Princess Margareta and Spirit of Freedom
Sage - Tricolour
Sambucus – Black Lacvve (see also Elder)
Sea holly (see also Eryngium)
Sea thrift (see also Armeria)
Stachys – Silver Carpet
Sweet pea – Diamond Wedding
Syringa vulgaris – Madame Lermoine (see also Lilac)
Tellima – Grandiflora
Thyme - Aureus
Verbascum – Pink Petticoats
Verbena – Aztec Pearl
Zantedescia – Aethiopica (see also Arum lilly)
Acanthus spinosus
Common Name: Bear's breeches
Genus: Acanthus
Species: spinosus
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Dry, Moist
Height: 150cm
Spread: 60cm
Time to plant seeds: March to April
Time to divide plants: February to April
Flowering period: June to September

Ajuga reptans 'Atropurpurea'
Common Name: Bugle
Genus: Ajuga
Species: reptans
Cultivar: 'Atropurpurea'
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Clay/heavy, Acidic, Chalky/alkaline, Moist
Height: 15cm
Spread: 90cm
Time to divide plants: March to May

Casualties

It can be a dangerous place, the garden. Don't be fooled by those quintessential Summer days with butterflies and busy bees flitting from flower head to flower head. Nope, there is danger at every turn - especially if you are an idiot like me and think you can trample the garden rubbish further into your refuse bin so you can cram more grass cuttings in. Note the first photo is all smiles. The second shows how a solitary green bin can turn on you when you least expect it - especially if you are in the darn thing.




The picture really does do the bruise justice, it was over a hand's length and vivid scarlet with black dots by day two. No one to blame but myself though! This is also one of those times I probably won't learn by my mistakes; when I have another load of garden waste to compress into it I'm sure to be getting in there with my steel toe-capped wellingtons again. Some people never learn!


This time the casualty was a fork! These innocuous small trees were planted so close together that their roots intertwined and it was like trying to separate spaghetti!
Luke persevered though and we always have at least two forks and spades so we could continue in our quest to remove the root system. Good old Luke sweated over this one, I can tell you!

My tips.

Photograph your progress.
My top tip is to always photograph as you go along because it can get awfully disheartening when you've worked so hard and don't think you have got very far. To look back over your progress with before, during and after shots always makes you realise you have done more than you think and gives you impetus to continue. I can't overestiamte how much this helps, just trust me on this.

Buy the best tools you can afford and always use the correct one for the job.
You have heard the adage, "A bad workman always blames his tools"? Well, let me tell you it is so much easier to use the best quality and appropriate tool for a job. Why make it harder on yourself?

Keep it clean.
I am also a bit of a tidy freak so I always clear away the mess at the end of each day's gardening. It takes a bit longer but it gives you the best impression of the work you have done when you look out in the morning. I am aware that not everyone wants to do this - it's just my eccentricity.

Puddle your plants in.
I always find it helps the plant to get established by watering the plant and the hole you have prepared BEFORE you put the plant in. Dig your hole, half fill it with water, let it drain away and then remove your plant from it's pot, gently tease the roots then place your plant in the hole, filling it around the sides with soil and then pressing down all around it with your heel to firm it in. Water it well again and this should give your plant the best possible chance to survive.


Look for the best side of your plant before you plant it.
All plants have a best side, make sure you place them so they show it.

Garden 3 Photos only

If you have had enough of me rabbiting on here is a photographic overview of the last four months in our new garden. It has a long long way to go before it's picture perfect, if indeed it ever is but it always seems to be messier before it gets better. Please get in touch if you want additional info.

Garden 2 April 2004 - December 2009

Take a walk through our garden, it's quicker than having to read all my descriptive waffle.


More photos as I was doing the 'courtyard'. Shakira checks it out for me.







If you can't access the video then here are some pics to give you an idea of what we started with and how we progressed.







Luke getting in some r & r before the hard work starts - he doesn't know it yet but he will end up cutting down a massive oak tree in the neighbour's garden, digging up old roots, concreted-in posts, dismantle a dangerous brick wall, design and build a fence, raised pathway and decking area and provide a house and run for chickens. Phew!


The work begins..,










When we first moved in we had a huge oak tree next door which starved the garden of light. The old boy who had planted it as a youngster, just a few feet from his back door, still lived in the house but was ready for it to be taken down so we did just that for him although we made the mistake of cutting all the branches off it first and then had nowhere to stand whilst cutting it down from the top. In the end we had to hire scaffolding which cost us £70 so it was an expensive lesson learned. However, this opened up the garden and offered us the opportunity to plant lots of things which needed full sun instead of a few bluebells which seemed to be the only things growing there before.







We knocked down a rickety shed and then Luke slaved over a raised wooden walkway I'd designed in a curvy shape, crossing the little pond I had made and then stepping up to a higher deck area in a kidney shape. We softened the edges with planting and lined the walkway with lavender. Our favourite plant was a small standard olive we bought for a tenner which absolutely thrived. I read that olives should be pruned to allow a small bird to fly through it's branches and it seemed to enjoy it's 'haircut', shooting out new growth almost immediately. The year before we left it had three lovely looking olives on it.



The same year I spent over £1000 on pebbles so I could lay my own courtyard design which I did by drawing a design on graph paper. I started very diligently using a half metre square frame I had made before doing my usual 'freestyle'.

Here we have made some leeway, having put up the fence and deck but still have to put in the raised curving pathway and taking up the small patch of grass to make two wide borders each side of the path. At this stage we haven't even thought about chickens or a courtyard yet.

Unpopular decisions

It's with a heavy heart that I have to report we've realised that, if we want the greenhouse put up in it's optimum location we must move it further away from the shed. This means the old misshapen and decidedly sorry for itself cherry needs to come out. We had pruned this to a slightly better shape when we first moved here as it had one great long branch of over eight feet which made it look very lopsided. Even though we had never been totally convinced of it's place in the garden when it comes to taking it out; ie, killing it, it's not a decision we took lightly. When removing plants you have to decide if it's not right, healthy or useful and sadly our tree had two out of three of the criteria. We feel like tree-murderers (which we are) but convince ourselves that it is for the greater good of the garden.



Two hours later: the old girl came out very easily. It seems she had never really been planted properly and so was very easy to topple just by digging around her roots and sawing through the tap root. I noticed Luke giving the trunk a consolatory pat before he cut through it. The more we garden the more we realise all things have a right to live. Still, the tree has gone; the trunk will be used as firewood once it's seasoned and we now have a clear area in which to erect the greenhouse. Seeing as how the greenhouse was a priority for us and something had to give I've just got to stop feeling bad about the tree. I'm a tree killer and that's all there is to it! Sorry!

Disclaimer

Before I get ahead of myself I should say I am only a keen amateur gardener and any 'advice' I give should be checked first before you plant your precious purchases or gifts. I get inspiration and ideas from gardening books, online searches and Gardener's Question Time on the radio as well as asking at garden centres and with more knowledgeable friends and family. It's always best to check first - this is merely a blog with trials and some successes along the way. Enjoy it but don't just take my word for what works. I want you to have healthy plants and happy lives.

Garden 3 February 2010 to date.

February 2010. The view of our garden from the loft. Nothing yet has been tackled.




Wanted: working garden, incorporating vegetable patch, flower beds, chicken house.

Wish list:
Greenhouse
Shed
Water feature
Vegetable patch
Flower bed/ borders
Chicken run
Herb garden
Lawn for relaxing

Type of soil:
Heavy clay, stony.

Priorities:
Erect secure chicken house and run.
Remove diseased and misshapen trees.
Dig borders to allow planting of various plants brought with us in pots
Prune sickly shrubs bordering our garden.

Once Luke has started on the chicken house in order for us to get our chickens back home (a kind friend had been trying out chicken keeping on our hens before committing to purchasing some herself). We had sold our house in December 2009 but the house we wanted had fallen through so we rented a first floor flat for two months whilst house hunting. We had already seen this house and loved it although we thought the garden wasn't large enough for our needs. We had contacted the owner of the field that the garden backed onto to see if he would sell us a small amount of land but the answer was no. We still put in an offer which was rejected so we decided it wasn't to be. However, in January 2010 I had a phone call from the estate agent, asking if we were still interested in the house as the vendors had seen a property they liked and would now accept our offer. Within a month we were packed up and moving in. The real work began!

Unsure whether it really was enough garden for us we spent February deciding what needed to be taken down. It's advisable to live for a year with a garden to see what grows throughout the changing seasons but as sound as that advice is when you love gardening you don't want to spend a year looking at it. There were some obvious jobs to be tackled; we had a huge fir which was brown and sickly bordering our garden. It blocked out light and took moisture and goodness from the soil. The chickens loved scratching about underneath the tree so we kept some of the branches to line their run.

Okay, the hard work begins.





It had to come out though and as loath as we both are to remove existing plants there is no point if they are diseased or just in the wrong place. That fir, along with three sickly looking young trees which had their roots interwoven were the first things to go. Whilst it's not a job for the light hearted you are best trying to remove the root system of anything you don't want as most often it will throw up new life and your problem continues. You'll also have a mass of roots still in the ground which will impede growth from any plants you put in it's place. Best to get stuck in and dig it up if you can or find a fit young person to do it for you; in our experience it's always less problematic to remove roots than to leave them, however daunting the prospect. With Jack's grandsons helping Luke out he also dug up a huge quantity of bamboo which was growing into the lawn. It was a b*tch to remove. It must have been covering an area 8 foot by 5 foot and it's rhizomes were rapidly spreading so great clumps were dug into and removed, having first been stripped of their canes which I would use to support peas and beans later in the year. We offered the rhizomes to friends but no one wanted them without canes so we kept a few intact for friends to have. To date they are still in pots because no one can fit them in their cars! The obvious thing to do is cut them back but I think they are angling for us to take them in our trusty old estate car. Once all this was removed it opened up the garden enormously and tricked the eye into thinking te garden was bigger than it was. What it didn't do was provide any shelter or privacy but as it's not a particularly windy spot and we like our neighbours, well, it doesn't matter too much.








On the other side of the garden was a slightly smaller conifer and a five foot high holly trunk with one spindly branch coming off it and a rotted trunk of a tree which had been cut back years before. This came out very easily and we decided, whilst we didn't have many decorative pots in the garden, to be used as a vessel for some winter flowering pansies. We literally dug it up, dragged it into position, turned it upside down so it's roots were in the air and planted it up. It's not the prettiest of plant holders but it does the job. The day after I had done this I read that upturned roots are used as fern holders somewhere. It's the old gardener's philosophy of waste not want not.

My current garden rough drawn designs.

These were the rough sketches I made when trying to work out what to do with the space. Although it was only a few months ago things have already been changed, noticeably the left hand border as you look through the French doors. I've changed the shape to incorporate more plants; it looked a bit mean before with everything crammed into a narrow border. I'd also worked out on the back of each plan how tall and wide the plants would become and factored this in (a professional gardener would have drawn it all to scale!). If you are at all interested in seeing what I've planted just click on the image to enlarge it.

Early morning musings ( I must get back to work!)

June 15th

We had friends around last night who commented on what we had done in a short space of time in our garden. “Oh, you've taken the fence down” and “The hedge has gone” were two comments. It made me realise how insular our lives become when we garden obsessively. These poor friends have not been over for months because we've been squirrelling away, “doing the gardening” and so only vaguely remember what the garden was like before. The fact that we had neither a fence nor a hedge got me thinking that I must put on a 'before and after' set of photographs for them to remember it by. (Actually, they all gave me stick for doing a blog because it's me talking about me again, Friends, I am sorry!) The good thing is, they don't have to read it and I will leave that job to the few loyal family members I have; Mum and Gayle, thank you!

Having let the chickens out slightly earlier (we usually open their hen house door at 7am) I was greeted with the 'thud, thud, THUD' of the three of them hopping down off their perch. The last one down is always Shakira who we think probably weighs half as much again as the tiniest of the trio. Shakira was so named because she made such a lot of noise (like the singer) when we first had her but now, apart from when she is inquisitive as to what we may have for her to eat (when she makes a low “babababa” noise) or when she is disturbed by something ;usually Jack's cat, Socks, strolling nonchalantly past on her way to our back door and then she squawks wildly. Actually, I just glanced up from the dining table where I am writing my blog to witness Buck Bucky (the oldest hen and top of the pecking order) chasing away the much bigger magpies. Hens will happily share their food with tiny birds, such as sparrows and robins right up to wood pigeons which are hugely fat right now but they will not tolerate the magpies. So, for those huge birds it has to be a quick smash and grab before they get chased off. To see a small hen chasing away a large, nonplussed magpie is quite amusing. The magpie will hop a few feet away until it tires of being bothered by a petulant hen and makes off for the trees, cawing as it goes. Our 'girls' then get back to the job of picking up any stray seeds the messy sparrows have dropped from the bird feeder above. There is a little patch of scratched away earth directly underneath the feeder from daily foraging and should the hens spy a feeding bird whilst they themselves are elsewhere it is quite comical to see them all leg it to reach the rich pickings first. Sweetie, the youngest and littlest of our chicks, has a lop sided run and frequently has to flap like mad to keep herself from overbalancing. She is like an old lady at the bring and buy sale, all 'elbows' as she races along.

The blue tits have their own feeders, full of peanuts which the magpies also raid whilst he wild bird seed feeder attracts finches and dunnocks and the goldfinches are catered for with niger seed which they seem to love. The ground feeding birds,; robins, doves and wood pigeons join our girls to clear away the mess the others have made. It's an economic program, no waste and they all seem to be happy enough about it.

The birds and the bees (and the wasps)

June 5th


Just having finished work I sat down to eat a late lunch when Jack, our neighbour, nipped in through the French doors (we have a space between our border to nip across to each other's back door). He asked me, "Have you seen the swarm of flies out the front?" I looked out the kitchen window to see two little faces peeking out of their bedroom window across the road. It was like the old fuzzy black and white TV screen. 10,000 little black dots whizzing across my view. Luke raced outside and came back in with a grin to say, "They're bees!" before racing upstairs to grab his camera and race back outside.

So, began our bee venture: off we all went, getting closer and closer as we got braver (or more stupid).The bees weren't bothered with us as they were busy swarming into the hedge. Luke had done a course on bee keeping and had kept a couple of hives on his allotment but after we all got stung when the inspector disturbed their hives he sort of lost interest. Tim, Luke's best friend, continues to keep bees though and now has 60 hives dotted around Cardiff.
So, half an hour later, up drives Tim in his bee suit and whilst I get the kettle on he locates the swarm (not difficult as there are 10,000 bees either in the air or climbing over each other in the hedge). Whilst Luke films the entire episode and Jack and I drink our tea from a safe distance, Tim sprays a fine mist of water over the swarm to trick them into thinking it's raining and so to settle them slightly before he then puffs smoke in their direction. Once he has them calm he places a box underneath their mass and sharply shakes the branch to make them drop in a ball into the box. Strangely enough they all stay put and he places them gently on a sheet on the ground and joins us for his cuppa. As long as he has the Queen in the box the others will follow, attracted by the scent. Within an hour he has the majority of them packed up in the box which in itself is wrapped in the sheet and off he drives. Later that night we are going over for dinner so will be able to see them in their new home; a hive in Tim's back garden. Who'd have thought a week later we would have a similar experience - this time with wasps!



The following week - the wasps!

June 12th
Jack came around to the house again. "I've been stung", he said. It had happened whilst he was trying to cut the hedge between our front gardens. Out we went again to discover a melon sized wasp nest. They make it by chewing little bits of wood and sticking them in layers to make the nest. You can hear them clicking away as they make it, I guess.





June 15th
Having awoken early at 6am I trudged downstairs to look up information on wasp's nests on the net. Now I am in a dilemma; if I can leave them through this summer it seems they will vacate the nest and the only surviving member of the colony will be the Queen bee. However, I if I leave them, their nest will continue to grow ( it is already the size of a large melon ) and as Autumn approaches and they start to feed on over ripe fruit, they may act more aggressively (basically they are drunk and argumentative: football fans take note). So, I don't wan t to kill them but I don't want to be stung as I pass them after a hard day's work (mine, not theirs) and the front door is in their flight path. I think a call to the local pest control department is called for.

June 16th
D-Day for the wasps. I feel mean about it but the wasps are in both the front and back gardens (they chew bits off the hen house roof to make their nest) and may well turn nasty later in the year so, gulp, at 1.30 the man from the council arrives, takes forty quid off me and pumps chemical into the nest. It all takes about ten minutes and he advises us to stay indoors for ten minutes in case they all come round the back, spoiling for a fight. Poor old things. It's been a really demoralising few days what with uprooting the cherry tree, having to dig up a few dead Mahonias and now killing several thousand wasps. Sometimes gardening can seem a world away from nurturing and growing new life. I know we are doing things for the right reasons and have thought long and hard about it beforehand but it does feel wrong. I'm so looking forward to the simple pleasures of growing things again.

June 18th
Just returned last night from a flying visit to see Luke's Dad and this has been my first opportunity to check out the wasp nest. It's a sorry sight, bashed about and pumped full of powdery chemical. I took a photo, showed everybody who came to stay and after three weeks of it sitting out in the wind and rain I hoped enough of the chemical had washed off it for me to be able to bring in and add to my little display of natural beauties.











July 12th.
I'm a happy woman. The ballerina-graceful doves who announce their arrival with squeaky sounding wing beats were both perched on my bird bath just now. I raised the camera to my face, knocked it into autofocus and off they went. But just to see them there, two little pale grey birds drinking from the water - bliss.

Diary – June 2010

4th June.

Off to the garden centre AGAIN. I exchanged my faulty gardening gloves; a birthday present which only lasted 5 weeks before the stitching came undone. I bought an 'Angel's fishing rod' half price having paid £10.99 for one only three weeks before (they should be planted in May at the latest hence the discount; my original one though is still in it's pot at home waiting for the ground to be prepared, sloppy!)

I also bought a Zantedeschia as the one I brought from the last garden doesn't seem to have survived and this is the first time in over twenty years that I haven't had it in my garden. Foolishly, when we moved I dug up my favourite plants which had sentimental value but I didn't label them so now have things coming up in pots that I haven't recognised yet. It's a bit of a lucky dip and will be great if things come up I'd forgotten I had. However, my poor old lily seems to have been a casualty of the harsh winter in a crammed pot. A sure case of bad gardening – I'm ashamed of myself!!
However, I have learnt from my mistake and now I am recording what I have and where it lives and this in turn has led to my blog. My loss; your gain? Ho ho, I don't imagine that for a moment but it will be handy to refer to in the future when I can't remember where I planted something and it's died off for the winter.

How do I choose what to buy?

(You'll find details in full of all the plants I have in my garden along with photographs – these are to be found under PLANT INFORMATION.)

I buy plants the same way I buy clothes, I buy what appeals to me rather than what will work well together. This doesn't always work when I have nothing to wear with the top I've bought and likewise, I can't always find a good place to plant the latest shrub I've purchased. People often remark on my quirky dress sense (which is probably the polite way of saying I'm a mess) and I know myself that how I choose where things live in the garden is not always the most obvious. I try to keep the obvious design dictum, planting taller things at the back of a border for obvious reasons HOWEVER there are schools of thought that putting tall plants at the front can make for a showy and interesting plan – just goes to show that anything really does go. Fashions come and go in all sorts of areas and gardening is one of those. So, I see no harm in planting to your own likes and dislikes. It's your garden so who is to say what's right and wrong as long as the plant is in an environment it can live happily in.









Already in just over 3 months I have changed my original garden plan. 'Proper' garden designers will almost certainly keep to their well chosen plan but I like mine to evolve. It's probably an amateur thing: if I disciplined myself to properly investigate what I want and then stick to it I would save a fortune and save myself time moving things but this is how I work and I'm fine with that.
Also, sometimes the plants themselves sabotage your plans like the blush pink Digitalis (foxglove) that I bought as an Alba (white) and sits boldly in my monochrome border! I kind of like it's cheek so it's been left there.

5. The dangers of gardening.

For the houseproud amongst us I feel I should give a word of warning. It is nigh on impossible to have an immaculate house and a great garden; something has to give. In my case it was the ironing. Ho hum!