the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

Poo, I know how hard it is to hold back on these spends...but really, slow clear will slowly win the day. I Hope!!!

We've ALMOST done the long front border (now housing the soft fruit for this year only.) a metre or two each time we can afford to plant other things ....its LONG term planning.

I adore hellebores. My little white hellebores have been so reliable this year. My mother has a beautiful green one I covet, and davesnaves is also a stunner.

Rummer, re colour schemeing. My white garen is partly for my father, who has always kind of wanted one. I also think its quite a good discipline for me. In many years time I doubt it will still be a totally white garden, but hopefully it will be for some time. My biggest garden, is, traditionally, the back one. Its going to be mixed colours. I'd like to try planting with colour for perspective...so softer deeper colours in the back corners with light brights closer to the house. There will be mine themes with in the borders....eg the deepest shade corner will be greens and blues I hope....lightening up through soft pink to lighter pink as it nears the house. ATM its a mess of mud junk and some fairly randomly planted stuff. these are long term projections! My other two mainly ornamental gardens are either side of the house, to the north and the south. Te south one I'm calling the ''rose gold''garden at the monent...thinking apricots and corals an yellows and the odd flash of heat. I'm thinking about adding a little depth behind this perhaps with some purple.....but not sure. I've seen it work on an iris, not sure i can pull it off. If I do that it will become a dawn/dusk garden..instead of rose gold the same colours will be like sunsets and sunrises.

The north garden I'm having some fun with. I've never been into reds but I'm think of a brilliant clash of crimson and 1950s pink. It gets some sun, so I'm hoping it will also be a herb garden, but the walls are going to be bedecked in climbing roses for scent and brilliance of colour.

rhiwfield

Poo, its a difficult choice. I echo the others in advising not to spend if it increases debt, yet I know how big tasks can look daunting, and some help is always very welcome.

Would it be possible to organise a garden day with some of your friends, to finish up with a BBQ? Sort of like a mini Mikes mob

Lir, well done on your horsey day, but it kind of makes me realise why I've never ridden

Ah well, with a bit of help managed to get the coop and run back onto the grass. Maybe I should have left it a bit as the run area is now a sea of mud after just 4 hours :eek:

This rain may have been needed but it gave me the incentive to sort out what seeds need sowing. But unlike Rummer I didnt get further than sorting out the seed packets, so its still all to do. One of those days when its so gloomy that everything seems to be too much bother.

annie123

rhiwfield wrote: »

Would it be possible to organise a garden day with some of your friends, to finish up with a BBQ? Sort of like a mini Mikes mob

That's a good idea.
Poo if your anywhere near south east london, I'll help, just need tea and bickies:D

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

. One of those days when its so gloomy that everything seems to be too much bother.

Yes it was like that here too, but we'd planned for it, so off to (name removed) recycling centre with our last load of rusty sheep fencing, knackered Onduline roofing and assorted debris, then B&Q for a few bits, Maplin for some more cable ties and on to Sainsburys for the main grocery shop....:cool:

The dump was OK, once DW had convinced the manager we were smallholders, not builders. Indeed, a bit of eyelash fluttering even got us some help.:) But there was a definite change of atmosphere there, with more vigilance than before. Someone else was turned away, uttering expletives. They are now charging to take tyres and rubble and being ultra-fussy about what goes in the crusher. I'm so glad the bulk of what we needed to remove from here, has gone.

In Mendip, I hear the council has gone one step further and is now charging £2 per visit to some recycling centres on an 'experimental basis,' no doubt so that they can close them due to 'lack of use.' It's so short sighted, but at least metal prices may keep much of that out of the countryside.

rhiwfield

Davesnave wrote: »

Indeed, a bit of eyelash fluttering even got us some help.:)

Davesnave, well impressed! Could you show me your eyelash fluttering technique pls, it could come in useful

ps Found hitching the leg of my Dickies working trousers has no effect whatsoever on the depot guys, must be wearing the wrong socks

alfie_1

POO there is a lot of cost cutting ways to do your garden....
old carpet is great as weed supressor, still lets water through tho. hack down/clear as big a patch as you can manage, ask if anyones getting rid of any carpet and use that over cleared area. you dont have to dig over the ground just weed killer it [safe one].woodchip/stone as you can get it... cut holes [bucket size] and plant any shrubs you can scrounge. find a friendly gardener and ask him if you can have any plants/shrubs he digs out, saves them having to PAY to go to the tip... also ask if he/she knows of any fencing [still ok] thats going free too. they have to pay to tip so are pleased to pass on. if you spot wood being chipped, ask for some, save feed sacks to fetch it. the electricity boards tree trimmers do this. spread over your carpeted areas. use a wardrobe frame , take door off, lay flat on carpet and it makes a raised bed.old bookcase layed down makes brill herb/veg compartments. for trellis try weaving bamboo canes. stick 5/6 in ground then weave ,like fencing. sliding down the canes horizontally. go to your nearest allotments and see what they are discarding this year.... never be afraid to ask. be bold and explain to whoever that you want to make your garden nice but are skint. honesty gets you in a lot of doors !! i use old metal gates [tip] and just stake them in the ground randomly and grow allsorts up them, peas, beans, roses, sweet peas . they look great. you dont have to have a "perfect" garden, just let things grow and mix em up !! plenty of time to adjust and alter later on....

alfie_1

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes it was like that here too, but we'd planned for it, so off to (name removed) recycling centre with our last load of rusty sheep fencing, knackered Onduline roofing and assorted debris, then B&Q for a few bits, Maplin for some more cable ties and on to Sainsburys for the main grocery shop....:cool:

The dump was OK, once DW had convinced the manager we were smallholders, not builders. Indeed, a bit of eyelash fluttering even got us some help.:) But there was a definite change of atmosphere there, with more vigilance than before. Someone else was turned away, uttering expletives. They are now charging to take tyres and rubble and being ultra-fussy about what goes in the crusher. I'm so glad the bulk of what we needed to remove from here, has gone.

In Mendip, I hear the council has gone one step further and is now charging £2 per visit to some recycling centres on an 'experimental basis,' no doubt so that they can close them due to 'lack of use.' It's so short sighted, but at least metal prices may keep much of that out of the countryside.

we have a system here that if you have a van you get a free "pass" from the council which is for 12 visits, when uve used them up you apply for another....too many passes in one year and they say you are trade so have to go to the OTHER trade tip where you pay to drop. they also have a limit on the size of trailers you use... the funniest one i saw "turned away" was a guy that had a car low loader trailer with a 6x4 trailer sat on it full of junk !! the man was arguing the size and just didnt get what the tip man was saying !!....he didnt get in but i heard every expletive known to man as he exited !!

Rummer

Miserable weather here with howling winds and lashing rain, due to be like that for the next couple of days at least so I am going to curl up with some books about planting in shade. I feel a bit overwhelmed about planting my borders as I have only ever grown fruit and veg before and I don't feel I have enough knowledge to plan a cost effective and visually appealing border that will provide interest all year round. In fact just thinking about it makes me feel slightly anxious which is silly!

alfie_1

Rummer wrote: »

Miserable weather here with howling winds and lashing rain, due to be like that for the next couple of days at least so I am going to curl up with some books about planting in shade. I feel a bit overwhelmed about planting my borders as I have only ever grown fruit and veg before and I don't feel I have enough knowledge to plan a cost effective and visually appealing border that will provide interest all year round. In fact just thinking about it makes me feel slightly anxious which is silly!

just put what you like where you want to.... imagine 3 rows, back row is one height ...say up to 6ft, 2nd row up to 4ft, front row up to 2ft.[if against a fence etc] and just plant. work out the widths of your beds by the average spread of the plants. i dont theme color on purpose i must admit !! i just chuck everything everywhere , color wise. cut out pictures of plants/shrubs from magazines and paste them on a big bit of card and get an idea of looks you like.
i got 10 packets of flower seeds from the 99p shop and just scattered them everywhere... i can see them all coming up but have no idea what is where... surprises me later on !!

Rummer

The thing is I know so little about what plants there are available as I have taken no interest in non food stuff until now. I got Alan Titchmarsh's book about gardening in the shade so I will start from there and do a bit more exploring. The bed is not that wide and is of a fixed size due to it's location so I think only two layers would be feasible.