the daydream fund challenge thread

alfie_1

Rummer wrote: »

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.

take a walk around your neighbourhood, spot a garden you like the look of, knock the door and ask what the plants are....simple as that... you MAY get a "NO" but chances are the owners will be chuffed you chose thier garden !! iv done this and ended up making a friend, having a cuppa and getting seeds/cuttings/roots etc

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

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

OK, but I fear it may lose something in translation over t'interweb ....There!....did you see that? .....:rotfl:

alfie_1 wrote: »

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 .

Yes we had that system in Bath, and I still have a pass for the van.:) We're still technically Bath property owners; we just don't pay Council Tax there.

Poosmate

Hi all and thanks for your comments and I appreciate your thoughts.

Please believe me when I say I understand your logic and reasoning and had the same been asked of me I would have suggested the same. However, as I was typing my plan last night, I think I had already made up my mind more or less to actually do it that way and I do feel guilty that I maybe should have been asking "I'm doing this, what do you think?" rather than "Should I do this?".

I know it's not right to get into more debt when you are in debt already but for the last couple of years I really have reigned in spending, cut back, cut down and cut out and am in control of my debt. I have no real hobbies (except being on the internet and watching tv), I don't go on holidays, or drink or go out. (I'm very sad!). In the grand scheme fo things I will be debt free and mortgage free within 10 - 12 years. It's currently 12 due to the recession. In a years time it could be back down to 10 or even 9. I keep a financial journal and all my known expenses are accounted for (over estimated) till the end of the year. I haven't added to my debt for over 18 months. YAY!

Annie, I am registered with Landshare and I have a neighbour who is going to use my garden but she is no spring chicken.

I have tried doing little bits at a time before - did the carpet thing and laid black bin bags out (I came by a load of black bags once but we won't go into that!).

I had the garden gutted before when I had the wall rebuilt (after it blew down and a very long insurance claim spanning some years due to them trying to pin the blame on drainage problems then tree root damage from Council trees). The garden was gutted and the wall prepared for rebuilding when the lovely little darlings round here decided it would be fun to knock another 4m section of my wall out! I didn't have the materials to rebuild it all back to 6' so decided on half build, columns and fence panels. The last column was finished on a Monday, the following Friday I received a letter from the local Planning Office saying they'd received a complaint and that I'd have to take it down and rebuild to full height. I pointed out other wall rebuilds that were not to Planning specification so if all the others were given the same orders I would conform. Of course I knew they'd set a precedent in not enforcing the regulations on the others so after a few months was informed I would be allowed to build as I had indicated (columns and panels). By this time, the little brats had had their summer holidays and not one of my columns was still standing (the last one built was knocked in within a couple of hours - the builder left about 5pm and I got home about 7pm).

Sorry for the long post, but that back garden has been a source of such stress to me over the years with nasty vindictive people, their bratty little vandal kids I'd do time for if I could catch them (good job I don't run because I'm a lady!). I closed the door on it and gave up. There has been times I could hardly bear to look at it.

However, now I've spent the last couple of years getting my debt under control and running like clockwork - I only intervene to make overpayments, I feel it is time to sort the garden out. I realise now that it does have to be together. It has to be secured before I start planting and it has to be cleared (at least along the wall) before it can be secured.

I hope you will all understand my logic, even though it's a bit out of kilter with normal thinking. I understand normal thinking I'm just not very good at it because I don't feel like a normal person.

I'm still open to comments though.

Thanks again,

Poo

Lotus-eater

I understand your logic. If it has to be secured before you can do anything to it, then it does.
I also understand that the garden upsets you and it would do you good to get out there and start doing something.
I can't understand your finances, so I don't really know how much you can afford to spend that money, but everyone does need a cushion and I urge you to keep one.

lostinrates

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!

Rummer, you and I, we are learning together I've gardened a lot, but this is the first garden I've had to ''myself'' (dh of course gets a say but he's not really interested in design....he likes ''doing'' ) and I realise increasingly how talented my mother is at placing things. I feel that the narrow front border thats a mixture ATM of the roses I've carted here and soft fruit, looks very contrived. I too want year round interest and wonder if box balls every five feet r so for winter structure would look contrived or awkward in my otherwise hopefully abundant and seeming ly random* planting or ok. The seemingly random bit is hard too. Its a bed between a wall and a path (which is annoyingly wonky) at the edge of a good sized lawn. Its hard to plant without making the roses look they are in a long row marching in to the back gate.


I know I like order in my hard landscaping and structure and abundance and ''disorder'' in my planting.


I also know that bit we dug over and seived has to be gone over again already for the half dozen or so ground elder popping up with vigour. I quite like the ''personality'' of ground elder: determined and vigourous in its low, light green leafyness. But, liking it as a person and giving in are not the same.:rotfl:

lostinrates

Poosmate wrote: »

I hope you will all understand my logic, even though it's a bit out of kilter with normal thinking. I understand normal thinking I'm just not very good at it because I don't feel like a normal person.

I'm still open to comments though.

Thanks again,

Poo

Poo you don't have to justify yourself to us. We have our opinions but its your garden, your life your money! We can only say what we advise, not live with the consequences. It sounds as if for you the consequences of not doing what you want are worse. You are ''on the ground'', we are not.

Rummer

Lostinrates good to know I am not the only one! I just want the border to be low maintenance and pretty so I can focus on my veggies.

Poo it is not a huge amount of money and if it improves your quality of life then it is worth it. Maybe you could cut back in another area to balance out the cost if that is a concern?

The weather is as expected today, miserable and pouring. Going into town later for lunch with a friend so I might have a wee look around the pound shops to see if there are any great garden bargains.

lostinrates

Rummer wrote: »

The weather is as expected today, miserable and pouring. Going into town later for lunch with a friend so I might have a wee look around the pound shops to see if there are any great garden bargains.

Its glorious here. I'm frustrated I have a heap of washing up and cooking to do now! I came back via the plant centre/nursery in the next village and slipped into the car a couple of pots of a plant she didn't know the name of but is really pretty and likes the sun:D

Rummer

lostinrates wrote: »

Its glorious here. I'm frustrated I have a heap of washing up and cooking to do now! I came back via the plant centre/nursery in the next village and slipped into the car a couple of pots of a plant she didn't know the name of but is really pretty and likes the sun:D

Marvelous! I love getting pretty plants!

This weather is really getting frustrating! I have a week and a half before going back to work and I really want to get my beds sorted and a few other bits done including painting one of the sheds and the fences.

soupdragon10

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the Polytunnel has its cover on :j:j:j:j

I can now start to move things around a bit and use it as overspill from the very crowded greenhouse and get many more seeds planted.

I've an old bath that I was going to plant strawberries in. I've cleared out all the debris, and was thinking of putting a narrowish guage mesh over the plughole and then a 1" layer of gravel (recycled from old aquariums) with growing medium (soil + compost) on top of this. Do you think this will be enough to stop them getting waterlogged?

Poo I know exactly what you mean about security - when I lived in London the kids were always climbing over my fence (over 6ft high) to retrieve their ball. Endless complaints did nothing and it's what eventually forced us to move as parents wouldn't take any action. It does seem that is your priority as you don't want planting ruined by vandals. We did investigate anti climb paint as a deterent along the top of the fence, and I favoured an alligator pit along the base of the wall, but for some reason these didn't find favour with my then OH