the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

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I know lots of yu lot don't do flowers...but this is the paper plan I'm currently working on for the part of the garden nearest the house. Blue equals water (rills and a wider ''chanel'') red equals hard surface....flags? and green is, in this case, beds, not grass. There would be a bog pot everywhere there is a corner. Other plans have seen a sort of tunnel of wisteria instead of the chanel of water.

It looks like a lot of hard standing, because the paths lead to other bigger part of garden and the square bit is by the kitchen door, for supper alfresco.

Opinions are welcome, please be harsh! I believe it to be too fussy as it stands (and expensive). Other ideas....fewer rills...maybe one through the centre of the path, instead of either side (whch planting may obscure too much anyway)

rhiwfield

Watercress in the rills + carp pond*


* part of your reed bed system for foul water??

choille

Electric been off due to gales - just back on. Got wee chicks back in caravan as heat lamp off in shed & too cold for them.

Oh well - off to bed.

ukmaggie45

Here's a link for you CTC! I liked the vintage fairs on Facebook, and this is a new seller for them. Might give you an idea of what to charge for your bags.

LiR, love your helper! :-)

Was a bit sad as didn't get to the garden yesterday as was waiting in for a delivery. Was a bit cheesed off it didn't arrive till nearly 5pm. :mad: John called over in the evening though to check the garden was OK after the wind. It was a day a bit like when a huge branch fell into our garden from one of the sycamores in the halls of residence last year, so was concerned in case something similar happened. I think he may have taken photos, but haven't had time to look at them yet. Photos below were taken on Sunday.

When we went to garden on Sunday evening we found that the tree peony is flowering. :j It really is an amazing colour!


Tree peony by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

We planted the rest of the Blue Danube spuds a couple of weeks ago, nothing showing yet, so John put up one of the plastic tunnel things over them to try and warm up the soil a bit.


poly tunnel over latest spuds to go in by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

The ones we planted earlier are coming on well now.


Blue Danube potatoes with ornamental edging by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Still have more to go in! Think they will have to go in bags as need space for beans etc. Garlic is coming on well, since taking this photo we've taken the spathes off, and we had them stir fried with lambs kidney and sausages on Sunday evening. Yum! Lawn is desperate for a mow, but will have to wait till after the wedding now I think.


garlic with spathes overgrown lawn table chair by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

The roses are all coming into flower, here's one I remember from last year that is quite striking. Of course we don't know what any of them are, other than the 3 we planted early this year.


White and pink edged rose hanging down by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

ukmaggie45

Was going to ask about a flower I found on Sunday that I didn't know what it was... But have googled and think it's orange hawkweed. It's a really super colour, so I think I'll leave it where it is, at least for now.


Orange flower on maybe weed by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

Davesnave

Lir, I agree the design is too fussy and I would have the main area of water going the other way, so that it can be viewed well from the house as well as the alfresco area. I would match it to the length of the house. I wouldn't want rills so close to the house/terrace because, unlike a proper pond, they'd not be large enough for goldfish to keep the midge larvae under control.
P.S. Goldfish, not carp, because you don't want the hassle of filters etc.

I also think the terrace alongside the house is too narrow & fiddly, especially as the doors open outwards. I'd double its width and put the pond directly alongside with no planting between, except maybe a few sedums & things like that in paving joins.

Is that harsh enough?

Maggie, that last plant is Hawkweed, ('Fox & Cubs') but many people grow it. Orange is hard to place in colour schemes. Your peony is much nicer than mine, which are the plain yellow ones. They are good foliage, but I find the flowers don't last long, so I'm growing some Peony mlokosewitschii 'Molly the Witch' instead.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Lir, I agree the design is too fussy and I would have the main area of water going the other way, so that it can be viewed well from the house as well as the alfresco area. I would match it to the length of the house. I wouldn't want rills so close to the house/terrace because, unlike a proper pond, they'd not be large enough for goldfish to keep the midge larvae under control.
P.S. Goldfish, not carp, because you don't want the hassle of filters etc.

I also think the terrace alongside the house is too narrow & fiddly, especially as the doors open outwards. I'd double its width and put the pond directly alongside with no planting between, except maybe a few sedums & things like that in paving joins.

Is that harsh enough?

Maggie, that last plant is Hawkweed, ('Fox & Cubs') but many people grow it. Orange is hard to place in colour schemes. Your peony is much nicer than mine, which are the plain yellow ones. They are good foliage, but I find the flowers don't last long, so I'm growing some Peony mlokosewitschii 'Molly the Witch' instead.

Thanks davesnave. I'll rub out my chalk, re draw and put it back up. The terrace along the house ...well, concrete ''wide path'' is already there, and wanting an area over by the kitchen I worried abut the amount of hard standing if I widened it, but had those paths running out to where the main part of the garden will be....thinking, e.. in a party, people would spill out of the doors, along the paths and in a sort of route...in to the garden.

Runnng the pond the otherway will be good to draw out. I want pay of water on the ceilings inside, but yeah, no more bugs! Turning the pond would solve those problems, so I'll think about that way now.

This is a good feedback, useful.

ukmaggie45

Davesnave wrote: »

Maggie, that last plant is Hawkweed, ('Fox & Cubs') but many people grow it. Orange is hard to place in colour schemes. Your peony is much nicer than mine, which are the plain yellow ones. They are good foliage, but I find the flowers don't last long, so I'm growing some Peony mlokosewitschii 'Molly the Witch' instead.

Ooooh just googled Molly the Witch, it looks gorgeous. I think mine is this one. I got it cheap when I ordered some other stuff from T&M, think it was about £4.95. I'm really surprised it's flowered this year - thought it would be several years before we saw the first bloom. Petals not as dark as I thought they would be from the description, but it's very beautiful, shame we'll prob miss the flowers being fully open as we're off to London Thurs-Monday.

I'm thinking of getting some more peonies next year, but plants rather than the shrub ones. We'll see how things go, garden is a bit overwhelming at present so am trying not to make too many plans!

Davesnave

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Ooooh just googled Molly the Witch, it looks gorgeous.

Yes, I like the foliage as well, which is fortuitous, because I did mine the hard way, from seed, and they've yet to flower! :rotfl:

We've just sent off our brief to the architect, so we'll see what he comes up with for this place, as gardening close to the house is out, until we know which way we're heading with any extension. I miss a pond outside the back door, for example. Most of all though I just miss having a proper garden, as opposed to a blank canvas, which it must stay until other stuff like potential sites for heat pump tubes are decided. We'll get some more of our plants into the ground soon, but they won't be closer than the ones out at the front. Those are doing well, considering their exposed site, as the soil here is free draining & forgiving.

lostinrates

Molly the Witch IS lovely. I love peonies. I used to go and wander round kelways in study breaks when I was a student. Irises, though I know am just starting to appreciate them and have a fair few, never did it for me but peonies are lovely.