We're opening our garden - 8 weeks to go!

bownyboy

FOREVER21 wrote: »

Good Luck for your open day.

A word of caution from personal experience, has whoever is organising the event taken out public liability insurance to cover any accidents.
In my area the residents association organised a similar event last summer without taking out any cover. A visitor to one of the gardens tripped over a loose flagstone, needed hospital treatment, and then followed a solicitors letter claiming damages.
The claim is still on going and has left the particular garden owner very worried regarding the eventual outcome.
Whilst at the end of the day the homeowner should be covered by
their house insurance, unless the insurers try to get out of it under the circumstances.
Hopefully this will not happen to you, but it might pay to check.

Thanks forever21, the village organisers have public liability insurance, and they've already visited us to do a health & safety / wheelchair access check, so all looks good. Its been going for years in our village, so hopefully it will all go to plan.

bownyboy

Ordered two wisteria climbers yesterday one senasis and one rosea for the front and back of the house. Both around 1.8m to 2m tall for £39 each. Seems a reasonable price after hunting around online.

Spent most of yesterday treating the lawn. Borrowed friends electric rake and was surprised just how much moss it managed to pull up. After then cutting the lawn it does look a bit forlorn now with patches everywhere!

So I added lawn feed, some grass seeds and then left the sprinkler on for a while to give it a good soaking. I'll repeat every two weeks and hopefully it will regain its healthy look by June.

bownyboy

azzabazza wrote: »

One of our tree's has suddenly blossomed, no idea what it is though! - it looks like Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum).

Your garden looks wonderful. We cannot plant out bedding plants yet (east coast, Scotland) as we are still prone to frost. Might be an idea to keep yours protected at night for another couple of weeks just in case there is a dip in temperature.

Thanks azzabazza looks like you're right on the flowering currant. It's really added some much needed colour to the garden.

The magnolia tree we bought 3 weeks ago is also about to flower and along with the apple blossom it's like the garden is suddenly waking up.

Top temperatures of over 20c forecast this week too. Guess its probably a touch cooler up in Scotland!

DaftyDuck

From your Original Post...

bownyboy wrote: »

Hello everyone!

......................

We're total gardening novices and for the last 4 years I've simply weeded and tried to maintain as best I can.

........................

Not any more, you aren't!

It's a lovely garden, and it looks like you've got the gardening bug well and proper now!

azzabazza

bownyboy wrote: »

Top temperatures of over 20c forecast this week too. Guess its probably a touch cooler up in Scotland!

Lucky you re the temperature. We have a very strong, cool wind again today which is playing havoc with all my daffodils! We have a company who apply feed and weed to the lawns 4 times a year. First treatment today so this will need watered in in a couple of days if no significant rain.

bownyboy

DaftyDuck wrote: »

From your Original Post...



Not any more, you aren't!

It's a lovely garden, and it looks like you've got the gardening bug well and proper now!

Thanks. I realise I work better with a deadline. Also by attacking the garden before the warm weather sets in means its much more manageable going forward. But yes I have got the bug big time!

bownyboy

azzabazza wrote: »

Lucky you re the temperature. We have a very strong, cool wind again today which is playing havoc with all my daffodils! We have a company who apply feed and weed to the lawns 4 times a year. First treatment today so this will need watered in in a couple of days if no significant rain.

Last year it was so cold a load of our daffodils never flowered at all.

You haven't been caught out by the freak sandstorms ive been reading about then?

antw23uk

The two new climbers you have i think are ceanothus which get nice and big ... Ours is actually more like a tree to be honest and people tend to be a big shocked when they see it

Just tried to find a pic but no luck

antw23uk

I lied ... I found one ... Its the tree in the middle of the pic. Sadly it doesnt flower much anymore after it was pruned hard a couple of years ago and its kept trussed up with supports through the middle which are black so you cant really see them to keep its 'domed' shape.

Part of me says its had its day and needs to come out but its so big and gives great height in the garden .... and the cats love climbing it and if it was taken out the neighbours would seem a hell of a lot closer!!! :eek:

Pic was taken a couple of days ago so garden is still springing into life

azzabazza

bownyboy wrote: »

Last year it was so cold a load of our daffodils never flowered at all.

You haven't been caught out by the freak sandstorms ive been reading about then?

No we haven't thank goodness. We are south east Scotland. The freak sandstorms are up nearer Aberdeen I think.