Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

COOLTRIKERCHICK

MORNING ALL.

been up early again today.... Looks like waking up early is going to be a regular thing....

I have been looking at the flint fire starter things on the bay, I know lighters are cheap, and we got loads, BUT when I go to light the fire Hubby has nabbed them all:mad::rotfl:I know I have my SHTF/ prepper head on here, but I think it does go hand in hand with this thread..

Decided I don't like this weather, damp and cold:o you just want to curl up in front of the fire and o boogger all:rotfl:

lostinrates

Rats.

Thankfully the kiwi is stepping up to the mark, Having seen it he is now keen to eradicate it, instinct just took over.


One of the little blighters has made a ruddy nest in the poison tube!!!!!!!!!

Rummer

lostinrates wrote: »

One of the little blighters has made a ruddy nest in the poison tube!!!!!!!!!

You have to admire the sheer audacity of it :rotfl:

I have woken up today full of the joys of spring Determined to get the house back up to scratch and to get the xmas shopping done this weekend.

The painting is looking good but a second coat is needed as the walls have sucked in the paint in places even though it had a couple of undercoats after it was plastered. Hopefully by the end of the weekend it will be all painted and furniture in.

Rummer

I have been thinking………

As you all know I dislike our front garden intensely as it constantly floods and is tricky to manage or grow things in so I am thinking long term we could either:

Put down a fake lawn
or
Make it into a grass/bed free place using aggregates and some other things.

I am more drawn to the second option and there area few gardens around here with a similar approach. In my mind it is an irritating and unproductive space that we battle with constantly and it still looks rubbish so doing something to it that involves little or no ongoing maintenance and makes it looks acceptable would be ideal.

Then we would have the time to focus on the veggie garden and the family garden which would be lovely. It would also remove the ongoing guilt I have about our front garden being less appealing that those of our neighbours.

So any ideas or examples of affordable fabulousness??

Itismehonest

We have some quite large areas near the house which have been Terram-ed & covered with stone chippings or aggregate. Not being able to wear many forms of footwear, including wellies, it does allow me to get outside the door more.
In some areas the chippings have been planted through with evergreen shrubs which bring year-round colour. In others we have put fairly deep raised beds over the terram & grow salad stuff & veg. The same could be done for flowers if wanted.
Our ponds are also surrounded by chippings.
One area has all sizes & shapes of pots in which I now grow my herbs. I used to have an extensive herb garden but that had to go.
Chippings don't have to mean boring

rhiwfield

Rummer, our upper front garden, at the front and side of our drive, had an unappealing L shape terraced patch of leylandii and grass that dogs used to use as a latrine as it fronted our narrow access road :mad:.

This L shaped boundary now has a 3' picket fence to strictly define "ours" and "public" areas. The terrace area just behind the fence has two parallel narrow beds that support espalier apples and pears and require little maintenance. Access to these beds is by two parallel paviour paths at stepped levels joined at one end by steps and then sweeping round to a gravel high side path that lets me pick the greengages grown in a lower side bed.

So there is a top line of fence
Next parallel line is upper paviour path
Next parallel line is apple espalier bed
Next parallel line is upper retaining wall
Next parallel line is lower paviour path
Next parallel line is pear espalier bed
Next parallel line is lower retaining wall

It wasnt cheap (cost me about £2000 IIRC) but for the first time the house drive and front were clearly defined and the espaliered terraces created instant kerb appeal and continue to do so

Next to the house, at the back of the drive and garage, are two terraced front gardens. One we converted in a similar way, filled with roses, chives and bugle. Parallel paths connected by steps give easy access to the beds and privacy is provided by a narrow beech hedge at the top level

The second we will change this winter. Effectively we will pave the lower of two terraces with just 2 or 3 small circular beds for specimen plants. As the front retaining wall is 4' high, and there is no easy access to this bed, ease of maintenance is essential as I need a ladder to tend the beds. The upper terrace bed will stay our wildlife garden with pond.

After completing the upper front garden, and getting a wow factor, I just couldnt explain why I hadnt done something similar before. Probably because I hadnt spent a couple of weeks sketching out designs before! So although you are after low maintenance, I'd encourage you to play with designs as the effects can be stunning.

Rummer

Thank you for the ideas

The front garden is flat and a couple of meters squared and is surrounded by a curved stone edging. Then there is a border round the inside which is about 30/40 cm, then grass and in the middle a rectangular patch of soil. More than half of it is in shade all day due to the shadow of the house and as we are at the bottom of a slight incline the garden is almost always wet and often has puddles on the grass.

These conditions make it difficult to keep the grass cut as even in summer the conditions are wet and the plants that we chose for the border have all died apart from a couple of very stubborn grasses. Weeding it is also a pain as the ground is so wet that it is filed with creeping buttercups that are not for letting the clay soil go :mad:

I think my concern is the cost of the work to improve the drainage will be massive and then the work on top of that, especially when we have no spare pennies. Another medium term solution is to pull out any plants let the [STRIKE]buttercups and moss [/STRIKE]grass grow all across it and just cut it to keep it vaguely respectable.

You know those schemes where people stay on a small holding/farm for a while and help with the work? Do you think someone would come to my suburban end terrace and sort out our veggie garden in return for a hot drink and some home baking :rotfl:

lostinrates

Rummer wrote: »

Thank you for the ideas

The front garden is flat and a couple of meters squared and is surrounded by a curved stone edging. Then there is a border round the inside which is about 30/40 cm, then grass and in the middle a rectangular patch of soil. More than half of it is in shade all day due to the shadow of the house and as we are at the bottom of a slight incline the garden is almost always wet and often has puddles on the grass.

These conditions make it difficult to keep the grass cut as even in summer the conditions are wet and the plants that we chose for the border have all died apart from a couple of very stubborn grasses. Weeding it is also a pain as the ground is so wet that it is filed with creeping buttercups that are not for letting the clay soil go :mad:

I think my concern is the cost of the work to improve the drainage will be massive and then the work on top of that, especially when we have no spare pennies. Another medium term solution is to pull out any plants let the [STRIKE]buttercups and moss [/STRIKE]grass grow all across it and just cut it to keep it vaguely respectable.

You know those schemes where people stay on a small holding/farm for a while and help with the work? Do you think someone would come to my suburban end terrace and sort out our veggie garden in return for a hot drink and some home baking :rotfl:

Rummer, you could fulfil a dream of mine and have a moss garden. It would love the damp shade, not need mowing and be beautiful soft miniature hills of green. Perfect for non girly fairies or pixies, a couple of biggish rocks if you like that sort of thing, or some shade tolerant planting.......

Rummer

lostinrates wrote: »

Rummer, you could fulfil a dream of mine and have a moss garden. It would love the damp shade, not need mowing and be beautiful soft miniature hills of green. Perfect for non girly fairies or pixies, a couple of biggish rocks if you like that sort of thing, or some shade tolerant planting.......

A moss garden???? I have never heard of one! Well not one made deliberately! Off to google…...

lostinrates

Rummer wrote: »

A moss garden???? I have never heard of one! Well not one made deliberately! Off to google…...

Most are japenese. They don't interest me, though give fantastic idea of harmony and balance. I like the more ethereal, spooky Elvin looking ones.....like a unicorn could step out at any time.