Daydream fund challenge part 4

Davesnave

I hope alfie is having a great time too. She deserves it. :A

We reached a milestone moment today when the first brick above DPC was laid on the conservatory. Just another 879 or so to go....but our brickie leaves for Australia in just under 2 weeks! :eek:

Last Friday I asked Keith the thatcher if I could spray his bindweed, because for the first time it was getting into the hornbeam hedge around the mini woodland, and apart from strangling it, not stopping there. He was OK about that, so I popped around as it was fine and still this afternoon.

Well, the conservatory + porch is 30m2 (I have to say that because if it was more, I'd need planning permission....;)) so I know I'm not exaggerating when I say Keith currently has something like 100m2 of bindweed! Even I was shocked. :eek:

Anyway, in half an hour I'd zapped the lot, as it was just a continuous carpet of the stuff, through his barn, up the walls and covering just about all the other weeds around his yard, even the brambles. I wonder what the non-chemical approach would be to that! We shall see what happens next, but I think our hedge is safe....for now.

When the doctor visited Horse Woman today, DW had prior permission to be there. She pointed out that a lack of organised care was hindering HW's recovery and the Dr agreed to get a someone in quickly, several times a day. This should ensure that tablets are taken and meals are eaten, because it's difficult with 3 people visiting for anyone to be sure exactly what's going on.

It seems that while her hip has healed, it's now heart rhythms and diabetes which are holding her recovery up, and the latter in particular needs regularity of habits. I remember well from my time in school what happens when a person goes 'hypo.'

Fay

LIR I think it's lovely you are letting Bimble use your computer, his updates are great. I'm sure Alfie is pleased he's enjoying himself so much!

pink_poppy

Off to a couple of garden centres tomorrow so I can look at the laurel and elaeagnus

I didn't know laurel was poisonous. To who or to what?? I didn't know bay was a (non-poisonous) laurel either. Probably no good for what I need though as it sounds quite slow-growing.

Gorgeous colour outside at the moment, it's all yellow, I think it's going to be a lovely sunset tonight.

Davesnave

pink_poppy wrote: »

Off to a couple of garden centres tomorrow so I can look at the laurel and elaeagnus

I didn't know laurel was poisonous. To who or to what?? I didn't know bay was a (non-poisonous) laurel either. Probably no good for what I need though as it sounds quite slow-growing.

Laurel contains cyanide so it's poisonous to us and to herbivores, like sheep. Even the crushed leaves give off enough fumes to kill insects for entomologists.

When the next door farmer didn't bother with his fencing and his sheep got into our two wildlife areas, I told him I was planting laurels in one of them. He put up a new fence! Our fences are secure, but it's still a risk having laurels and yews in the garden.

I don't know for sure if sheep would eat laurel. They don't eat bracken.They're not supposed to eat ivy, but when next-door's were in, trashing our land, they ate every scrap of ivy...and there was a lot!

You could also look at viburnum tinus.

ukmaggie45

We've got an eleagnus at the caravan. We planted it in the gap between the shed and the hedge to act as a wind brake for the patio. It's VERY fast growing! Ours is variegated, a mix of dark green and yellowish streaks, really quite attractive. Think it might be this one, but needless to say I've [STRIKE]lost[/STRIKE] put the label in a Safe Place. Last year we took about 6 foot off the top of it. This year we'll have to do the same, but also cut back a lot of the sideways stuff too. We'll leave that till later in the year though, as it's nice to have a (relatively) wind free patio when it blows from the SW (most of the time!).

pink_poppy

Been to the garden centres and although I didn't buy any, I do still like the laurel (sorry maggie!!). No herbivores around here (that I know of) and I don't intend chewing on the leaves if I do end up getting it

I'm a bit bamboozed by all the plants I've seen today, definitely saw the elaeagnus and a viburnum, but not sure if the viburnum had tinus on the label Too much choice!!

I did buy a gorgeous smelling evergreen jasmine and some pink Japanese anemone that I was after last year though. Pouring down with rain all day so hopefully get them dug in tomorrow.

Davesnave

Viburnum tinus is one of the evergreen ones, reasonably quick growing and flowers in the cooler parts of the year. Most viburnums are deciduous.

It rained here too, eventually. Spent most of the day in a hole, digging again! I was trying to excavate the porch floor, as we've built the walls first for various reasons. Anyway, I was having trouble finding something substantial, like real sub-soil.....

Then DW reminded me: "That's where you dug out the big trial pit about 5 years ago, to measure the house foundations."

"Ah, I see....yes.... .....Arrrrgggghhhh!" :mad:

Fay

I've had a quiet couple of weeks on the day dreamer front, lots of dreaming but little doing. I am off work next week though so hoping the weather is kind and I can do a tidy up and review of what I need to do this autumn and next year. We have arranged for the patio to be done in early October as this was the first time the landscaper had available. Figure it's not too bad a time.
We are also off to Wollerton old hall garden Sunday or Monday and can't wait. It's been on my list a long time!
That's all really...well last weekend we had an emergency dash to the vets with the cat, an overnight stay in hospital for him on a drip etc, still no idea why it happened. Could have been a reaction to his immunisation boosters that morning, his tongue developed ulceration a overnight from scratches and cuts...we suspect from the vet being rough putting his worming tablet it. But no idea how that raised his temp so high. Anyway, he is fine again now thankfully and we are £600 lighter!

greenbee

Despite being overcast it's too hot to do much outside today. So I might have to do housework...

I have, however, moved some pallets/bits of pallets to the back of the house by the sewage system where I am hoping to be able to construct some kind of fencing with them. The fence is pretty exposed so panels are pointless (although as there are two concrete posts I might slot a 3ft panel in the middle with a 3ft trellis on top). I can't afford to pay anyone to do this for me, so need to find a relatively simple way to use what I've got. I've been eyeing up the remaining bits of the staircase as well!

I'm hoping the bank holiday weekend will give me a chance to get the garden tidied up and some sensible plans made for what to do next. Difficult with builders still being part of the plan for the next few years, but I'd like the garden to be something I can enjoy occasionally rather than feeling like a builders' yard.

Gardening will alternate with rearranging furniture indoors as I need to start slowly emptying the kitchen ready for september's 'prep for the aga', October's aga installation and November's 'whatever else I can afford to have done in the kitchen and in the way of downstairs flooring'. I can see the bottom of my bank account, so this may not be very much. I need to start researching flooring options as another winter of thin vinyl over concrete at the back and patchwork carpet and underlay at the front doesn't appeal. MInd you, the front has a LOT more underlay and carpet than in previous years!

lucielle

We did quite a bit of gardening when we were at the house in Skye. We cleared out a stream and want to make a feature out of it. The soil is peat and therefore will be acidic. Can anybody recommend any plants to plant. I don't want to obscure it and it can be windy so nothing too tall. On part of the rocks we have primroses.
L