Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Working_Mum

Hello everyone,
Thank you for your good wishes - Rome0 had his first early morning walk in almost three weeks and he loved it! Especially as we went to a different place and ran into some of his pals who were very pleased to hear of his recovery and his wagging tail!

I was going to suggest a few things for you PP:-
* gabion seats using the big bulk cobbles you've got there - I made one with the left over York stone I got from Freecycle last year, stuck a cushion on it and used it a lot at the end of last summer. You could use the chunky concrete as ballast for the middle.
* have you considered cleaning and then painting the patio slabs that you don't like?? You can get some nice stencils and I've seen some amazing transformations.
* I have an outdoor carpet that I use on my patio sometimes - when I want to demarque a space or something. It covers the area and gives a different perspective.
* Can you raise a greenhouse onto wooden battens or something which could be cut around the shape of the tree roots and the greenhouse frame secured on top - you could then house potting table or shelves etc in your greenhouse for growing things in pots. 

The sunshine has made such a difference hasn't it - I'm hoping to be out in my garden at the weekend, got a bit on between now and then though.

Thanks for sharing the pics recently - really lifted my spirits.

((WM)) 

pink_poppy

I sat and listened to the birds too, wort. Two robins (one in a Rowan and the other in one of the nearby Crabs) so lovely to hear them taking turns to serenade each other ❤️ then Mr Blackbird decided to join in too from next door’s rooftop. No butterflies, but I did rescue a bee that had somehow got into the garage (I always shut the door) and was stuck in a spider’s sticky web 🐝 I relocated it to a dandelion, I just hope it managed to clean itself.

Good to see you back, W_M and so glad to hear that Romeo is doing well and can meet up with his doggie pals again 😊
I’ve been googling gabion seating, thanks for that suggestion - I’ve certainly got enough stones to fill one - I had to laugh at one that looked like a settee (it looked really comfortable).
I’ve got an image in my head of chalk drawings for the stencilling idea 😀 I’ll have to google them as it sounds like a nice idea.
Good idea to raise a greenhouse too, although I’m having second thoughts about getting one now after Farway’s post on planning out a garden to suit lifestyles etc. I’d like to make the garden more family friendly, as I don’t see us living here forever.
Thanks for all your ideas, they’ve got me thinking.

It was another nice sky tonight, although not as dramatic as last night. When I was outside there was a wee Bluetit whizzing around - I managed to get a zoomed in pic when it stopped for a bite to eat…

LessImpecunious

Taff - my approach to design... don't really have a clue, in any area of life (e.g., could never get my head around writing a plan or outline for an essay or story at school), so, in the garden I just let things grow and then remove the bits I don't like...

Planted my tatties today! In warm sunshine

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

How did you all design your gardens? Did you read books, decide on conditions, favourite plants, how often do you chop and change etc?

Mrs Dusty measures everything, draws the garden to scale, and then sets about a design, bearing in mind prevailing weather, things that cannot be changed (e.g. septic tanks!) and half a dozen other considerations. I do as I'm told, but make 'adjustments' when I disagree sufficiently about something.   

Mostly, living with a space enables a design to evolve organically. Here, for example, we realised shelter belts were going to take precedence. Something as visually intrusive as a big polytunnel also has to be hidden, if possible. Once we'd planted the yew and other hedges, that took care of hiding most ugly stuff. However, we also had prior knowledge of replacing drains, so that meant no planting directly behind the house here the new ones would run; just grass. We therefore made our first ornamental garden offset, behind the neighbours' garden. Behind our bungalow it's still mostly grass, now used by grandchildren, and it opens up a view for us.

The only change we've made was to shift the big polytunnel over 7m north to make room for the new rear driveway. Because of the slope south, it had to be set below the land to the north by 1.2m....so there was a lot of digger work involved, and it ended up on subsoil and bedrock. It remains largely invisible from the bungalow, but maybe keeping it wasn't the smartest decision!

Concrete and similar nonsense normally originates close by, pp, but the beach stones obviously didn't. Someone probably thought they'd make a feature with them. Stones like those set in concrete make 'cobbles'....err, sort of! I'll never understand people's liking for those.   Love the blackbird silhouette!

wort said:

I just go for stuff I like stick it in and hope it works. 

And why not? That's why you spent yesterday pm in the sun with a book, and I spent it swearing at Aster schreiberi  and a variegated grass, digging several square metres of it out. They filled the space we had spare, and then began filling the rest!  If we had a smaller garden, I'd have got to them much sooner, or maybe never needed them.    P.S. Your kojo-whatsit is a belter!

Does anyone else have BloomsandGreensbyChloe in their YT feed? She cracks me up! Maybe a younger version of someone on here's relative? I dare not put a link!    I did watch some of Farways 'nice' young lady with her allotment, and enjoyed her too, but couldn't help thinking she needs Chloe on the next door plot.

With the change in the weather I'd better hurry up and post this early flowering Euphorbia seen in the recently visited walled garden, complete with appreciative bee.

Working_Mum

-taff said:

Did not refresh..oops...

Your vacuum Farway...this I do want to ask about in general anyway...

How did you all design your gardens? Did you read books, decide on conditions, favourite plants, how often do you chop and change etc?

I inherited two huge slabs of plastic grass and LOADS of white gravel when I moved into this house almost 5 years ago. Initially I thought I'd keep it as I wanted to travel and thought it'd be good for a "lock and leave" approach. Life soon teaches you not to make plans though doesn't it! Once I realised I was going to be sticking around coupled with the renovations we were doing meant the deck had to be replaced as it was quite rotten I had to get my act into gear. I realised my east facing garden was larger than initially thought and really quite sunny I got my thinking cap on. 

I visit the local open gardens round here every year and love it - so much inspiration! I started a thread on here and found friendly advice and ideas I hadn't considered from much more experienced gardeners than me. Loved it. Slowly I took up the plastic grass and replaced it with turf and started making borders etc. I was on a tight-ish budget so planted all my pots into the ground, planted a couple of self seeded trees in areas I thought they'd eventually fill.

I had a bit of an overall vision for my garden and have just slowly worked to make it a reality. I did draw a rough idea and still refer to it. I planted things I love and hope they'll grow in my space - I've had some right failures but also some lovely successes.

Last year I decided to remove the gravel - what a trial that was but it lead to me meeting YBE and taking soil from her wall footings for my garden. I planted a woodland-y type area at the bottom of my garden, built a compost heap and then made a growing area in the middle of my garden - NONE of these things were planned! They just happened organically 

So I'm not sure my approach is really - have a go and see what happens I think sums it up best.

I've definitely found inspiration and wisdom on this thread.

I love my garden and it was such a healing place for me last year - I've been doing bits and bobs so far this year but I think when I jetwash my patio that'll signal to me the real start of my gardening year!

Wishing everyone a smashing weekend when it gets here!

((WM))

twopenny

Wow it's taken me so long to read up on the posts that I'm now due to go out!

Just dropping in to say I was awol yesterday because we had real sun!!!!! I sat in the garden and read a book until time to go out - and had shorts and teeshirt on.

"2p, wow, an apricot? fabulous!" - every day is a bonus aparantly where this is concerned judging by what everyone has told me.

Off to photo group and swimming today, it's grey and dull with a tad of rain but warmer if you're out of the N wind. No sign of the promised sunshine for he forseeable. They've changed their minds.

The garden is looking shaggy and needs a lawn cut but its too damp.

Will come back with pictures re pebbles   when the madness is over.

Dustyevsky

OT this time.   Like Rome0, I was hoping for a much-needed walk today, or at least a limp, but rain forecasted put paid to that idea. Now it looks set to miss us. More watering then, I guess.

Working_Mum said:

I visit the local open gardens round here every year and love it - so much inspiration! I started a thread on here and found friendly advice and ideas I hadn't considered from much more experienced gardeners than me.
I love my garden and it was such a healing place for me last year.

I recall the thread, and the fact I felt unable to add helpfully to it. The work you got through was amazing! I also love visiting 'real' gardens, finding the imperfections comforting. The RHS one down the road is all very well, but they have literally hundreds of staff and volunteers!

Your comment about life teaching you not to make plans struck a chord, too. Our garden, its location and land are nothing like I'd imagined when we set out with plans to escape the city. I hated the place at first, having simply decided to buy as a stop-gap. It was only over time the advantages began to reveal themselves, or, more likely, I became more amenable to seeing them.

Here's a good example of an imperfection I've learned to live with. 

In estate agent talk: “With fine views to Dartmoor.”

Me: “Yeah, but .....”

Like Lundy Island, if we can see it, Tis gonna rain.” If we can't see it, ”Tis already raining!" 

But not today.

Farway

This is attempt 2, I had completed my posting and went to refresh before final send, and it all went wonky & I was signed out, with my post gone

Can't write it all again, but all the photos are up to usual excellent standards, and signed up to Dusty's YT poster, nad good news on Romeo.

Weather is dull & mild, only pressing gardening is getting my peas shoot sprouted peas into a tray with compost

maybe, get the aquilegia into the ground, at last

Oh, and I found a cyclamen growing , the sort you see carpeting under trees in posh gardens

No idea how it arrived, a blow in or squirrel is my guess, certainly not planted by me. It will of course now die, having been discovered.

pink_poppy

I still haven't bought any tatties for planting. I did find another one of last year's when I was digging things over yesterday - bigger than the last one, but not enough to make a meal    

Mrs Dusty is very organised, Dusty, does she have a garden design background?? I could do with her here.
I like that Euphorbia - it looks exotic. And I do like your view towards Dartmoor.

I'll have to look out for your other thread, W_M, I like looking at before and after photos.

Enjoy your photographic group and swimming, twopenny. Shaggy grass reminds me of Scooby Doo    

Farway, it's so annoying when you lose a post. I've done that many a time, but it's my laptop being over sensitive.

I think I've identified yesterday's bee as a Tree Bumblebee. I've looked this morning and it's nowhere to be seen, so I'm hoping it got the cobweb off its wings and legs and flew off to pastures new.

It is so warm today - I had a walk to the post office (dodging sheep poo) and I was absolutely boiling. It's very windy, but it's a lovely warm wind, just hope my washing doesn't fly off the whirly...

twopenny

Dusty that's like me. Bought the place as an emergency with 3mts to do it up so I could buy the place I wanted but tiny though it is I can hear owls at night, song birds night and morning, the sea with views of the hill and quantocks. I get sun in the morning and sun right through in the afternoon, But it's only 5mins to town and 10 to the beach........well, before I began to hobble.

So size isn't everything

I saw a mass of Celedines which I was going to photograph but it started raining.........found a photo in my folders while sorting but can't remember where. Guess it's one of those days Farway.

So yes, the grey has turned to rain, just a bit, enough to drive you indoors. I wanted to replant the seedlings the Blackbirds have dug out and water more but it's not nice out there. So hoping they survive till better weather.

Lovely out there if it dries up - All the Magnolias have burst into full bloom with the sun yesterday and looking glorious!

Had a chuckle when a visit to the cemetary showed that the Primroses I'd planted on the family plot are now blooming in huge clumps everywhere but where they were put! I seem to have peppered the whole area

So for photos here's a Magnolia

Re pebbles, can't find those either but here's an idea