Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Ditto don't tempt me. I have a bathroom to design - again. Took a hammer to the tiles in frustration. Oh that felt good!
Strange that you put up the garden near me. It used to be beautiful till they opened it to the public. Now it's boring. I have a better photo which I'll try and find when I next crank up the laptop.
I found a huge lump of twisted metal when I dug mine.

Keep up the good work  

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh how strange! It was just a link for a load of photos that came up when I duckduck'd her name. I spent last night thinking how I can convince himself to either incorporate most of the features of that garden into ours (I especially like the steps and the pond in front of the recessed wall), or move to a house that will take it. Suspect I'm gonna miss out on both....

It's raining out there now, despite the Devonians drunkards saying it's gonna come cold but it'll be dry for the next 10 days. Honestly I'm for deleting that app, I'd be as well to ask next door's cat.

Speaking of lovely neighbour. I sometimes look after her dog (she's having bits of work done - blown windows sorted, repointing etc) and he's a defensive barker. To say thanks she brought me a pear tree and an apple tree and a wee rose bush yesterday. What I wouldn't give to have her as my attached neighbour. That's another reason for not getting a chainsaw, I'd be too tempted to knock on their door and quieten them down permanently....

Smashing tiles down sounds very satisfying! Are you any nearer getting a bathroom man in?

in_my_wellies

Good morning. I've been crazy busy tidying house and garden. I spent a whole day out there yesterday just clearing away ready for the new gardening year. 

You've worked hard YBE. One of my beds needs redoing but as I'm leaving this summer that will not be me. I always intend to break myself in gently at the start of the year but then end up doing 6 hours and regretting it next day. Wont the roots die down? 
Plant around them and gap fill later - I'm sure you'll find something easily enough

I was determinedly house hunting in Devon/Dorset last week. Tempted by a thatched cottage but it's been reduced several times and now it's on as auction so there might be something wrong hiding in there. Then I swing over and find a nearly new build in walking distance of the sea. What to do? Neither had the garden I'm used to but then will I need that when I'm nearer 80 than 60? 

Today I aim to have a huge bonfire. I would miss that in the newbuild too 

Farway

That border is looking good YBE, it'll be a picture come summer with the wee green grass to set it off, and a couple of free fruit tree to plant & train as well. What varieties are they? Did you choose them?

Good luck with house hunting Wellies, such a problem, but at least you are in a position to buy, and from experience I know  smaller gardens can be hard if you're used to larger one, but as one who left 60 behind years ago I can assure you small is welcome, if frustrating at times even though there is no way I could manage anything larger now

Sunny for the minute but cloud due according to the drunkards. If the sun continues I'll pot on the Streps, failed yesterday, sun vanished by the time I was ready

Completed my bulb order, very posh cannas & Regale lilies.

I suspect the council clearing and binning plants is down to economics, cheaper to have labourers dig up bung in skip than gardeners sort, and then store over winter with maybe heating costs on top

YoungBlueEyes

I don't think the roots will die down cos the tree's in fine fettle and not very old. I'll redug the whole bed a bit deeper and pull out as much as I can but then that's it. I reckon I could go 20ft down and still be finding them so I'm drawing the line. The rain's easing up so it'll poss be dry/er this aft, enough for one last go over and then get the plants in.

The trees are the Tesco 2fers, a Conference pear and a Discovery apple. I didn't choose them, no, she brought them round as a surprise thank you for looking after her dog. An apple and a pear will esplanier (?) very nicely across the back fence though I think They're all sat in a bucket having a good drink, I'll take a pic

I wouldn't discount the thatched cottage Wellies. Maybe download the title off land reg to see if there's something odd there... it maybe isn't selling because no-ones offering so they reduced it again which then looks suspicious so they've stuck it in auction. Catch-22 ish. Might be a good buy if you can get it before the auction. Maybe the EA has info that would help? I'm sure I've read on here that they have to tell you of anything substantial that they know about. Not a guarantee like but perhaps a clue... Good luck whichever way you go

YoungBlueEyes

It’s stopped raining so here’s the presents 🙂

twopenny

Wow! What a lovely lady!

I know you saved her a lot of problems but there's many who don't recognise that.

Plant with some compost in the hole, a small smattering of blood, fish and bone once planted and sink a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off each side to get the water down to the roots.

Farway may think otherwise ;-)

I got a small length of plastic bathroom piping, cut to length and drilled holes up and down to go in my pots - lucky all my fingers survived so I'm going for bottles now.

Those will be full size. If you haven;t got the room just keep pruning once established.

It's still freezing temps here and dull cloud. I went out to sort my seeds for 10mins and had to put the fire on to warm up. I can't tell you how fed up with this I am and no sign of it changing this month except to get colder.

The north wind is blowing the blossom of my little tree. The plum is showing buds but the greengage definitely isn't. The Bowls Mauve Wallflower is blooming should any bee pop out. It seems unlikely.

So glad I bothered with the bulbs in pots this year as it's really positive looking. The 3yr old garden has a fair amount of daffs and primroses with the Daphne blooming well. Not sure it is healthy so another thread.

I'm now in the Farway camp of not sowing Broad Beans this year. The amount of blackfly that decimated other plants as well was crazy. I did wonder whether to grow them under fleece but then how would they fruit?

Must go out and water pots now. Perhaps if I move fast enough I won't turn into a snowwoman.

Oh and this is the Gertrude Jeykell bit I'd love to replicate

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-porthole-in-garden-wall-window-into-summer-83092123.html

It's at the end of the Wisteria tunnel.

YoungBlueEyes

Aye she is properly lovely, a really decent sort Her dog - I’ll call him BumFace - is a smashing dog too. He doesn’t pull the nonsense with me that she lets him get away with so it’s really no bother at all looking after him. 

I hope the wind leaves some of your blossoms on 🤞🏻 And I agree, that wisteria tunnel will be very pretty when it’s blooming! 

I’ve done as much as I’m gonna do for that side of the garden. I dug it deeply deep deep then got the plants in. I thought there was enough but it looks a bit sparse 😣 Shopping again tomorrow. 

I’m ready for some better weather too so I can get outside all day and escape my attached neighbours… they’re turning into an absolute agony ☹️ I think the cold snap is only for a week or so then it’s more cheerful. Hang in there 2p! 😊

Black_Cat2

YoungBlueEyes said:

Aye she is properly lovely, a really decent sort Her dog - I’ll call him BumFace - is a smashing dog too. He doesn’t pull the nonsense with me that she lets him get away with so it’s really no bother at all looking after him. 

Lol! Great choice of name! 😹

YoungBlueEyes

My last but one dog was an English Springer - Ben - but he loved being called Bumface. He'd half close his eyes and go all wiggly from nose to tail   I've never known another dog do it yet, but I live in hope.