Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

South_coast

I totally read that as "I ended up with some ornamental grass, daffodils and a pony" 🤦‍♀️🤣!

Great to read about the positive impact your changes are making 👍

KajiKita

SandyShores said:

I've just been trawling back through my thread as I'm sure kajikita and savingholmes gave me some plant suggestions once upon a time but can I find those threads, no.  Anyways, plants are planted and bark is laid.  All looking very good.  And it was so sunny, hopefully spring is springing.

I’m always up for talking plants …! 😉 What kind of areas are you looking to plant up? What kind of plants do you like? 😊

KK

SandyShores

KajiKita said:

I’m always up for talking plants …! 😉 What kind of areas are you looking to plant up? What kind of plants do you like? 😊

KK

Its only a small patch Kajikita, maybe 1m deep by 1.5m wide - at the bottom of the garden - I want a country garden type effect with taller flowery plants.  I'm really pleased with my Lomandra longifolia grass that I've planted up in the middle at the front.  Then the pink peony is in the back right.  I'd like a few giant alliums and an Oxeye daisy most probably.  I'd like something pink or purple - thinking dianthus and agapanthus?

I've also got a bed up the right hand side with shrubs in.  The shrubs are growing taller and I'm trimming their underbranches off so there's space appearing for flowers.  I've added a few daffodils and I've a pot of tulips I'll be adding.  Any suggestions for things that are hardy but pretty.

@SouthCoast yes please to the pony, but probably not enough room in our 3 bed modern house

South_coast

Makes me think of Hyacinth Bucket and her sister that had the Mercedes, a sauna and room for a pony 🤣

SandyShores

South_coast said:

Makes me think of Hyacinth Bucket and her sister that had the Mercedes, a sauna and room for a pony 🤣

I'd take all three 😂🐴🚘🧖‍♀️😂 and perhaps I could be called Mercedes 😂.  I've got a cat, a 12 year old car and a gym membership though and I love all 3.  I love that programme too, our Onslow 😂

ps I just read my thread again and it would have been a pink pony and I've got a bed in the garden too - less Hyacinth and definitely more Onslow :). And I love how I've put the full latin name of the ornamental grass - just because that's what was on the label but does sound very Hyacinth 'my Lomandra longifolia'.

SandyShores

No PB win today, oh well there's always next month.

However..... MrShores decided to organise his personal pensions and take a tax free lump sum, so part of that is currently making its way to the mortgage as I write.  It means our equity is now way over our target 40% (signature to be updated shortly).  There's a bit more to follow but we've now reached maximum OP until remortgage time, so I've just set up a savings account - only 3% interest but I'll put all the planned OPs in there until the time comes.  Definitely feeling so much better about our chances of being mortgage free by SPA.  

debtfreeoneday

That’s great news on the OPs!

SandyShores

Thanks @debtfreeoneday, its a relatively small amount compared to the whole mortgage but its an amazing feeling to be getting near the 100's.  I'm now thinking seriously about whether I take mine earlier (was planning next year) - I'll be getting the calculator out this weekend

Edit: Oh, and the monthly payments on remortgage will be way more affordable now, which gives us wiggle room or overpayment ability.

debtfreeoneday

Small steps lead to big things. Every OP makes a difference. I remember making my first ever Op of £125 and thinking I could have done so much else with that money but then someone pointed out to me that’s £125 I’ll never pay interest on again and so I started sending anything to the mortgage 1p, 5p, 10p. My mortgage company probably hated me with the amount of OPs I made. It used to be daily at times. 😂

savingholmes

Well done on your OPs. Great progress.

I love plants. I like things with structure. Hellebores flower for months over winter. I love sedum autumn glory. Good way of extending your flower/interest season beyond the plants you mentioned.  I love aquilegia tall and delicate for around May. 

Radish seeds produce tall white flowers very cheap and quick to grow. Fennel too... perhaps cheap packet of wildflower seeds to fill any gaps?