Wintersong

What's the weather like in your area?

Sorry to all those who have floods or snow, but it's a beautiful early Spring day here in Kent...

What Type of Garden is Yours.

I like formal over chaos, every shade of green, dappled shade, elegant blooms, contrasting foliage and plenty of work to do. Even weeding is a joy to me.

My garden is the envy of my friends and family and yet, it's no where near what I want. It's increasingly less mature the further away from the house with some sections remaining gappy just because I can't afford to fill them yet or haven't decided what I want. I make all the decisions although OH is happy to assist me any way he can and enjoys the garden along with me. I don't have kids or pets, Oh and I did all the hard landscaping last, since I just couldn't resist buying plants over paving slabs

This year's main focus is more vegetables, and more colour co-ordination within the five rooms that make up my humble plot. No clashing please.

I'm a bit of a control freak although I'm also green, love the wildlife that chooses to make my garden home, bore my friends silly on the subject of plants and talk to my plants (in the ground or pots) when I'm out there come hail or shine.  I can't help communicating my joy and pleasure to have such special amazing and faithful flora that brings me such wonder and happiness every year.

Good Morning ..... :D

Good Spring-morning Bunny and others...

I've just finished a 5hr shift that begun at 5.15 so after brunch, I will be moving earth somewhere outside. Sooooooo much to do, so little time, but yes, It's Spring

March in your Garden

Wow, fantastic job!

March in your Garden

Yes, Busy-Lizzie, I was already aware of the tenderness of this shrub and researched this particular variety Callistemon leavis on the net post-purchase, trusting in B&Q's Verve label standards that did not state the need for any special protection in the colder months!

Bottle brushes are excellent garden plants, which flower in early spring and will be covered with the bright red blossoms. The flowers can be spectacular and are irresistible to nectar feeding birds and insects. They can tolerate damp conditions and will tolerate drought and limited maintenance. They grow well in a wide variety of soils. Plants growth in full sun produce the best flowers.

Aftercare Water regularly during the growing season. Top dress in spring with soil improver and bonemeal.

That's exactly why I was about to return the plant last year with great dissatisfaction in the company until I realised that it was still alive. I Feel strongly about labels not stating the truth, but felt less able to complain if my plant was not actually dead.

Normally, I know my tenders from my hardys and ummed and arhed before I made the purchase based on my humble knowledge, but I remember my parents owned one that survive many years in their previous garden, so I naively thought, you know what, maybe they have hardy versions now and I can trust the label!

Shame on Verve @ B&Q!

March in your Garden

Monday morning's trek into the garden has revealed some wins and some losses.

Sorting through my borders, I was very happy to discover that one of my clumps of alliums has expanded from seven last year to twelve new shoots this year, all looking very substantial in fatness. Yet to see if all of the shoots will flower but I am delighted and shall be planting more this coming autumn.

Also, I counted the breaking buds on my Eremurus to discover twenty on each plant, that forty potential flower spikes! Since last year was twenty-one and the year before was seven, I guess these might need splitting in the summer months of dormancy?

So, to the losses so far this year...

I dug up three clumps of Heleniums from my purple garden, in order to move them since erm, they are not purple. They have always suffered in that spot anyways and I wanted to give them a bed with better soil and more light, but what I pulled out the ground was rotten mess with only the tiniest plants attached to the outer edge, so these have been potted up and I now gain one gap in the full sun border looking for a new plant

I'm also gravely disappointed with my Bottle Brush shrub which I thought was dead last year after the snows flattened it. So I dug it up to take it back to the GC that had labeled it hardy, when I realised it was not dead. It went straight in a pot and I nursed it through the summer month until it had a lovely crown of leaves and looked vibrant once more.

To save the same this year, I left it in the pot so I could move it into my cool room through the winter without success. Once again, all new growth has died, despite light and water and I am at a loss as to how I might treat this beautiful but troublesome plant that survives neither cruelty nor kindness!

Gardeners World new season

The program proved useful for me since OH got to see Monty splitting a perennial and took notice of the reason why, no matter how many times I've explained to him why I keep digging things up

Joe's piece was better than last weeks as I took notice of the design-reasons behind his choices and well, any featured plants will be personal prefer not matter the season! 

To be honest, I watch the garden, its structure, it's growth rate, it's changes behind Monty's shoulder as much as listening to what comes out Monty's mouth. I love being nosey round his patch, I wish I could be nosey around more patches but I lack transport to these well known gardens and wish the GW team would do feature programs on some of them. I know it defeats paying to enter if they film it, but I can't get there and have to rely on photos and TV programs.

March in your Garden

Icy start to today's gardening with frostbite fingers but then the sun warmed up a bit and it sort of touched on early spring. Put out five bags of rubbish for the bin men tomorrow including three bags of rose prunings from front garden as well as back arch which means my view from the kitchen window will be sans waving wands of climbing rose gone mad, thank Goodness!

I do like order and loath chaos, but I'm still on the winter pruning jobs and haven't begun moving things or sowing seeds yet as the ground is too cold and wet. Garlic looks good on it though whilst my keen eye did spot the pink nose of a sprouting Allium peeking through my borders, which filled me with good cheer.

More to do tomorrow, but its all just tidying stuff up really...nothing close to that wonder filled spring rush we venture into each year as the season takes off. Hold onto your hats when it comes...

Garden Gallery 2013

My garden is still evolving, but for those who would like a peek at its peek 2012:

 My garden is 100ft rectangle shape on sandy soil. It's easy to dig but turns into a dust bowl in the summer. Nearest the house is very mature as we planted there soon after moving in some 18yrs ago. The bottom end of the garden is yet to mature as we only really begun in earnest 3yrs ago and the middle section is probably a little of both as the Acer tree is well into its teens yet it still has massive gaps in borders yet to fill out. Time, effort and money have not always been forthcoming.

How tidy is your garden?

Mine is average tidy: patios and paths tend to get swept, lawns edged, borders cleaned of old growth, climbers tied in, trees and shrubs pruned to sensible proportions and the clippings removed- although this year I am making a log stack from some heavy pruning.

I don't like the build up of dirt under gravelled areas so I may clean that away this year along with the twigs that fall off my Eucalyptus onto the gravel every year. I clean leaves off water but my stack of empty pots never gets washed until I need them a few at a time whilst one redundant corner plus my composting area could do with attention. On a scale of 0-10, I'd scrape 7.

Before and After

June in Your Garden!

Chelsea!

Chelsea Chop

What's it like in your garden?

Ooh ooh so excited!

Talkback: Informal planting

Why Miss Bateman?

Phormium newbie