The Ideas Genie Community Forum
Our Gardens => My Garden => Topic started by: trishs on March 06, 2013, 01:31:22 AM
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Here is a plan of our plot of land.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/land1977closecropped.jpg)
As you can see we have a very long garden which runs up onto a hillside which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The 'garden' is kind of in four parts; there is the normal small space at the front and two small patio areas close by the house and a fairly large area beyond (very recent picture)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/PC181168_zpsbff8aa5f.jpg)
which then leads through a gate into the second area which includes a fruit and veg plot as well as flower borders and trees.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/lj%20related/DSCF1138.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/lj%20related/DSCF2125.jpg)
The third part is wilder in nature and runs from a small summerhouse, a wildlife pond and partway up the hill to the gate to the SSSI. two more recent pics)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/PC231209_zps7edd5f63.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/PC231210_zpsabc6739d.jpg)
The SSSI can't really be classed as garden as we only manage it rather than design or plant it, but it does involve a considerable amount of work.
We bought this house nearly thirty years ago (moving within the same village) because of the land/garden. We have spent most of our money on plants rather than 'garden design', just following the natural shapes and circumstances of the land, which has changed actually quite considerably over the years (I'm sure the garden used to be 'flatter', but it is an old mining village so that probably explains it, plus water flow has changed, partially due to some idiot who ploughed up an adjacent field uneccessarily and mucked up the existing drainage.
There was nothing much of note in the garden, (apart from two mature pear trees, one of which fell down a few years ago),
when we bought the house so everything is what we have planted, apart from a few other native boundary trees. I just happen to have a pic handy of the tree before it fell down, we have used most of the fallen tree as a 'feature' since as you will notice in subsequent pics.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/newcamera037.jpg)
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You have a lovely setting there Trish.
The photos with the snow make it look like a real winter wonderland scene.
You're also very fortunate to have part of your land as SSSI, which will never be built on. Still a lot of work as you have said, but challenging and rewarding at the same time ;)
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Welcome to the forum Trish. What an interesting plot you have, and great photos of it in the snow. I can quite imagine that it is a lot of work. I was born and bred in the north of England. A bit further north than you, in Barnard Castle in Teesdale. I left when I married Anthea, a southerner, in 1951 but I kept returning regularly until my mother died in 1995. When I was young my father had a very large garden on a slope which involved much work and ingenuity. In his retirement they moved to a house with a small south facing garden surrounded with stone walls which seemed to defy the severe climate. Good luck with your gardening.
Eric H ( the H is to differentiate me from the other Eric (Palustris)
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Thanks for the welcome and introduction Eric. I used those few pics to introduce our garden because they are (mostly) so very recent, and the weeds don't show when the snow covers everything ;)
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I just came across this pic of the same part of the garden as one of the snow pictures, taken last June. I'm very proud of these trees; I've know them since they were babies ;) The conifer between the Prunus serrula and the Picea breweriana was a small, very sickly, reduced price, lost label plant rescued from Blooms many years ago. I'd really like to know what it is. I have other photos which might help an expert identify it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2012/P6050455_edited-1_zps6a6119e8.jpg)
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Grandson learning how to start peas and broad beans in pots a month or two ago. The plants have just started flowering, in their garden and ours.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P4121550_zps09da19c7.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P4121550_zps09da19c7.jpg.html)
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Lovely shot, Trish, start them young , I say :). I was given my own little plot over 80 years ago! :o
Eric
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It's good to see youngsters learning the art of gardening there Trish.
Good luck with that :)
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William has a burning desire to water everything and Jessica has an unnatural interest in spiders :) I guess things will change over time though!
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Hi Trish :)
Lovely to see the children getting involved in gardening :D
I can see nicely prepared beds in the background ready for the planting out stage.
Do you always start your broad beans off in pots? I'm sure it gives them a good head start. Spring over here was worse than winter this year :( and I did start some peas and beans off in the greenhouse for the first time ever. Planted out and doing well!
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I can see nicely prepared beds in the background ready for the planting out stage.
Do you always start your broad beans off in pots? I'm sure it gives them a good head start. Spring over here was worse than winter this year :( and I did start some peas and beans off in the greenhouse for the first time ever. Planted out and doing well!
Yes, George, the veg garden is mostly planted up now. Rog put the baby runner beans out the other day. I start them off in root trainers as they either get eaten by something or rot otherwise. Never started broad beans in peat pots before but four packs of pea and bean seed were included in a pack with about 100 peat pots and reduced to a bargain price from one of the seed companies earlier in the year and it was an offer too good to refuse. Still got loads of pots left for next year :)
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Rog put the baby runner beans out the other day. I start them off in root trainers as they either get eaten by something or rot otherwise.
Anthea propagates our runner beans and sweet peas in the cardboard tubes from toilet roles. All I have to do, when they are ready for planting out, is to dig an appropriately sized hole with a trowel pop the tube in and consolidate some earth round them. The roots aren't disturbed and they grow through the wet cardboard in no time.
Apropos the runner beans demolished by muntjac deer this year we replanted with new plants and put soft fruit netting round the patch supported on bamboos (which we cut from our enormous bamboo plants). There is no way the netting would keep the deer out, but it is practically invisible and it looks as though they get deterred when they feel the net but can't see it. Anyhow, it seems to be working and the beans are already climbing the bean poles. :)
Eric H
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I have started legumes in toilet roll tubes in the past; I suppose I ought to consider a return to the old ways :)
Sounds like a useful ruse to confuse the deer. I think it's either pigeons or pheasants which mostly eat our unprotected veg, that's if the slugs and snails have let enough grow for them lol.
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As I mentioned on Eric and Anthea's garden post, the bees are loving our Rosa Geranium just now. I should have also taken a picture of the whole bush but here's a flower with a bee in it. It was rolling around in the flower having a lovely time :)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6141849_zps0e834ede.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6141849_zps0e834ede.jpg.html)
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Here's a picture of the whole thing
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6191929_zps5fc0244f.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6191929_zps5fc0244f.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6191935_zpse91b5dbc.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6191935_zpse91b5dbc.jpg.html)
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I mentioned earlier in this thread about one of our old pear trees falling down a few years ago. We've tried to make it into an interesting feature and planted around it, roses and various other perennials and bulbs. Here's what part of it looks like at the moment. I'm delighted that the white sweet rocket I grew from seed last year has settled in so well, and smells gorgeous.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/CopyofP6191939_zps444f35e0.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/CopyofP6191939_zps444f35e0.jpg.html)
The border in front of our privet hedge at the front is much neglected yet still looks pretty much of the time. It's mainly poppies and borage just now.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6171885_zps3baefba7.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6171885_zps3baefba7.jpg.html)
And here's another recently planted (and weeded!) patch where the geums I mentioned elsewhere are planted, although they don't really show from this distance.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/CopyofP6191930_zps15246df3.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/CopyofP6191930_zps15246df3.jpg.html)
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Here's a better picture of my geum (before the weeding!)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/Copy2ofP5251799_zps4bef8b4d.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/Copy2ofP5251799_zps4bef8b4d.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/Copy2ofP5251801_zpsd3153eac.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/Copy2ofP5251801_zpsd3153eac.jpg.html)
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I began this thread with a plan of our plot of land. I thought it would be interesting to add this aerial picture taken two or three years ago to give some idea of the amount of trees we have to 'manage'.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/DSC00981copy_edited-1_zps951b35ae.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/DSC00981copy_edited-1_zps951b35ae.jpg.html)
Here is view from our kitchen window. The two new blue flowered plants I just bought are clearly visible.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6241955_zpse90d15df.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6241955_zpse90d15df.jpg.html)
and looking back at the kitchen window
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6241957_zps3f9b9280.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6241957_zps3f9b9280.jpg.html)
and standing outside the back door and looking to the right, down the garden,
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6241964_zps559fc002.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6241964_zps559fc002.jpg.html)
much further down the garden, near the bottom of the hill
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6141876_zps4a9c02cf.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6141876_zps4a9c02cf.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6141871_zpsb500cffc.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P6141871_zpsb500cffc.jpg.html)
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Peace and tranquility! Very good indeed Trish! I LOVE your Roses 8)
You have a lot of garden to manage there. In the aerial view, we can see that there is quite a lot of open and sunny areas of your garden, so you have many options for planting both sun lovers, shade lovers and woodlanders!
In fact, one area looks quite Mediterranean!
Do you and Rog ever get time to sit in those seats? :D
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Another very nice set of photos, Trish. We are really getting a very good idea of your garden and just a hint of the amount of work involved ::)
Eric
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No, George, we rarely sit outside. We spend so much time outside doing things in the garden that it's usually a relief to come in and get out of the weather, whatever it is! Hot summer evenings are the exception but we don't seem to have had many of those in recent years.
The roses are doing well so far this year. I took this closer view to record the difference between the two on the trellis by the patio. The one on the right is Zephirine Drouhin and the one on the left is Mdme Isaac Pereire.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292033_zps2c4f4888.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292033_zps2c4f4888.jpg.html)
Much further down the garden is what we call the Bonfire Bed (we used to have bonfires there long ago before all the surrounding plants grew too much and were in danger of getting scorched) which is planted with three different astrantias alternating with three different spring flowering sweet peas, a couple of winterberries and another semi tender flowering shrub whose name escapes me atm. Here are a couple of pictures from different angles and a few close-ups of the astrantias.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292006_zpsdb4e9a70.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292006_zpsdb4e9a70.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292016_zps075baccf.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292016_zps075baccf.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292015_zps6578907b.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292015_zps6578907b.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292007_zps77a9de0f.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292007_zps77a9de0f.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292008_zps871a3175.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292008_zps871a3175.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292010_zps5c0b5dd9.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2013%20garden/P6292010_zps5c0b5dd9.jpg.html)
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Meanwhile, back on the hillside, I can now see via this photo which Rog took, evidence of the existence of Hay Rattle. This is excellent news and bodes well for the ongoing gradual return of the site to how it was until a few years ago when our grazing problems began and everything began to get out of hand.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/SSSI/P6271984_zps1845d9c5.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/SSSI/P6271984_zps1845d9c5.jpg.html)
This picture was taken last autumn when Rog and our friend (who helps Rog with 'big' tiring jobs such as tree pruning etc) had finished strimming and clearing the meadow/hillside. The Hay Rattle he has found so far is apparantly growing about halfway down on the right of where the 'path' is/needs to be. I'm hoping there's more of it but until better paths are strimmed out it's impossible for me to explore properly without risking life and limb!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/SSSI/P8040721_zps905def68.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/SSSI/P8040721_zps905def68.jpg.html)
and looking back up the hill
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/SSSI/P8040719_zps107fb151.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/SSSI/P8040719_zps107fb151.jpg.html)
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How about a goat or two, Trish? :)
Eric H
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Or a herd of cows :o
What do you do with all the grass Trish?
I'm repeating myself (I know!) - I love your Roses!! I have two varieties of Astrantias. When well grown they are fine plants - yours look real good!
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Re a comment I posted elsewhere about foxglove variations here are a couple of pictures of some beauties that popped up around our pear tree area last summer. Sadly nothing similar so far this year.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2012/P5180412_edited-1.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2012/P5180412_edited-1.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/2012/P5180414_edited-1.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/2012/P5180414_edited-1.jpg.html)
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How about a goat or two, Trish? :)
Eric H
We did have a half share in one briefly a long time ago. It's a long and very funny story, but with a sad ending - the goat died after dogs got in the field :(
Goat keeping is very demanding, and not for the faint hearted.
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Or a herd of cows :o
What do you do with all the grass Trish?
Another long story, the end currently being that we now have four elderly sheep, but we can't graze them on the SSSI because it has become invaded by Dog's Mercury. A few years ago we lost sheep to mystery deaths and I finally figured out that they must have eaten the damn stuff. I was researching on and off for ages before I realised what was poisoning the poor creatures, it tends not to crop up on many poisonous plant lists and websites, or it certainly didn't several years ago. We have been totally unable to eradicate this pernicious creeping weedand we no longer get any help from Natural England or English Nature as it used to be called. They have been less than useless for the past several years. So the quick answer to what we did with all the grass last year is piled it up in a couple of large heaps just outside the SSSI. It was an enormous heap but it has dropped down a bit by now. It's such a shame but it's just too risky to feed it to the sheep, unless we can find an area that is reliably free of the Dogs Mercury. Personally I think this could be the case eventually, once we have got the Hay Rattle working again and the grass growth isn't so prolific as to give cover to the Dog's Mercury.
Rog strimmed some better paths and he went up there with me earlier this evening so I could look at what is growing. It's very tricky walking for meand I only had time and energy to go part way on the side path to where he had seen some Hay Rattle from. I should have taken my distance glasses but even so I could spot the few Rattle flower spikes and better still close by a couple of orchids, I'm pretty sure. Rog didn't want to go walking into the centre just now as it can cause damage but he'll go back with a camera and investigate a bit more when he doesn't have me to worry about :) There were a couple of other species I'm not sure about namewise. A lot of what I think is some kind of Bedstraw and a curious patch of weird things that look like a type of allium that I need to google about to identify as I've never seen them before! Different species seem to congregate in different parts of the hillside so there's quite a large area to explore. There used to be several wild herbs and twayblades down the bottom end but I doubt I shall ever be able to get down the steep parts again so I shall have to rely on Rog's eyesight and the camera.
Here's some pictures from early spring. William is not at all sure about the sheep whilst Jessica is fearless where most things are concerned.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P3011380_zps0d5421f3.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P3011380_zps0d5421f3.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/bitbat/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P3011387_zps1da87ad1.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bitbat/media/2011%20garden%20etc/genie/P3011387_zps1da87ad1.jpg.html)
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Nice photos of William and Jessica :)
You've reminded me of one I took of Tara when we first moved here and grew hens ;D
Ive never heard of Dogs Mercury, but it must have been very mysterious to lose your livestock, Trish.
On the Foxgloves, I love that pale pink variety 8)
Mine are usually the bog standard colour :D
Last year I BOUGHT some different coloured varieties, just to get a white one.
As if by magic, a white one appeared in the garden. As for the ones I bought, some died (I didn't think that was possible!) and to date, that white (bought) one has not materialised :'(
However, the self seeded one (if that's what it was) is showing colour. Its a bit later than the regular Digitalis purpurea just beside it - its now in flower.
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I've had the occasional white one pop up over the years. No matter how one tries to encourage the unusual shades it seems to be pot luck what you get. I lashed out on some of these this year
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/digitalis-chelsea-flower-show-plant-of-the-year-2012 but none have opened up their flower buds yet. It looks a bit gaudy but otherwise its described credentials seem too good to be true. I'll see how they do in the various inhospitable locations I've allocated them and let you know.
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Thanks for THAT link Trish - very interesting!
Please take some photos when those flower buds open. I'd love to see them and your assessment of the plants in general when you've seen them for a full season.
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Hello Trish,
I was just doing some dipping into the forum and saw your posting (a long time ago) about your sheep. I hope they are thriving and the Dogs Mercury eliminated. We kept horses for years and we had to pull up the Ragwort.
Best
Eric H
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Hi Eric,
good to see this reply :) I finally found time to pay a quick visit to the forum. Hope you and Anthea are keeping well and enjoying your lovely garden.
We are gradually getting on top of the Dogs Mercury (we think/hope!) but now we are down to three sheep as one died a while ago. It was the oldest, around 13 iirc so not bad for a sheep :)
I hope to write a proper update soon....
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https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.704400166319833.1073741869.100002495692422&type=1&l=4d0d6c71f2
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I appear to have successfully provided a link above to my facebook current garden album which I have made 'public' so that I can share pics with friends on this forum :) When time permits I will make other relevant albums public also as this seems the easiest / least time consuming way for me to share.
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It's great to have you back on the Forum again Trish 8)
Time can be one of our greatest enemies, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished ::)
Anyway, the links you provided to your garden are brilliant. I'm especially pleased you have included some of my favourite wildlife photos of butterflies.
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Welcome back indeed Trish. Garden and wildlife looking good :D
Look at the lovely crop of pears you have 8)
I'm having great difficulty getting fruit from mine. Its mature enough to produce, but crops seem to fail.
We had one good year, but this and last year was poor.
Ive noticed snails on the tree at time of setting fruit, so I'm suspicious. (How do they ever get away up there :()
Do you have any tips on growing them? Do you spray them?
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Thanks George :) Yes, our pear harvest has been excellent this year. It's hard work making sure we don't waste them! We're onto the last few now, but their skins are a bit unsightly so these fruits need to be peeled unlike the earlier ones. It's a family tree with three different varieties, and they all set and cropped equally well this year. Our apple trees on the other hand seem to be having a year off after last years bounty. We don't do anything other than feed and prune the pear but we put bands or grease around the apple tree trunks at the appropriate time of year (when we remember!)
I've updated the album after the past two days work. We've completed most of the renovation on the shade border and have high hopes for spring colour. I'm also planning to improve autumn colour at the lighter (right hand) end of the border once the remaining weeding has been completed. It's difficult planting there because of the tree roots which is why the geranium phaum has taken over over the past few years but I'm hoping to squeeze some bergenias in before winter arrives.
The main news about our garden is that several months ago an acquaintance began his own gardening business and has now become a friend and regular visitor/worker. He comes once a week and works either with Rog or on his own which means that we are at last making good progress at getting the garden into better shape. We have already done a lot of tree pruning with much work ahead to see us through winter. The field has been cut and raked and is looking good. I will add links for those albums. Rob is not very experienced at gardening but he is very enthusiastic and enjoying learning from us as he develops his business. I am so pleased we found him. It cost us a fair bit each month but the result are worth every penny and it's helping him get his business underway so everyone's a winner :)
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More links to this year's albums, a record of what we have flowering , where and when:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.601468849946299.1073741846.100002495692422&type=1&l=66e62fcb24
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.636219576471226.1073741852.100002495692422&type=1&l=c6ef649b86
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.657761107650406.1073741855.100002495692422&type=1&l=b4ed91f327
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.609890772437440.1073741848.100002495692422&type=1&l=4d3973f0cd
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Thanks for the links to your Facebook photos, Trish. It is a great way to display them. I particularly liked your helibores - one of my favourite flowers.
It is good to have help in your garden. At our age we couldn't manage without help.
Eric H
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Thanks Eric, yes, I just received some new plants today in the post :) I now have five baby Stinking Hellebores 'Miss Jekyll's Scented' which are supposed to smell nice! Hoping the weather will allow me to pop them into the recently weeded and tidied shade border tomorrow in their allotted positions. There are three Autumn Treasure raspberry canes for Rog to plant too.
We were lucky with the weather again this Monday and Rob helped me by digging up and boxing the dahlias and then planting trays of narcissus in their place. We finished the space off today with two different types of blue pansies, so the patio border is now ready for spring :) The dahlias are drying upside down under the carport until next Monday when we will have to try and pack them the right way up and get them into the greenhouse for winter. The worst thing is keeping the m correctly labelled!
I've bought a few Christmassy looking plants with berries on from a local garden centre the other day (where we got the pansies). I was VERY impressed by the range and quality of plants, and the prices were fair too. It transpires that a HUGE Dutch artic wagon sleeps over at the garden centre in their car park every Monday and the guy who owns the garden centre is a very keen plantsman and regularly buys a few new and interesting cultivars that perhaps aren't so generally available. Unfortunately he wasn't there in person when we bought a few plants so I'm unsure exactly what some of my purchases are! The saleslady, his sister, apologised about the ones which weren't labelled. I shall photo them and call back, or ask on here if anyone can help.
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Another flower that I noticed among your photos, Trish, was a nice pink single Astrantia, another favourite of mine. I had a root of one which looked just like that from my late father, in Barnard Castle, many years ago. it bloomed very well every year but this year it has mysteriously vanished. I suspect the help of weeding the border too zealously and "weeding" it out. His knowledge of plants is not good but he is excellent at cutting hedges and mowing grass.
Eric H
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Glad to read about your enthusiasm for buying and planting new cultivars Trish.
I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who grows autumn fruit producing Raspberries - are they a good selection?
Mine are harvested over a few weeks in early summer. Hard to get volunteers to do the plucking, but everyone loves the jam ;D
Its good to have that help in the garden Eric, but when it comes to weeding it sure does need a good knowledge of what is a weed and what is a plant. Its more difficult in that some perennials are VERY slow to awake from their "winter hibernation". Things like Cosmos atrosanguineus (the beautiful Chocolate plant) and Delphiniums are VERY late to start growth in my garden. Their spot needs to be either well marked or well memorised ::)
Worse still, they need to be weeded around and slug pellets applied. Have you noticed that slugs favour our favourites?
I have long since concluded that if slugs like them, they are good plants!
I'm sure you have noticed that Dahlias are included in that category Trish!
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Here's some info about one of the new plants I just bought....
http://www.plantify.co.uk/Leucothoe-axillaris-Curly-Red/plant-9573
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Hi Trish,
I'm not sure if anyone ever responded about your question as to what the conifer was in one of your earlier postings. Do you have Grand Firs there? My husband thinks that may be what it is, as it looks similar to ours. I've been enjoying your lovely photos. What qualifies land to be SSSI?
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So sorry about not seeing and replying to your post, nasuli! I've been so busy I just haven't had time to spend here! I'm not familiar with 'Grand Firs' but I tend to like fir trees in general :) Here are a couple of links to what SSSIs are https://www.gov.uk/sites-of-special-scientific-interest-and-historical-monuments and http://naturenet.net/status/sssi.html
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Just paying a flying visit for now, folks! Hope everyone is keeping well and busy, especially in their gardens :) We've been doing masses of work in ours, with the added advantage of having some regular (paid) help with the hard graft (lots of tree pruning, hedge cutting, ground clearing etc) . There's still lots more on the 'to do' list but we're having a short break over Easter and attending a music festival in Belgium. Assuming I survive the adventure I'll be back when we return. I've been reading the recent posts and enjoying all the pictures of plants, gardens and people :)
So I can share something easily and quickly I've just made one of my recent fb albums public so you can see our garden in the snow.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.778087408951108.1073741875.100002495692422&type=1&l=88acac5f80
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Still here! Gosh what a long time has passed. Glad to see a few names I recognise. Will try and catch up over the next few days and read as many recent posts as I can. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2941435859282908&set=a.2941435749282919&type=3&theater
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Yes stay safe Trish. Good to hear your are well.
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I seem to have lost touch with this forum and only just found your reply. Hoping others are also keeping well. When time permits I'll have to try and catch up but just now I can't face a big learning curve. So much has happened since 2015! Our son's marriage unexpectedly fell apart and we have needed to spend time and money helping him with keeping his home and proper shared access to kids. because of this we have actually spent a lot more time with the grandchildren which has been a pleasure and a privilege. Also I notice in my last post from 2015 I mentioned we were getting help with the work in the garden. Well that friend now runs his own landscaping/garden business but spends the best part of every Monday working with us in the garden. We have done masses of tree pruning and lots of work on our SSSI and adjoining meadow. I'm still managing to get around on two sticks and raising stuff from seed, cuttings etc for others to plant out Yesterday we received a bench I had specially made and adapted (heightwise) from a chap on Ebay which is one of several I can use to rest on when I'm taking a trip round the garden. I have continuing problems in working out a way to post pics here so I've made a public facebook album in which I can add any relevant pics related to what I write about. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2962567040503123&set=a.2941435749282919&type=3&theater Currently we have a sharp frost tonight again but hopefully this will be the last one until the autumn and I can remove all the protective fleece and covers I've had to rig up this past week to keep tender stuff alive. It's been another weird spring as far as weather is concerned. After the awful floods several months ago we now are very much in need of rain in Yorkshire and everything is ahead on account of all the recent extra warm weather.