Author Topic: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire  (Read 13957 times)

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NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #25 on: January 14, 2012, 04:29:24 PM »
My sentiments exactly Eric  :D

In fact yesterday, I saw two bees visiting this bush - a bumble bee and a honey bee.  And as you know, they should still be in hibernation.

If we continue to get frosty nights, as we did last night, they're not going to survive for very long.  We had a hard ground frost and the water in the bird bath in our front garden froze solid.

It's warming up during the day, with sunshine and no wind - almost like Spring weather.

That darn grass will be growing again soon if this mild weather continues  ::)  I hope not though, it's one of my least favourite of gardening tasks.  Ho-hum.

Laurie.

Offline Eric Hardy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #26 on: January 14, 2012, 04:35:10 PM »
We had frost in the night too. It has been sunny, absolutely cloudless all day, and about 4 degrees C. On the north side of the hedgerows the ground frost has remained unmelted. You didn't say whether the frost has affected the Camellia, Laurie.

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #27 on: January 14, 2012, 04:41:48 PM »
The flowers and buds don't appear to have any visible signs of frost damage Eric.

We'll keep an eye on it though and see what transpires.

If it can survive the extremes of temperature we're getting now, then all I can say is that it's one very hardy and resilient plant.

I'm not an expert on Camellias so I don't know if this is the norm for them.  Maybe one of our more knowledgeable members on Camellias could shed some light on it.

Either way, I would certainly recommend this shrub, which gives you beautiful flowers and evergreen leaves when the flowers eventually drop off.

Laurie.

Online ideasguy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #28 on: January 14, 2012, 06:33:33 PM »
That is an amazing photo, Laurie - a Camellia in full bloom at this time of year (and since Christmas 8))

They are very hardy, I do know that. From my own experience of the varieties in my garden, if some blooms get damaged or just wither away (not sure which!), theres a constant succession to keep the bush adorned with numerous blooms in pristine condition. That can go on for a period of a few months. It will be interesting to see how long yours will continue to flower for this year, after such an early start.

Offline Martin Froggatt

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #29 on: January 14, 2012, 07:12:23 PM »
Hi Laurie,

What a super plant to have in the garden to cheer up the dull days we have had recently. If we are in for a few hard frosts over the next week or so, it may be prudent to cover the plant with horticultural fleece to keep it protected.

BTW great photograph.

Martin

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #30 on: January 14, 2012, 09:27:52 PM »
Thanks for the great feedback George and Martin.

It's difficult to tell from the photograph but the Camellia is about 10 feet tall by about 5 feet wide.  A big area to cover with fleece there Martin  ;)

Actually it's a well-established plant, having been in the garden for many years prior to us moving in, with some very thick branches.

It has therefore already gone through several winters and is still performing well, as you can see from my latest photo.

I don't think we need to 'pamper' it though.  The colder winter last year just stopped the flowers from blooming until later on, as the numerous buds were unaffected, and the bush still became covered with lovely flowers.

It's just so nice to have a bush in full colour when all our other, more tender, plants are sleeping through the winter  :D

It's great to have your input Martin, being our newest member to the Forum, so keep up the good work.

Laurie.

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #31 on: January 21, 2012, 04:49:08 PM »
Just a quick update on our 'full-bloom' Camellia in our front garden.

It's still doing well, despite a few frosty nights (another one due here this Monday actually  ::) ).  A few petals have started to drop, but I would say the overall performance is consistent with last year.

We have exactly the same Camellia on the east side of our house.  This one doesn't catch as much full sun as the one in the front garden.  There are lots of buds on it, but the ones that are flowering at the moment are at the top of the bush where the morning sun reaches it.

We've seen similar Camellias in other gardens in our area and they are also in full bloom.  So, they definitely respond well to sunlight  :D

A great plant if you're wanting a very colourful display, evergreen leaves once the flowering stops, and doesn't seem to mind temperature extremes.  Does well in alkaline soil, which is what we have here.

Gets our recommendation anyway  ;)

Laurie.

Offline Palustris

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #32 on: January 21, 2012, 09:02:24 PM »
Very nice. All our Camellias died over the last two winters.

Online ideasguy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #33 on: January 22, 2012, 07:16:26 PM »
What a sad loss Eric. Mine have all survived, I'm pleased to say. I selected the C. × williamsii varieties as they were said to be hardier. What varieties died on you?

Ive another little story to add to Lauries observations.
My specimen Camellia × williamsii 'Donation' has now grown to 8ft tall and more wide. Ive observed that the south facing side of the bush starts to bloom a week and more before the blooms at the other side! They obviously like sunshine. However, they should be planted to avoid facing East, as the rising sun can damage the blooms ofter a night of frost.
Mind you, if you are lucky there will be plenty of bloom on the other sides to compensate!

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #34 on: March 05, 2013, 03:51:06 PM »
A beautiful day here today.  Warm, sunny and dry  ;D

Took the opportunity to get out and do some tidying of the garden.

Had a lot of dried oak tree leaves to clear up first, picking out from between all the border plants - a very time consuming task.

Got a few crocuses and snowdrops in bloom adding some nice colour to the borders.  Even got crocuses coming up through the lawn so didn't cut the grass today.  Can wait until they die back first.

We don't have any new planting schemes planned just yet, just concentrating on getting the existing 'old' stuff cut back.

Let's hope the wettest year on record was last year, and our gardens and plants have time to recover from the rain and wind battering and water-logging  ::)


Offline trishs

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #35 on: March 05, 2013, 06:10:05 PM »
Glad you enjoyed sunshine today, the cloud never lifted for us;  but at least it was dry so I have been busy outdoors for a few hours.  I have now retrieved three barrows full of compost, mostly from last year's dahlias and sweet pepper pots. It will get pepped up a bit with something and be useful for filling some containers in a few weeks time. 

I don't understand why you picked up dry oak leaves?  I would have left them as a mulch to rot down, or if they were too dense over some plants, pushed them off and jiggled them into the soil.  We get a dense covering of hawthorn leaves over what we call our shade border and I just leave them in situ.

   

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #36 on: March 05, 2013, 07:17:28 PM »
Our blackbirds love tossing our fallen leaves in the flower beds, looking for grubs underneath. I rake up from over the grass when the trees are bare. All else is allowed to revert to nature. They give a good weed cover over winter.

Delighted to see you and Kathy will have more time for the garden this year Laurie. Did you identify most of the plants in your new garden? Last year must have been fun to see them all to glory in their respective season.

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #37 on: March 05, 2013, 10:39:55 PM »
I don't understand why you picked up dry oak leaves?  I would have left them as a mulch to rot down ...
Well Trish, living in the New Forest and being surrounded by lots of different types of trees, many being deciduous such as the oaks, we get quite a lot of leaves blowing into our garden.  More than your average leaf drop that less rural areas would get as you can imagine.  We have to keep on top of it or we'd see nothing but leaves in our garden  ::)

Anyway, as well as making the lawn and flower beds look untidy, they choke up the flower beds especially for the smaller plants.  I use a power leaf sucker/blower which also shreds, so the leaves are actually used as mulch but in a more manageable form.  It also looks tidier as we can control the amount of shredded leaves around our plants  ;)

Did you identify most of the plants in your new garden? Last year must have been fun to see them all to glory in their respective season.
Pretty much ID'd them all George.  The biggest star/s that was here when we moved in are two Camellia shrubs.  They are described earlier on in this thread, with photos, and they are really beautiful plants.

Offline trishs

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #38 on: March 06, 2013, 12:48:41 AM »
I didn't realise you actually lived IN the New Forest :)  You are very lucky.  We have holidayed there briefly.  We have some sort of outdoor vacuum thing which my OH Rog uses to tidy up the outside area close around the house.  He uses the mower to collect leaves from the lawn and we rot them down in pens to make leafmold, which is the best thing ever!

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #39 on: March 06, 2013, 07:17:50 AM »
Very lucky indeed Trish.

Being keen walkers, birdwatchers and having a passion for nature, it's idyllic  :)

So tidying up after nature throws some leaves at us is not a problem; this is the environment we chose and wouldn't change it.

Our garden isn't huge.  It's enclosed, so the leaves build up fairly quickly - hence the need to keep on top of it.

We can hear the birds' dawn chorus by just opening our bedroom window, and regularly see deer and foxes in fields opposite our house.

The New Forest ponies are also a delight.  To see them roaming free as nature intended is wonderful.  You'll have seen that for yourself when you visited here.

Sadly though, some ponies have been killed and injured by the small minority of reckless drivers who don't abide by the numerous warning signs of ponies on the roads during the day AND night, and speed along regardless   >:(  :(  You get drivers like that everywhere though, so it's a national problem.

I do what I can to keep drivers speeds down behind me by displaying a rear window sticker that says I go slow for ponies, just so they don't get too impatient and wonder why I'm driving slower than expected.
The majority of the roads through the New Forest have a speed limit of 40 mph, but I think that is too fast really.  Talks are ongoing to try to reduce the speed limit but only time will tell if that actually happens.


So, that's where our home is situated, in beautiful natural surroundings which makes our gardening experience so much more of a delight  ;D

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #40 on: March 09, 2013, 08:53:12 AM »
Just managed to do some more tidying and get the grass cut before the rain started again  ::)

Has been raining on and off for the past 3 days now, and apparently next week is to be similar weather, with the addition of SNOW  :'(

When will it ever end  :-\

Online ideasguy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #41 on: March 09, 2013, 09:05:54 AM »
I'd be quite happy if we get a nice period from April onwards! Easter is traditionally cold here in Ireland. I'd love to have your average of (mostly) a few degrees warmer than us at most times of the year. That few degrees results in plants blooming sooner and perhaps later in the season. Ive noticed how daffodils are about a week and more earlier at the bottom of our hill on the sheltered town side. We don't have that little microclimate as we are located on the flat at the very top of a hill.

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #42 on: March 11, 2013, 07:18:32 AM »
The snow is back as predicted.

We're on an 'amber alert' again for snowfall.

Had a slight dusting overnight, but expecting more  ::)

Offline Eric Hardy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #43 on: March 11, 2013, 10:58:40 PM »
Bitterly cold here too, Laurie. Minus 2 degrees but a very strong north easterly which makes it feel much colder. Being on the top of a hill doesn't help. The daffodils in the valley are coming out but ours are keeping very tightly closed at the moment. Our crocuses are non existent, we had a visit from  muntjac deers who found them very tasty  >:(, what is just as bad, we have bulbs planted in a tub near the front door and they decided to nibble the tops off some of the leaves. Grrrrrr !!!!  :( :( :(

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #44 on: April 30, 2013, 02:43:48 PM »
Beautiful day here today - blue skies, the sun is shining, no wind and a temperature of 12 degrees C  ;D  ;D

Took advantage of Kathy being out with her coffee morning buddies and decided to do some gardening  :o

Normally, when the weather is this good we prefer to be out walking somewhere.  Unfortunately, the garden receives the worst of this deal and then it's harder for us when we do get into the garden.  The grass and weeds just keep on growing  ::)

Anyway, managed to get the grass cut.  Tidied the lawn edges and collected loads of Camellia leaves that are constantly being shed.

Still lots to do but I'm pacing myself  ;)

Online ideasguy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #45 on: April 30, 2013, 11:06:40 PM »
I'm pleased to read you are over your recent cold, Laurie.

Lets hope this weather lasts, Laurie.  Like you, yesterday and today was sunny and warm (maybe its all relative!) :D

I cut my grass yesterday for the first time this year. It simply is not growing like any other year, but there was a noticeable jump this past week. I'm full of enthusiasm again now the lawn is cut and the edges are trimmed.

To my surprise, the Tulips I planted in Autumn 2011 have survived and are putting on a fine show to compliment the daffs.

Spring has sprung ;D
« Last Edit: April 30, 2013, 11:09:09 PM by ideasguy »

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #46 on: September 07, 2013, 04:38:07 PM »
I've done a fairly basic garden plan showing our bungalow in its own plot of land.



The front of our house faces to the right of the photo (southeast as the compass shows), which is bounded by a low brick wall.  A short wrought iron gate gives entry from the access road.

The three remaining sides have wooden panel fencing.

A three feet wide border surrounds the property, in which is planted a variety of shrubs and plants.

A series of six-sided decorative concrete flagstones forms a pathway from the front gate to our front door.  Keeping the grass neatly trimmed around these can be quite tricky.  I used to do it manually using a half-moon cutter and then a pair of hand shears, which took ages to complete.  But I have now mastered the use of a cordless strimmer which shaves the job time down to about 15 minutes.

On the south/southwest side, behind the garage, is our flagstoned patio area, with a low picket fence dividing it from the garden which continues around the rest of the house.  A tall wrought iron gate in the corner of the patio at the rear of the garage, gives access to the front garden.

When we open the wrought iron gate and the picket fence gate, this gives our little yorkie the complete run of our garden all around the house, without any concern of her getting out onto the access road and into the surrounding area.  We don't want her playing with the ponies, deer, foxes, rabbits and other wildlife in the fields and woods next to our house.  They are enclosed by fencing and hedging, so none of the bigger animals can get out to venture into our garden, so we know she's safe here.  During the day, the smaller animals stick to the fields and woods anyway, and we're all safely tucked away inside the house during the hours of darkness  ;)

You'll notice from the plan drawing that there isn't a greenhouse.  Kathy doesn't feel the need to have one (at the moment anyway).  Strangely though, considering the southern climate is more conducive to gardening, we don't spend an awful lot of time doing very much in it.  Our other outdoor activities of walking in the Forest, photographing flora and fauna, and generally enjoying this beautiful environment takes priority.

When the weather is not too good, especially when it's windy and forest walking is a no-no due to the possibility of falling trees and branches, we venture into the garden.  Also, when we've neglected the gardening due to 'being elsewhere' and the weeds and grass start to take over and beckon to us to be given some TLC, we'll cave in and don our gardening attire, grab our secateurs and battle through the wilderness we sometimes call our garden  ::)

Also, in the front garden we have a stone birdbath.  I didn't have a graphic in my garden design program to illustrate one  :'(  Well, I did say at the beginning that the plan was a basic design, so it's just to give an overall impression of what our garden looks like and the challenges we face.

I didn't put dimensions on the plan either, but suffice to say that the garden is not huge in size.  Maybe around 80 feet long by 60 feet wide (I've never felt the need to measure it actually), but just large enough for us to manage adequately in our more 'mature' years of life  :D

Our patio area gives us a great place to sit outside and enjoy the peace and tranquillity.  Just as darkness decends upon us, the bats will briefly fly over our garden and the local Tawny owl calls to us from the woods behind our house.  When it gets dark here, it gets REALLY dark and very quickly too.  There's no street lights where we live, which makes for excellent night vision for star-gazing.

Well, all this talk about gardening is making me feel guilty that I'm not out there doing something with it.  But to be fair, the weather forecast is not too good for the weekend.  We've had a few brief drops of rain today and the wind is starting to build up a bit.  Not a real problem, more of an excuse really  ::)

Anyway, the grass isn't looking too bad at the moment.  Still quite short, but in need of a good bit of watering as it's looking a little brown in places.  We've not had the waterlogging downpours that we had last year (thankfully), but it's gone the other way this year - not enough rainfall.

No new planting has taking place here this year for us.  We're reasonably happy with the varieties of plants we have now.

Before we know it, autumn will be upon us and then it will soon be time to think about getting the garden set for over-wintering.  A fair way to go yet though, and plenty of gardening time to fill.

[The software used to create this garden plan is Serif DrawPlus X5]
« Last Edit: September 07, 2013, 04:40:28 PM by Kathy & Laurie »

Online ideasguy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #47 on: September 07, 2013, 05:50:51 PM »
Thanks for the update and showing us your plan, Laurie.
I did wonder why you were so quiet on the gardening postings :)

I had a look over the topic to refresh on the photos you posted previously.
You have quite a selection of shrubs there. They do need attention, of course.

In my garden, fast growing shrubs can quickly outgrow their planned confines. They can also bully any slow growing neighbours and perennials.
I spend a lot of time removing fast growers - a good idea at the time of planting!
Needless to say, I much prefer slow growing varieties and think more than twice before buying any new shrubs.

Its nice to be able to enjoy your other pursuits without being a slave to your garden (like some people  ;D ;D)

Thank you for the name of the software you use. Are you pleased with it?

NightHawk

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #48 on: September 07, 2013, 10:28:16 PM »
Thank you for the name of the software you use. Are you pleased with it?
Very pleased with it George.

It works very much like Adobe Illustrator, helping to design vector graphics, logos, manipulate photos, plus lots more.  It's also a fraction of the cost of Illustrator.

In fact, Illustrator can cost you around £300-£400 (or more) depending on where you buy it from.  And the upgrades are very expensive too.  Adobe have now introduced the new versions of all their software through a system called Creative Cloud, whereby you pay a monthly subscription of around £46 per month to use all their software.  Still expensive, especially if you only really want access to one particular program.  You can't buy their newest programs from Adobe any more, just through this subscription service.  I suspect it is their way of combatting software piracy.

Serif DrawPlus costs £81 to buy outright.  They have just brought out version X6.  The upgrade to X6 from X5 is £51, but you can now purchase X5 for £20.

I haven't upgraded yet, but I now use this program extensively as opposed to an older version of Illustrator.  I'll never be able to upgrade Illustrator, but DrawPlus is so much cheaper and more affordable to upgrade that I can have the latest versions as new enhancements are added.

I would certainly recommend DrawPlus if you want to design excellent vector graphics on a budget, without compromising the quality.  The program will also handle Illustrator (.ai) files, so you can open and work with those in DrawPlus and then resave them in the DrawPlus format for further work.

DrawPlus fulfills all my requirements anyway.

Online ideasguy

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Re: Kathy & Laurie's Garden in Hampshire
« Reply #49 on: September 07, 2013, 10:45:44 PM »
Many thanks for that, Laurie.
What I would like to do is make Ideas Genie Pro more graphical.
With a plan of the garden, the user could click on the image (hotspot) to identify the part of the garden to work on - add plants, add photos etc.
The lasso feature would allow the user to draw the Hotspots on the image.
I presume you can output in bmp format? Can it do jpg and/or gif file output? They are usually smaller file sizes than bmp's.