thisgardenslife

september

2009-09-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

dahlia pablo

purple agastache

hollyhock

garlic chives

new arch stained pale blue

new clematis~alba luxurians

replanted shady border

hollyhock seeds

perovskia~blue spire

2009-08-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

spud u like?

july

2009-07-28T01:58:00.000-07:00

helenium

new arch

sweet peas

hollyhock

raspberries

gherkin

garlic!

dans le jardin

2009-07-16T02:50:00.000-07:00

I'm in the garden.
I maybe sometime...

vegetating

2009-06-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Gosh has it really been 2 weeks since my last post. Well I've been in said garden!

And I need to go water so I'll leave the words to you!

Todays produce~ garlic!!!

freaky friday

2009-06-12T04:11:00.000-07:00

Look at the crazy half n half leaf on this burgundy ice rose!

pin cushiony!

bolting onions

icing sugar nozzled hollyhock

hairum scareum

creepin crawly!

Find something weird in your garden this weekend!!

talk-less tuesday

2009-06-09T03:35:00.000-07:00

more thyme please

2009-05-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

Whilst enjoying the lovely weather I noticed how my thyme was attracting butterflies and bees.
So guess whats on my shopping list. Its only the second year of ownership and I just love it.

Ive been away (see summerfete), this is what I came back too!

I'm sure you will agree that with all this lovely sunshine, gardens are really thriving this year, be it lupins, foxgloves, geraniums etc..

For the first time I have made two wigwams for my sweet peas and one for some morning glory.

More aquilegias

Clematis~ ville de lyon

The veg patch is romping away too.

Lots of leafy things so far, and a few slugs!!

We ate some pakchoi last night, which was good.

And finally look what I picked this morning!!
Its sat on my window ledge and smells so sweet, I am now going to eat it!

ps. it was sweeet!!!!

goodbye mr robin

2009-05-12T04:41:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you of the sad loss of my beloved pal mr robin.
It was a brief but meaningful friendship.
It is generally this time of year when there are chicks abound, that one inevitably gets the chop from a magpie or sparrow hawk. So I understand this is life, theres just something so desperately sad about finding the red feathers of a robin on that little lifeless body
I dont mind saying that I balled my eyes out whilst burying him in the flower bed.

rest in peace my sweet friend.

back to earth

2009-05-07T02:26:00.000-07:00

A lot has happen in a month since my last post. The wisteria is really looking quite wonderful this year. Photographs never seem to do my garden justice, I'm not bragging, I just mean you lose the general ambiance and fine detail.

I'm very pleased we made the effort with the new bed, its really bought the garden closer and I like how the plants in the foreground merge with those that are further away.

There are lots of white and bluebells, but also this delicate pink one. I don't know if its still classed as a bluebell, but I hope it spreads.

I sowed a variety of aquilegia called Nora Barlow last year, so have been patiently waiting for the first flowers to appear. Alas they are not right at all. They should be a double white/pink number, but this is what I got.

Pretty I know, but not what I was expecting!!

The veg plot is beginning to romp away. These are mangetout and peas.

All the potatoes have pushed through, I have started earthing them up, which makes the plant produce more roots/potatoes. The plants to the left are rhubarb, which I've had one crumble from already. And behind are the raspberries.

The strawberries are crazy this year and behind them is the garlic also growing well.

We also ate the first radish last night. Veg plants I have on the go are squash, courgette, gherkins, aubergines, swede, parsnips, leeks, sweetcorn, tomatoes, pak choi and recently bought dwarf green beans.

I must leave you with something pretty, so here is the best of my garden right now. The alliums are just flowering. I must plant more next year!!

The pale blue flower is veronica and has spread quite well, which is great.

Lastly I shall leave you with a quiz.
What am I?

hover

2009-04-21T04:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posts, sometimes life gets in the way!!
Here is a quick fly by on whats blooming.

dicentra : bleeding heart

I am in love with the camassia!!

wisteria

thalia daffs

spuds went in Easter
cara and desiree

best buds

2009-03-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Euphorbia.

Well I'm still pottering even if the weather people don't always get it right. Last week I noticed green leaves on the wisteria, time to prune. This isn't the best time to prune a wisteria as the flower buds have already formed on last years growth. So I was careful not to cut too many budding stems off. Believe me it may look harmless now, you wait until summer and you will see how rampant it becomes.

Still plenty of buds though!

Seems like most of the garden is in bud too. Blossom already forming on the apple tree.

First ever flower buds on the climbing hydrangea.

The exquisite fragrant of the osmanthus feels the air right where I've been weeding. Its quite a heady perfume a bit like ylang ylang.

I've been weeding a virgin bit of soil for me, as I had to dig up a huge lavender which had seen better days, it was a beautiful specimen, but now I have a new bit of garden to plant! Joy!

However the surrounding ground is really awful heavy clay and full of weeds and grass so i think I've made a whole bunch of work for myself!

Lastly some thrifty spending. I'm not supposed to be spending money at the moment so its nice to be able to spend a few pounds on something that I know that is value for money. This is stachys byzantina.
How cool is this canister of string? Its a blatant copy of worcester ware, but for 1.99 inc string, I couldn't pass it up!!

surprise finds

2009-03-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

This little beauty is a cowslip I think and has been totally overlooked by me. It was growing amongst shrubs so I was totally blinkered to its charm.

It was only when I moved it to its new home I realised how stunning it was, especially at this time of year when it can be a bit drab.

Its new home being my new bit of garden, which has swiftly been filled with plants gathered from around the garden. Its an odd aspect, part shade/part sun so I will have to see how they fair.
There are purple aquilegias for spring, orange helenium for late summer and a hydrangea which has yet to flower for me. Also a white dicentra/bleeding heart which I have recently bought, don't tell the husband!

The best thing in the garden at the moment is the perfume wafting around from this heather.
Who knew heather smelt so sweet? Its a cross between parma violets and bubblegum!

Lemon balm tea: anti viral and clears the mind!

Looks like I needn't have worried about the peat free compost as everything has grown.
Including some white echinacea and white lupin seeds that I bought online from some chaps garden. This is a money spinner I could cash in on maybe?

busy busy busy

2009-03-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Pulmonaria a shade lover.

Time is flying by so fast this year,
fortunately with this drop of good weather I'm on top of most of my plans!!

I'm not sure how?

Well its done. The new bit by the patio with help from the old man.
And yes I have managed to nearly fill that space with plants already.

There is an agapanthus in the shubbery if you look closer.
Now that the shrubs have grown its just crowded out.
So I have dug it up and squeezed it into an old bucket I picked up at a local house clearance.

Not before I got the old man again to drill some holes for drainage.

I have also been lifting and dividing for the first time this year.
However my way is lift and splice with a spade, none of your two fork jobby,
anyway I dont have two forks!
Today I have sown outside peas, mangetout, spring onions, radish, pakchoi, parsnips, carrots and leeks!!!

A beautiful hellebore.

the time is now

2009-03-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ive been meaning to sow seeds for some time now, and today at last the weather was pretty nice. No biting winds or miserable drizzle.

This year I've planted the sweet pea seeds in toilet roll tubes. Sweet peas have a long root so the tubes are ideal as well as being 'green', as they will be planted straight out, tubes and all.

In my heated propagator I have sown meconopsis (blue poppy type flower), nicotiana lime, phlox purple stripe, moluccella strange green thing! And these curly seeds calendula orange.

Sorry botanical names are boring and hard to remember!

Ive used organic peat free compost, which says its ok for seeds but I wasn't impressed, its more like a mulch. We shall see if these seeds don't germinate I'll try something else. I have a ton more to sow but its too early for some and too cold for others that will go directly in the soil. However I have sprinkled some poppy and nigella seeds already in the border.

The above is obviously my compost bin, which I find a pain, and didn't turn out at all last year!

Naughty me. I realise that for such a big garden this is a tiny composter. I did have a nice big open one like you see on gardeners world, then the rodents moved in! We put a wire mesh under the bin so they couldn't burrow, so now I use it for kitchen waste like veg/fruit peelings, teabags, egg shell and newspaper (shredded bills too). I dug a wedge out today and spread it on the veg patch.

I am toying with the idea of removing more grass, which means more plants!! No actually I have enough to fill this space already. I've been generally pottering around all areas of the garden, doing a bit of weeding and a bit of pruning, and thinking how do I cope with it all!

spring has sprung

2009-03-04T02:59:00.000-08:00

Although its not quite as sunny as the weekend, I feel spring is definitely upon us.

When I walk round the garden (which is becoming a daily ritual) I'm beginning to notice changes from day to day, whether it be fresh shoots pushing through or the increasing birdsong. The garden is in limbo, waiting to burst into life. Which is why I am happy that I have had a bit of a head start this year with the warmer weather. It would be nice to have a finished garden one day, but what would I do with myself!!

I'm getting the urge to sow some seeds which is always a good sign!

Eye spy....?

the big dig!

2009-02-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

My third day in the garden proved quite productive so instead of the usual bewilderment of where to start I feel on top of things! This will be my fourth year in this garden so I'm beginning to feel like its mine.

My first job was to make a path down the side of the veg patch, it used to be a grass edge but I hated how untidy it was getting. As per usual I bodged it a bit, but I'm just a girl so its not bad.
I recycled more of the old fence wood, I do wonder if anyone watches me trifling with the dangerous weapons ie' a saw'. I do still have all my fingers!

I made the path out of bark chippings on top of weed suppressing material. Lets see how long it lasts. So I've dug most of the veg patch over, probably the first of many. Its good to get turning the earth as it encourages the birds to eat up the pests (as if they need encouragement!)

Don't you love fresh new shoots. The top pic is the new leaves of aquilegia 'Nora Barlow' which I grew from seed last spring, hopefully there will be flowers this spring. The one above is a tip of a camassia which I planted in the Autumn.

These curious pink things are the beginnings of rhubarb.

I definitely feel I've been to the green gym this week!
But how blissful to be back in the garden!

Oh happy day!!

2009-02-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

I don't care if its still only February, if the sun is out then so am I.

There's lots to do!

One job that needed doing was to move a tree that had been crowded out by too many shrubs, not my doing. The above picture shows you what I mean. Its a White Beam which grow quite big so it had to be moved before it became impossible. As it was the roots had hardly grown at all so hopefully with more space and some tlc it will survive.

The digging and repositioning was pretty painless, however I think I have hurt my back, I shall know it tomorrow! The tree has been moved from the middle right of the garden to the top right in front of the gravel garden. There are two reasons for choosing this position, the first is to screen out the neighbours house and the second will eventually be to hang a hammock from.

I had company as usual when digging in the garden. My newly acquainted friend mr robin and a veteran BB blackbird.

We bought our seed potatoes at the weekend.
Twelve is all we have room for, which keeps us fed for 3 or 4 months, so not bad and definitely worth the bother. This year I'm sticking with Cara and Desiree, both of which we have had success with. They are both maincrop, which means they will be planted later and harvested around August time. So for now the potatoes will be left to 'chit', which means allowed to grow shoots (like you might find if you have an old potato left over). This is supposed to help produce more spuds or give them a head start, though I'm not sure its necessary.

Yay for the sun and a nice warm bath and country living....

ho hum

2009-02-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Spring pull your socks up
there are desperate gardeners!!

meltdown

2009-02-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

Well its nearly all gone! Until next time?

its really coming down now!!

2009-02-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

what no gardening?

cock-a-leekie

2009-01-30T02:40:00.000-08:00

Not much going on in the garden this week as its still damp and yucky underfoot.
I'm still harvesting leeks though!
Nearly time to stock up on compost and the like.
I hear that seed potatoes are in the nurseries, so that could be the next shopping trip....

a look back

2009-01-26T05:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a cheerier outlook of blooms to come!

the lake district

2009-01-22T03:08:00.000-08:00

This is what you get when you have a clay garden! More grit and muck needed dont you think?

the green gym

2009-01-19T01:48:00.000-08:00

Sunday I did manage to put in a few hours in the garden, I'm so glad I did because look at the weather now!
Every year the vegetable patch is redeveloped and enlarged (don't tell the husband). Before winter I began digging up the grass strip between the patch and the fence. The main reason being that I'd given up mowing it but also I'm trying to eliminate pests and diseases which I think the wet grass harbours.

That's one less job to do in spring. I shall be laying weed suppressing material with bark chippings on top, but hat will have to wait until the ground is less moist and the sun is higher in the sky!

My next job was to attack the raspberry canes with my secateurs. They are Autumn fruiting raspberries which mean they fruit on the current years growth, as apposed to summer raspberries which fruit on old stems. I noticed that some of the canes were already starting to bud on last years stems so I've pruned them all right back to the ground, which seems harsh but If you have ever grown raspberries you will know how rampant they are. Another reason was so I could dig up the gooseberry bush which has been completely swamped by them, in the picture above the gooseberry is the silvery stick like structure on the right.

Strawberries are another crop that would quite happily take over your garden. This picture shows just what I mean, they propagate themselves by sending out runners from the parent plant. The strawberries on the right have crept into the raspberry bed and vice versa!

Here is the gooseberry transplanted to its new position, which I realised is under a cherry tree, this may be a bad idea due to moisture dripping from the tree, which could cause fungal problems. We shall wait and see. The gooseberry fruits on old stems, so the only pruning necessary is to take out any dead wood or congested areas. The idea is to create a bowl shaped bush I think its to stop an attack of the sawfly who do not like open aspects.
I'm not sure if I mentioned that I am mainly organic, so I rely on wildlife such as toads and birds to keep the balance of pests stable. So no nasty chemicals go into my soil.

The last of the carrots which should have been dug up months ago as most of these have been eaten and not by me!

seeds of change

2009-01-13T02:17:00.000-08:00

Whilst I wait for the garden to be less frosty/wet/etc, apart from being completely frustrated and slobbering against the window, I am sorting out what my seeds and organising this years veg patch.
Its not a huge patch, aprox. 6ft x 30ft. I extend it every year however, as I get to grips with how different vegetables grow and how much room they need. With vegetable growing you need to rotate the crops to different areas each year. This is to prevent disease or pests building up in the soil.

I built a new bed last October so I have more ground for the crop rotation. Its a bit like juggling, trying to work out what I can squeeze in where and when crops have been harvested what I can plant next.
Vegetables I am growing for the first time are : swede, parsnips, winter squashes and gerkins.

Back to the drooling at the window!

frost bite

2009-01-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a good frost to kill all the nasties!

2009-01-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

Happy new year~Happy new bird!

Look close enough and you might see what I'm talking about.

As you can imagine I was wishing I had a better camera already, as this was the best we could get without scaring it. (courtesy of Mr Fete)
So after the hysteria died down, I thumbed through my bird book and learnt that it was a Woodcock apparently quite a rare sighting, especially in ones back garden and the fact that we saw it twice. Quote from rspb: You would be very lucky to see one

Now I bet you are thinking I stuck a cardboard cutout in the garden to impress you here, but it really was in my garden, a great start for a new garden blog!

a year in my garden

2009-01-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

My name is Clare some of you might know me from my blog summerfete where I record my creations and observations. (have a peek to see the 2008 garden)
Welcome to a new blog dedicated purely to my garden, gardening and any wildlife that might pass by.
So here it is as I look out the computer room window, not too bare for this time of year, if not a little scruffy.
This will be my 4th summer in this garden, so I'm still getting to grips with structure and design.
I have no horticultural training, unless you count growing up with parents that gardened, if that's the case then I'm well qualified!

This is how the garden looked when we moved in 2006.
I have a confession that all is not perfect as you can see we are overlooked, which I so far had failed to admit by careful photography. But we all have compromises in life, and I could see that trees of the horrible type, could help hide the ugly! In fact the houses are half hidden now!
Its great to see how the garden changes through the seasons and grows through the years.

Digging a vegetable patch was the very first thing I did in 2006. Take a good look at the gardener, it might just be the only picture of moi on this blog.

I have actually been out in the garden today, so here is the ever expanding veg patch, still with edible leeks. (now with a new fence)
These are the beginnings of garlic which I planted in November. Hopefully I will get lots of nice garlic by summertime. As seen here

Whats the garden about?
Generally aside from the veg, the garden is predominantly designed to attract wildlife. From spring until autumn the garden buzzes with bees and the air is filled with twitterings from visitors of the flying nature. Last autumn the garden welcomed its first robin which has become quite friendly already.

I've also had a few adventures with blackbirds again to be found here.

So there we are, I shall endeavour to keep up to date!
If you cant find me here then I will be found at summerfete.

roll on spring!!