Windy weekend

Its been REALLY windy this weekend. yesterday was rainy too but i went to my nans rather than go outside in the garden. She has some huge ferns which she wasn't to keen on - the kids call it the jungle! But lots of roses as well. Quite pleased that i can now name a lot of common garden plants. I couldn't fine her camilla though. I think I know what the flowers look like but not so sure about the leaves.

Today we did a little bit in our own garden. I planted the last of the hanging baskets with petunias. Mr L watered and fed the flower beds and the lawn and the tomatoes. I tied the clementis on the back fence up a bit. Its taken a real battering in the wind and didn't look too happy in its spot at all. In general the back bed is looking OK. the ferns are beginning to fill out - even if they aren't at nan's proportions yet. The 2 nicotiana from last year have grown with avengence. So they were perennial after all. they were almost completely bent over this afternoon though in the wind. not happy at all. I thought about staking them, but I'll see how they look when the wind stops. The lilies have a few beetle holes but they are generally OK and its not got worse since i went on pest control and killed a couple of beetles. The laurel trees seem to be doing OK as well. The green netting i put up really does provide some shelter from the wind at a low level. Also it is protecting that bed from the wild grasses and meadow that is now behind it in the park. A few brambles were trying to climb their way in. I could do with going into the field and cutting them back if i get a chance. Some people further down the road got into trouble for mowing the grasses in the field though as its meant to be kept as a wild meadow.

The plants in the two main flower beds were getting a bit of a beating from the wind as well. I thought of doing some more staking but didn't in case it breaks the stems. The campanula in the cottage bed is coming out. One Delphinium got broken but I've got that in a vase in the house now so that's OK. There is a rouge red geranium in that bed that will need moving but i have a spare pink one from an old hanging basket to replace it.

In the hot bed a few things are beginning to come out. There is pink lupin which is meant to be red! The daliahs are beginning to come above ground now that the slug population has been seriously reduced. The popies come out but only last a day or two befine they get rain / sun / wind damaged.

The new mower is fab. It was definitely worth buying. Mr L mowed the grass earlier and none went in the flower beds. It also cuts the edges a treat. So it was worth getting.

windy day

Its been threatening to rain for about 4 days but hasn't managed it. Today it came very close and spitted a bit - but not enough to water the plants. I gave the toms some water anyway. It is really windy though - just when the plants started getting taller!

Planted the three fuchsia tubs today and put the last of the red geraniums in the hot bed.

There are a few gaps still but now I'm really trying not to buy anything else till next year (or the autumn at least). The gaps will just have to stay there for now.

We've been eating lettuce and salad leaves from the garden for a couple of weeks now as well as the herbs. The tom plants have some flowers now and got their first feed last weekend. The strawberry plant has some almost ripe strawberries so has now been covered with some netting. The strawberry planter seems to dry out very quickly though. In fact i've just eaten my first strawberry from the garden. Wow.

The cottage bed is definitely coming alive. There is a rogue red geranium in there though that I might just have to move.

The table is due to arrive on Thursday - really looking forward to seeing it!

Ant and blackfly control

Last weekend we had to start controlling some naughty little creatures that were eating my flowers. There were a couple of plants in the cottage border with blackfly so had to give them a bit of a spray. We've always had ants and I've always let them get on with their own thing even though they have nipped my ankles. However at the weekend i noticed they had practically killed one plant by having a nest underneath it. Also they were beginning to make quite a few mounds in the lawn so they also got a blast of any killer at the weekend.

The slugs are beginning to take over. No matter how many I throw into the bowl of beer there seem to be more and more and they seem to be getting a taste for more and more things. THis weekend the slugs will get it.

Photos are of the beds that are really filling out and there are bits of colour in their now. The hot bed isn't that hot yet though. The coreopis doesn't seem very happy as the leaves have gone wrinkly. The red hot poker came out but then lost all its colour and looked a bit washed out. The poppy came out and then the rain last week turned it into a black mush. There are the orange marigolds there which at the moment is the only colour in that bed.

The bed on the other side (still needs a name) was still a bit bare for my liking. I bought some more heuchera at the weekend. The garden centre had osteospermum which I love. I was trying to work out where I could fit them in. So rather than buying the pink ones I got some in orange and gold to go in with the heuchera. I think they are just annuals although i think the pink ones they had are perennials - so maybe some of those will find their way to my garden at some point. They are sitting in position waiting for me to plant them.

Pirton Open Gardens

Some lovely gardens again. Mum and dads the best of course. Especially the bonsai trees..

The other gardens weren't as in full bloom as much as last year. Didn't take as many pictures as last year. Had a lovely bit of cake though (thanks K).

My friends down the road had a garden market which was a great idea. Bought some Chinese bowls to put little plants in. And met lovely baby Rose.

The weather was great and all 700 programmes were sold. It certainly felt very busy for Pirton!

Behind?

Although my garden is growing it does seem to be behind other gardens in the area and the magazines. Maybe its because its the first year?

I was away at the weekend again so nothing much has been done. I've been outside for the odd hour or two after work, mainly to pick snails and slugs off the plants. They are beginning to take over.

It's been raining quite a lot of the last couple of weeks but been relatively warm as well. The plants for the fushia pots have arrived so i need to plant them up at the weekend.