Bye bye concrete

We're going to get rid of the concrete path and make it into a big new flowerbed this winter...

October

I've planted 270 bulbs! Daffs, bluebells and snowdrops at back. Tulips and Alliums in the sunny bed and tulips and daffs in beds near house.

Today we planted some shrubs and ferns at the end of the garden. These photos are to remind me where i still ahev some gaps that are gpoing to need filling.

Bulbs

I'm shattered today. I planted 170 odd bulbs over the weekend. Roll on spring.

It was mainly Narcissi , snowdrops and bluebells at the end of the garden. I really want to turn that into a much more overgrown "forest". The soil quality is pretty poor so I've been feeding it manure and trying to turn it over. I think the main reason not much grows is because of the big trees in the park. I want it to be far more overgrown so i was looking in the garden center for shade loving plants with dense foliage that don't need much water.. umm..

I've also planted tulips and Anemone nearer the house. I hope those beds get enough sun on the soil.

They should be really rained in today. It's been miserable.

Flowers from my garden

Plans for next year

The weather has been a lot drier in August compared with July. My gladioli and sweetpea are coming out now - as seen in the pictures


I've been trying to plan what i want to do next year. I'd like something else amongst the grasses. I did put some seeds for wild flowers in there, but i think i put them in too late as the grasses had already grown quite a bit. I'll definitely put some spring bulbs in but it would be nice if it was a bit more interesting throughout the summer as well. it would look good with some taller flowers like poppies (papaver orientale (red) or meconopsis grandis (blue) is like what I mean. Also Helenium a red flower that flowers in Autumn would be good). In Gardeners' world this month there is a scheme with grasses and some bulbs - purple sensation. Maybe i could try introducing those when i plant the spring bulbs plus add some new grasses next spring. Actually i could put gladioli there. Or (from book):
watsonia borbonica (summer flowering pink 1 - 1.5 m)
Allium Stipitatum (summer purple-pink 1 - 1.5m)
(or any other allium)


As for the back of the garden i really need to fill that out. I could add a couple more shrubs but what I'd really like are lots and lots of wild looking flowers - like foxgloves, penstemons delphiniums and phlox

looking in my book these might be nice as well:

• symphytum x uplandicum - flower late spring / early summer pink/blue/purple
• sidalcea 'oberon' - summer pink flowers
• veronica gentianoides - small summer white flower

I also like all the flowers that look like big daisies. None of the ones I've planted before ever work though. The heads fall off about a week after i buy them and then no new flowers grow. I really do need to test my soil and get things that work well. Also work out if it is well drained or not. I'm not sure what I've previously bought and there are so many different types in my plant book that all look pretty much the same to me.

I have ordered some bulbs today. I'm going to put snowdrops and bluebells at the back and lots of daffs/narcissus in the other beds, including in the grasses and along the edge of the lawn

I def need to manure and stuff this winter and make all the beds and plants happy. The other thing I'm not sure of is what to leave in the ground and what I'll have to take out. the fast growing tobacco plant for eg - is that a perennial or an annual - there is one in each section of my book.


I've had loads of slugs and snails this year. Next year i need to get copper rings. the other things I'd like to do are:
- grow herbs
- grow tomoatos
- make a private bit of the garden
- get a proper hammock
- have a water feature
- make some cuttings from the hidden fushia
- get a mini greenhouse and grow some seedlings and cuttings that way

4th August

The garden

Yes i know the lawn needs mowing but the rest is looking ok.

New plants

I planted these on sunday. It was a lovely sunny day after 2 days of really bad rain. I spent quite a while tiding up the garden.

Back from holidays

Well there was no danger about the garden drying up whilst we were away. It has pretty much rained non stop for two weeks. It is sunny today though.

One new flower in the garden. The white "fast growing" tobacco plant I planted near the Christmas tree.









My gladioli do not look good at all. The leaves are shredded. And none of the seeds i planted straight in the soil have done much at all.

The beds near the house have exploded though - with lots of pretty pink flowers.

Plus near the back the silvery plant has a few yellow flowers on it. Not sure what this is.











We saw lots of foxgloves in Scotland which i really like. I will need to do seedlings and mini green houses next year i think.

Scottish thistle

As i can't blog my own garden this week here is some local flora