Narcissus

I've order a few narcissus today:
Sweetness - 14inch march
Feb Gold - 12inch feb
Jenny - 15inch white.

I want the garden to be full of colour in March and so I selected ones that would flower early. I'll get them in the garden by the end of the month.

I ordered 200 assorted bulbs from gardeners world/T&M last week.

So just need to order some tulips now.

And then I will stop!

I'm trying to leave the back bed i planed lots of snowdrops and bluebells there last year, not all of which came up. I'm hoping they do this year so I'll avoid disturbing it to much.

The garden still looks pretty lush and colourful from where I look out of the window at it. Its certainly been getting a lot of rain. The rudbeckia are still the stars of the show with the cosmos a close second.

Somethings up with the toms though. They are all wilting round the bottom. Must investigate.

End of August

Yesterday was a lovely sunny typical August day and I sat in the garden and enjoyed it.

I did a bit of neatening up here and there but actually it was all looking OK after last weeks tidy up. I picked lots and lots of tomatoes that became lasagna and soup and planted some more salad leaves.

Today it is once again raining.

The plan to stop spending on plants is in a precarious position at the moment a the bulb catalogues have started to arrive and I think I just need a few more to go in the new flower beds.

Out in the garden at last!

Today we finally did some proper gardening! It was the first time we've been out properly since before we went away in July. I tidied up the beds, cut back lots of the perennials that had finished, cut the edges of the grass and pulled out all the grass that had grown in the beds. Mr L planted the last few plants that we hadn't done before - a penstemon, the astrantia (shaggy) plants and the ground cover we bought at Hampton.

The soil at the end of the garden is really dry despite the amount of rain we've had. I guess it has a tree canopy to cover it. Yet in the winter it gets all the water come down off the park but that just doesn't seem to happen in the summer. The ferns don't look that happy. I need to think of some other plants that like shade and not much liquid.

I've finally got some sweet peas growing up the pergola. Considering the amount of seeds I planted its not many but at least its some. And actually they are from the two little plants I bought. The passion flower is doing pretty well up the other plant support though. Actually that bed, considering it was a lot of things thrown together, looks pretty good and well thought out. This winter I need to move the horse tail as it gets lost where it is. I'll put it by the fence near the shrub. And then decide whether the cadix and other grass I got can be split to start filling that bed out a bit more. The hostas got completely decimated by slugs whilst we were away. Two of them have been eaten all up. If I'm still planning to have a hosta bed it might be better to take them out and put them in pots! Or to have a re-think about what to put round the edge of that bed. We both really like lambs ear so maybe lots of that - just need to check it's OK in shade.

The rudbeckia in the hot bed looks amazing. The dahlias still haven't come out. I now think that bed doesn't get nearly as much sun as I thought. I cut back the lupins and poppies from the front that had finished and it looks a bit bear along the front. That is the one bed I will add some more things in next year - I want to add some red achillea. There is much more yellow in that bed and not much red. Especially as the red lupins actually came up pink. Maybe I'll move them to the cottage bed.

Mr L also got busy with the compost bins. The one at the far back hadn't been turned at all as I couldn't reach into it. So I'd started using the nearer one again. So he emptied everything out of both of them mixed it and created a new system which means it should be easier to get compost out of both. The further one is now full of almost ready and turned compost and the nearer one is ready to add lots more lovely stuff to. I cleared so much up today we added about another 4 trug loads.

So left to do is the mowing which will hopefully be done this week and finish the garden off nicely. Next weekend I need to feed the plants and lawn and think about taking some cuttings. Plus I need to sow some more salad leaves. I lost all the lettuces whilst I was away and the salad leaves all went to seed. The tomatoes are booming though. We've already had lots off and there are still plenty more!

The tomoatoes have gone mad!!

Well, its been ages since I blogged or really went out in the garden. After a two week holiday it was all looking a bit overgrown and wild, especially the tomato plants. So today I've finally manged to spend an hour or two tidying up the tomato's and most importantly harvesting some! So home made tomato pasta sauce for tea - delicious!

Have learnt lots for next year re toms though. I must be more religious about nipping out the extra growth and space them a bit further apart. This year we've mainly got cherry tomatoes but next year I'll try some bigger ones as well.

And once the lawn had been mown it all looked a lot neater. Looking forward to next weekend and spending some proper time out there tidying it all up and planting the last few things that I still haven't got round to doing!

Beautiful

The garden looks amazing now. The campanula in the cottage bed has really made that bed and it looks great. The penstemon is just about out and the pinks look fab. I've been cutting them and bringing them into the house. The foxgloves and lupins are almost over. I need to cut the lupins back for a hopeful second flush. Still waiting for the lilies and something at the front (which I've forgotten what it is!)

The hot bed is beginning to blossom. The coreopis and helenium have come out. The redbukia will be along later and since the great slug die weekend the deliahs have been able to get above ground.

Some more plants arrived from crocus last week. The last I'm buying this year (honest - well except for some bulbs!) I haven't had time to plant them though which is a bit worrying. It had been hot all week and I'd been out there watering them everyday. I was planning to do it today but its windy, cold and raining and I'm not so keen on going out!

I got some of the shaggy plants I loved from Tom Stuart Smiths Chelsea garden. They are a type of astrantia. I also got a couple more penstemon for the cottage bad and a white hydrangea for the shady bed near the house and another hosta.

The tubs out the front and the hanging baskets are all looking good so I'm pleased with them too. I'm now worrying about watering when I'm away.

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.