Concrete path - gone

We've been busy in the garden over the holidays. We've taken up the concrete path that ran along the right hand side. Breaking up the concrete was one thing. Removing it another - and then digging up all the bricks underneath was quite another! But now we have no path. We do have a very big pile of rubble behind the shed.

We had hoped that the shed was sitting on a bomb shelter and that we could get into this and dump all the rubble under the shed. The day after boxing day we tried to break up the concrete where we think the entrance to the bomb shelter is. After quite a lot of drilling (with the pneumatic drill) and chiseling with pick axe we realised we were going to be disappointed and our idea wasn't going to plan. We found a weight from a sash window and some other rubble - it looks like someone might have had the idea of throwing all their rubble under the shed before. Of course maybe its not a bomb shelter at all but a drain or something.

We had managed to make a bit of a mess behind the shed though.

Plus we still needed to do something with all the concrete from the path.

So we decided that we'd pile all the concrete on top of the holes we made and then pore concrete over it and level it off. Then we could put another storage shed there.. or something like that.

So we spent two days moving the concrete and the bricks that were underneath that. The pile is a bit bigger than expected!

Today we picked up more stones and rubble from where the path was and then put manure down for the worms to mix in with the soil. Once we've decided the shape of the new flower bed we'll cut the shape in the grass and then dig over the whole area. The garden at the moment looks a bit like a builders yard though.

Christmas presents

For Christmas I got lots of nice gardening things. I got three books - one from my best friend and two from my mum. I got two lovely big blue pots for my acers from my brother and his family. I got secateurs from my husband and a hose and a strawberry/herb planter from my mum and dad.

When we got back to London my dad had planned to take me to a garden center but most were shut. We went to Homebase in the end and I bought myself some loppers and some more compost to plant the acer.

Amaryllis

I'm amazed at how quickly this grew. Its very pretty.

My new squirrel feeder

I proudly put up a bird feeder last weekend and watched with delight as birds came to it straight away. The seeds have been going down very quickly and so I really filled it up today. Being a Sunday I had more time to watch today and realised the reason it goes down so quickly is that it is actually a squirrel feeder. They were queuing up to eat the seeds. So I've put a suet pudding out for the birds. I went back to the garden center to get a squirrel proof feeder today but they didn't have any. So the squirrels are doing quite well from my garden - I'm already concerned about the number of bulbs they've eaten. They've dug up most of the crocus pots over the last couple of weeks.

My husband did buy me some lovely new secateurs as a Christmas present though. So now I can neaten up the bushes & shrubs in the garden. The apple tree is what really needs pruning. I have been reading my pruning book but I'm still a bit nervous about what to cut off. I'm going to need the loopers and a step ladder for that though.

On Friday my friend who works for the RHS was in London visiting and so I got to talk plants with him for a while which I enjoyed. I'm hoping he'll come and help when I need to plant up the new flower beds. Plus a promised visit to RHS Wisley.

I ordered some dogwood today plus some more Helleborus Niger/Christmas roses that were on a offer in a magazine. The dogwood is going to go at the back of the back bed. The christmas roses I planted before look really nice at the end of the garden and I'll put the others nearby but in a new clump.

Over Christmas I'm hoping to finish off breaking up the path so that we can make the greenhouse i got for my birthday and put it up. I want to move all the concrete away from where it is sitting so that the soil underneath can start to break up.

These pics all look a bit dark - I hadn't realised how foggy it got whilst I was outside!

Happy Christmas.

christmas is coming

And here is my tree..

December - and I'm dreaming of how my garden will look next year (hopefully)

I've been mentioned in my dad's christmas letter and now feel the pressure to keep up the photos of the changing garden!

I recently planted three Christmas Roses (Helleborus Niger) at the back of the garden and they look very pretty. I had an offer in a magazine for 3 more which i might send off for soon. I also moved the nicotina plant further back - although I'm not entirely sure whether its a annual or perennial. I made a shelter for the two new laurel bushes to protect them a bit from the wind that comes across the back field.

I saw some dogwood in a magazine which i think would go well at the back of that bed. My uncle thinks i should stick to the bamboo plan. I think I'll do both at the different sides. All still fits in with the "forest" theme. ish. Also now that back bed is just going to be blue and white flowers. And then the greens etc from the evergreen bushes. Plus the red from the dogwood when i plant it, which hopefully I'll do over Christmas - or maybe i should wait until February. Not sure. I'll also plant some snowdrops "in the green" in that back bed in Feb. Mum is going to take me to a special place to buy some! I did buy the trillium and Paris bulbs - so they're in that back bed near the ferns. Let's hope they work at it was probably a bit late in the year to be planting them.

The themes for my two new flower beds are going to be "jewels" and "pink". I want to put two climbing supports in the pink bed for Clematis and/or roses. I never used to like roses but I've been eyeing them up recently. I'll get a late flowering one for next year to provide colour at the end of the year.

Anyway - here is a rather misty pic of the garden taken on the 9th December.

Leaves

I've spent most time in the garden over the last month raking up leaves. I've made three bags of leaf mulch in black bin bags as i didn't ever get any chicken wire. I've ordered another composter as the one I've got at the moment is full. I've had some great compost out of it already but what's in there needs a little longer. Hopefully it will all be ready by the time i make my new flower bed after Christmas. So I'll start a new one whilst that finishes.

Here are some pictures of the garden over the last month.

I need to read my purning book and get on with some pruning - although maybe it can wait until spring.

I've definietly become addicted to buying bulbs. I've seen some Paris bulbs and Trilliums i might get - although it is getting quite late to plant them now.. umm..

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.