My Patch

How are you going to move them all Trunky?

 

I've got that one covered Sheal.

When we finally get a moving date, I've arranged to borrow the pick-up truck from work. I've got about 25 permanently planted pots and containers of various sizes, as well as half a dozen large trays containing all the plant material I've potted up recently.

I'll load them all into the pick-up and take them round to my sister-in-law's. She lives nearby and is also a keen gardener, so she's happy to offer them a temporary home and look after them while we move.

As for the few small trays of cuttings in the greenhouse, I'll probably take them to work and leave them in one of the greenhouses there. I know I can rely on my colleague to keep them going while I take a few days off for the move.

Had some good news this evening too. Thanks to @Beckie76 we've found someone who's interested in buying the chicken coop, they should be coming round to collect it on Sunday.

Just need a moving date now.

 

All organised then. I wish I could have brought more from my garden but with all our things going in to storage it wasn't possible. I only brought four rare-ish plants that I managed to squeeze into the car, two of which I've lost since being here.

Fingers crossed for your moving date asap!

 

We have a moving date! 22nd - two weeks from today.

So it's just a matter of keeping the garden ticking over until then. I'll probably mow the lawn a couple more times, it's growing well at the moment and it's a job I enjoy doing anyway.

The summer veg are slowing down now. We're picking the last of the runner beans and sweet corn, while the courgettes are grinding to a halt. Back in June, I optimistically planted out half a dozen butternut squash in among the sweet corn, not really expecting to be here long enough to harvest them. Turns out it's the best crop I've had for years and they are now starting to ripen, so I'll harvest them just before we leave and take them with us.

In the greenhouse, the tomatoes are still ticking over and the sweet peppers are peaking right now, anything still left in a couple of weeks time, the new owners are welcome to.

All the beds and borders are in good order, I've kept them weeded and pruned, no point letting them go after all these years in my view.

So after 29 years - just two more weeks tending my patch.

 

Blimey Trunk

 

Great news Trunky! I hope the move goes smoothly for you.

Twenty nine years? Two weeks? Have you cleared out the loft yet?

 

That was one of the first things we did back in June Sheal, as soon as we knew the move was on.

Good job we did too, 29 years worth of clobber takes a LOT of sorting out. It did involve several trips to the local tip (sorry, household recycling site - must use the modern parlance). The local charity shop has done quite well out of it too. There was a lot of stuff I could probably have got a few quid for on the various online sale sites, but I don't like them, or the people that inhabit them, and I'd rather our local charity gained some benefit.

A few family heirlooms and stuff we'd even forgotten we had were unearthed too, one or two things which have a bit of family history behind them have been passed on to my daughters, the rest is all sorted and packed.

 

Congrats Trunky, hope all goes well with the actual move

 

With only 12 days until the move, I'm still gathering together a few last minute items from the garden to take with me.

Collected some seeds from a couple of Rudbeckias today. I used to grow Rudbekia 'Rustic Dwarf' every year and although I didn't plant any this year, a few self-seeded plants popped up and I've been watching the most attractively coloured ones for a while now, hoping they would seed in time for me to collect a few.

In the front garden, we have a Rowan tree which I planted when our youngest daughter was born, 25 years ago. I collected some berries from it today and I'm going to see if I can raise some Rowan seedlings from them so I can plant a Rowan tree in our new garden to keep that family connection going. If I'm successful, I'll be able to give my daughter a Rowan seedling to plant in her garden. Happily, she's inherited the gardening bug from me and loves her garden too.

Yesterday, I packed all the unused pots away in an empty water butt ready for the move, telling myself I wouldn't be potting up anything else now, at this late stage.

Should have known better shouldn't I. While doing a little tidying up in the front garden this morning I spotted a small branch at the base of a Viburnum bodnantense which had rooted itself by layering and was simply begging to be lifted and potted up. It's one of my favourite shrubs for brightening up the dark days of winter, so it was duly lifted out and potted up.

 

Well, if all goes according to plan and the move happens next Friday, this was our last weekend here.

It promises to be a hectic week, so I was up at dawn this morning having a quiet, reflective wander around the garden. It was one of those lovely misty, peaceful September mornings with the dew hanging on the cobwebs, the sunlight beginning to break through the mist and the gentle patter of moisture dripping from the trees. A few birds greeted the day in that muted, understated way they do at this time of year, otherwise all was silent.

Just about every plant and corner of the garden has a story - I can remember where many of the plants came from, who gave me the seeds to get some plants started, how the garden has changed and evolved over the years and so on.

So, I went back indoors, fetched the camera and just strolled around taking pictures of anything which caught my eye. I've probably posted hundreds of photos of this garden here on GC over the past few years. Join me for one last look around 'my patch'.

 

...and a few more.

 

Aww, Trunk

 

It's a lovely garden Trunky and must be an emotional time for you having put in so much work down the years. But, your new garden beckons and with new ideas that develop along the way, I'm sure you'll enjoy it just as much. Good luck!