Non-Gardener builds an Observatory, Garden Railway and even Dabbles with Plants!

The Geraniums pictured in Sheal's post above are what are commonly called 'Hardy Geraniums' - ie they're perennials, and jolly good plants for all sorts of situations, not minding being in sun or part-shade. You just cut them back at the end of the season and leave them much to their own devices. They can be split to make new plants, too. Loads of varieties in the blue/pink/ white range.

The Pelargoniums are the annual or biennial 'geraniums', generally grown as indoor pot plants, or outside as annual bedding....where they're not likely to flourish, once the flowering season is over. Reds, burgundies, sugar pink, salmon pink, white, peach and orange shades. The 'half hardy perennial' wording on your packet is very misleading, in my view.

They're constantly being confused, one with the other. No thanks to the seed-sellers.

 

I have grown those Pelargoniums and Bedding Begonias from seed. They need warmth and light and have to be sown quite early as they are slow to get going, especially the begonias.

The half hardy perennial Pelargoniums are perennial if you dig them up and overwinter them in a cool room indoors. I used to take cuttings from them. They grow easily from cuttings.

 

I think half-hardy perennial is useful as long as you know what half-hardy means. Perennial would indicate that you can keep it going if you overwinter it somewhere frost-free. Fuchsias, pelargoniums, and pretty much everything that we grow as houseplants are either half-hardy perennials or tender perennials. It would be misleading to call them annuals.

 

Most seed packets and plants have H.A / H.P / H.H.A / H.H.P / H.B or H.H.B rating, its not difficult to understand.
Half hardy in all cases just means protect from frost.

 

26th January 2025

The Carr household has a new toy; a Trailcam. I set it up in the woodland on the afternoon of the 23rd. With the storm approaching the UK, I expected a camera full of video of swaying trees, but manage to catch "Basil Brush", our garden fox. We've known he visited since we moved here, by the smelly presents he deposits around the garden, but this is our first sighting.



I had the camera set up to shoot a picture, followed by video, but this has resulted in the video missing the best action. It didn't start recording until he'd passed the tree and was heading off the frame to the left. I've now changed the camera to just video and for slightly longer. I have astronomy software that can lift individual or multiple frames from video, so I can still get some still images. All I caught yesterday was a pigeon, which looked to be looking for nest building materials.

 

We have a win for the trailcam last night! After baiting the spot with some food, we got a rather nervous Cat at 7.10pm, a rabbit at 3.00am and a fox multiple times from 5.05am to 5:33am.

I'm not going to bait the area regularly, as I don't want the animals to become dependant, but now and again should keep them coming back to check the area.

I'm also thinking of adding a bird table hanging off the side of the camera tree or the one ahead of the camera, to get some daytime action.

 

27th January 2025

After 3 months work, the master bedroom is finally nearing completion! The ceiling and walls are now painted and there's just the door frames, new skirting boards and window sill left to paint. The new wardrobes have been ordered and are to be fitted on the 5th of March, four months after starting the job. It's never easy!



30th January 2025

During a walk down the garden to check on the trailcam, I noticed the Sun getting higher in the sky. I've also noticed it's still daylight on the days I pick my daughter up from her after school activities. Spring is on the way, slowly, by two minutes a day!

 

1st February 2025

There are also lots more shoots appearing in the woodland, another sign that Spring is coming. I've noticed Snowdrops and Daffodils coming up in locations where I planted them, but these two patches weren't amongst them. Lynne thinks there were some Crocuses around there, so time will tell.



2nd February 2025

On the 30th of January, the trailcam caught the fox again, but this time, Basil appeared to have an injured eye. The first picture shows him on the 28th, looking fine. The middle picture is from the 30th, showing his eye closed up and a large white patch on his cheek. I don't know if this is dried blood showing up as a much larger white patch. He was back again last night, eye open and with the normal sized white cheek marking. Since foxes are territorial and he seems to walk the same route, I don't think it's a different fox.

I'm also part way through making a bird table to fasten to the tree in the wood. Hopefully, this will attract some daytime activity on the camera.

 

The bedroom's coming on well. I bet you'll be glad when it's finished.

 

Yes and no! Glad to be rid of the dust and mess, but completion of that means the lawn edging job is next on the cards and I know there's a lot of hard work there too!

 

Unlike the diy the garden can't be ignored unfortunately, but at least you'll get some fresh air.

 

4th February 2025

Over the past couple of days, I've been making a bird feeding table for the woodland. It was fitted this morning. It's roughly square, but I've rounded off the corners and scalloped the sides and support to give it a slightly more organic feel. I did think about a completely irregular shape, but that felt like more effort than it was worth. I'd imagine it will take the birds a few days to both discover it and feel it is safe to visit. It is mounted within view of the trailcam, which I've now moved slightly right and raised it. It now has a better view of the table and the ground.



One little flower means so much ( top left corner below ). The first of my woodland Snowdrops, planted in October last year, has produced a flower! In all, I planted 100 Snowdrop bulbs and I'm now seeing shoots all along the areas I planted, so hopefully it won't be too long before there's lots more out.

The other Snowdrops that are starting to flower, were pre-existing bulbs that were there since we moved here. A few clusters are on the outer edge of the wood, near the lawn, with one group growing up through an Ivy-leaved cyclamen. The last set are up near the patio. This area is going to be reworked with the lawn edging, so I'll need to dig up this small cluster and move them.

 

Not looking so great is one of the Hebe's planted at the bottom of the lawn in July ( top left ). Half of it looks rather dead, while the left side seems okay at present. Not sure why it's not well, as not far away in the railway, there's another that is quite healthy ( top right ). There's another five Hebe's, three at the patio, one down the side of the house and one in a pot by the front door. All of those are healthy too.

The four roses in the back corridor have all bounced back into life and are leafing up. As soon as the frosts have passed, I'll have to find somewhere for them in the garden. These are all the children ( cuttings ) from the 1st wedding anniversary rose we left behind in Washington. The other rose is in the workshop, a cutting from an orange/peach Dame Judi Dench rose in the patio border near the back door.



Looking to the late Winter/early Spring, I have a box of wild flower seeds that I'm thinking of spreading around the green shaded area below, at the back of the woodland, near the neighbour's drive. There's nothing much here and it is moderately open to light.

If they take, it will make a nice day out for bees and butterflies. If nothing grows, I'll find something else to go there. I still want to leave space between this area and my woodland path to allow the Snowdrops and Bluebells to spread.