Ollie's garden progress ...........

Your doing a sterling job Ollie, you must have a sense of satisfaction that you are turning things around. And looking forward to next year when you can get planting in earnest.

 

It's coming on well Ollie. I don't think you'll get much to grow round the Yew but what about a raised bed around it, or largish oblong planters in a square.

 

Sorry to have been missing in action over the winter months - but there wasn't a great deal to do in my garden as there was very little in it ................... . Good to see that the rest of you have put me to shame by looking after your own personal 'Gardens of Eden' .

All my crocus bulbs came up and gave me a lovely display around my manhole cover - and the ones in the pot produced another good - albeit slightly overcrowded - showing. I'll eventually learn just how many can share ONE pot at a time .

My 'double daffs' all dutifully showed their faces - though I regret not buy more of them at the time. But that's what I'm here for - to learn as I go along ............. I think I was just nervous of spending money when I didn't trust myself to just 'have a go' and try things out .

My 'Mr Brucie' (the scrawny Forsythia in a pot) has produced some beautiful flowers - so I must have done something right with him - and I think he can be transplanted into the garden when the flowers have completely finished.

Mr Ollie eventually managed to totally evict the 'offending Berberis' that I couldn't shift with my own efforts ...................... can't remember exactly what bribery I used on him to spur him into action - but there were these great big ugly 'root masses' sitting in the Garden Waste Bins all winter . I may have muttered something about asking one, or other, of my sons to 'help their poor frail mother' .


The Housing Association have agreed that I can have some fencing panels at the far end of the garden - work on those will be done on 8th and 9th May. Lovely pressie as 9th is my birthday :D. They've also agreed to a new washing-line post as well .

A couple of days ago, I noticed that many of my weeds (Bindweed / Brambles / Ivy / Nettles / Couch Grass / Elder shoots) have now started to sneak their way back into the garden, so on Monday I toddled off to Wilko's and got 2 more boxes of Resolva Xtra Tough. The weather was lovely yesterday, so after Emmerdale had finished I went outside armed with my Weedkiller Spray on a 'search and destroy mission' ..................... I must have sounded like a very angry Dalek, calling out 'Exterminate! Exterminate!' with each squirt of liquid. Probably amused the neighbours for half an hour .

My next task is to properly plot out the edges of borders along the hedges and fences - bought some 'garden twine attached to dibbers' (but they weren't THAT price ) to make sure that I get the line straight this time - so will spend the weekend trying to get that sorted out. Have already got an edging tool, spade and fork - so no excuses for Mr Ollie not helping me .

 

Hi Ollie...nice to see you!

Looks like you've had a lovely Spring display. I think I need to put more bulbs in my pots as I think a few of them were a bit sparse!

Any new plans for the garden then?

 

Hi Fern - thanks for the welcome back .

I messed up my post and went back into it to edit - so must have crossed my edit with your post.

I've got ideas buzzing around in my head - and have tried to make myself a diagram on paper, to plot it out properly.

Hoping to get some runner beans in along the wooden fence panels - will save erecting supports .

 

Oh I can see you've added a bit more to your post.

Good news! We had some new fence panels put in. It doesn't half make a difference. I'm still deciding what to grow along there. I'm leaning towards Clematis and a honeysuckle or two.

 

Like you, I'm quite fond of Honeysuckle - so, IF that's suitable for my soil/amount of sunshine etc, I can see some of that getting planted . Clematis is another one that I've seen that I like as well - think I've seen it with pale pink/lilac flowers .

We DO however, love runner beans to eat, so would be a good idea to get those put in along a different stretch of fence, or wall, PLUS those flowers make a great splash of colour as well .

Think I've got some graph paper knocking around the flat somewhere (?) - maybe I can use that to 'plot out' with - just need to find something to measure with as I've got absolutely no idea of distances . If I can do THAT, I could use my magic new scanner and perhaps upload it to the PC/Photobucket to put on here .............. .

I bought some 'Cottage Garden Mix Seeds' in Asda a couple of weeks ago - from the kiddies' garden section - same amount of seeds and identical to the ones in the 'ordinary seed section' but less than half the price . When the workmen have finished the fence, I'll scatter those in the area around that darn Yew Tree - just to see if any of them 'take'. Nothing to lose if they don't - but I just might come back off my hols in June to see some results .


About to go out to do an afternoon shift at the Charity Shop - wonder if we've got any gardening books to browse through/borrow ...................... .

Bye for now - back later .

 

I do this all the time. But take most of them home with me...

 

Welcome back Ollie! Keep zapping those weeds, you'll get them eventually. I think your garden is going to look a whole lot different later this year and I/we are looking forward to seeing the progress pictures.

 

Managed to find a photo from a few weeks ago - I'm sure that I also had one of the Forsythia and another of the 'border of crocuses' around the manhole cover - but not finding them at the moment. Maybe I deleted them from my phone .

The pot of crocuses - shows how overcrowded they were. When they've completely died back, I'll lift them and only put around half the number in the pot for next year - possibly with something a bit taller in the middle to vary the height of the display ..................... we'll see

 

Honourable No.1 Son - oops, that means eldest, not favourite - visited on Easter Monday and threw his 'not inconsiderable muscle power' behind some more 'roots' and unwanted shrubs - then he obligingly neatened the edge of the border and dug it over for me. I've now had a warning, that EVERY TIME I go into the garden, I'm to keep 'hoeing it' to make sure that the weeds stay down .


He also walked around the garden giving me his own ideas for 'things to do' --------------- I think he's a little envious of the space I've got. He and his wife are in a small terraced house with an absolutely minute backyard - no soil in it, whatsoever. He's got ideas for chopping down the Yew Tree and turning the top of it into a bird-table ........................ I'm not so sure. Think I'd rather keep it and create a 'shady/woodland type of area' at the bottom of the garden - with Snowdrops/Cyclamen/Bluebells/Lily of the Valley/Aquilegia. I'm not averse to the idea of a bird-table/bath, or feeders, but would rather put one somewhere else.


Yesterday, I gave all the privets their first trim of the season and managed to reduce some of the bulk at the top of them. Also managed to get out more weeds from below the privets, so that's me done for the weekend.

We've had youngest grandson (age5) for 'an overnighter' and I'm about to return him to his parents. It's going to take three buses to get there - but at least, it's a way of keeping him occupied. Other option was to wait for Honourable No.2 Son to finish this afternoon .......................... but a bored 5yr old needs to be kept out of mischief .

Speak again, later .