My tiered garden log.

Penny lane hasn't flowered at all yet, but it's by far in the darkest spot and its by far the tallest of the three so far, doing it's own thing!
My many happy returns is on its4th or 5th bloom and its still not pink, is that normal? It's blooms are like rhubarb and custard! I'll take a pic later if theres a nice flower out.

that's inside in a pot with a few others I've cut off.

 

It's not doing bad for a poorly rose!


the chillies aren't doing bad neither in this lovely Sun!!!


this one has hundreds of buds and is home to my newly caught lady bird! If you can spot it! It's a bit too warm to make any progress today. I also want to make something for the garden but I don't have enough wood :(

 

Well I ended up making something anyway.
A planter for the top of the steps. Keep things neat and tidy.



Just need to fill it with some nicer soil now. Apparently this plant has a good height and spread. If I don't like it I can always make a little flower pot.

 

Is it an Acer VC?

 

From another thread I opened rhs says 1.5m x 1.5m but prunable, 1.5m won't be in the way really, the planter is 0.8m long anyway (internal)

 

I like the deep red foliage, nice plant.

 

Thanks, it got pruned out really aggressively when we moved in (like most things) as it was overgrown (also like most things!)

What does everyone do with their "deadhead" parts of the rose? I've been putting them in tubs of water and they seem to last at least a week or so!



That- and my better half likes them .

First rose from penny lane- the lighter of the four roses in the garden currently, or 5!



And Chillies! They are here! it's officially summer!


I think that's hungarian hot wax


And this is a big thick looking chaianne! Let's hope they are spicier than last year, i was using these as sweet peppers last year, grown from a bought plant, so it could taste like anything!

Some more good news being... Pallets, I only need to split 3 more, then i have enough wood for my fence!


The process is long and messy, but i don't mind for free wood!

Processed wood, i should be able to get about 1m lengths from all of these, use my new router to make them identical before fitting.


Whats the term... frugal!
I don't mind a bit of woodwork now and again, but the dust knocks me for six, even with a dust mask on!

 

My dead heads are actually dead VC and I compost them, unlike yours which I would have left attached to the rose. Pretty though.

 

Another weekend of not doing the wall! :( it's way too warm to be mixing sand and cement, and we can't work fast enough before it sets, so rather than rush things, it's on hold for a while. so i've been procrastinating.
I Painted the planter, it's eventually going to be brown, but I had no brown paint, and the budget is going on sand and cement currently.


Then lined it with a few bags i ended up digging up from the garden it's self (freebies! woo!) It's going to rot away eventually, the pallet it has been made from has been to mexico and back, and has been treated with god knows what, so its not for growing edibles in, anyway all those chemicals and treatment should keep it nice for a couple of years.

In place full of soil- yes there's no bottom! less watering from my end as it's right at the top of the garden!

Erm I fettled with the small picket fence, put it on the top layer, it looks at home there somehow, with the strawberries and the willow behind.



And it weeps! I don't think it's staying though. but it's in the location where we want a weeping cherry, so it's nice to have there, so we can lets say "test fit" a tree there and be able to move it around, because once it's planted, obviousley it's not going to move very easily!


Strawberries are doing a runner! they are just there so they survive until i plant them out later in the year.

The next predicament, i don't know what to do here...
The soil level is now so much higher, i have a random step, I have enough stone to up the level of the wall up, but i don't want it to go higher,

What can i do to this step, planting wise? The lower half is where my tulips are planted .

The upper bit is going to be artificial grass, but i've run out of imagination for this step, and i'd like to keep the tulips, but if a really nice idea comes up, now's the time for me to up-root the bulbs and move them i guess! It looks a bit bare while they are dead :(

 

You've made a good job of the planter VC. I like the picket fence there too, it seems to blend with the trellis and stonework.

Just a thought with a cherry. On high ground it's going to make a mess everywhere when the flowers shed their petals.

Now, your last picture.......Obviously changing the level would be ideal but you don't want to go down that road. Perhaps you could take the soil back a foot, level the edge to create a terrace effect and bring the astro turf down over the edge and sink it into the soil. Or perhaps, create a little retaining wall from log roll for example. Having suggested taking the soil back a foot to make it look less like an after thought, that will also extend your planting area there. Some low growing plants could be put there and your bulbs will come up in between.

 

It will be one of two cherry trees, it's going to be messy whatever happens! I've got a leaf blower/sucker - it'll be fine ( famous last words)
I was going to ask about the bulbs growing through other plants, so you beat me to that one!
I've got a massive planting area on the top level for flowers. Which I'll get to next year.
I'd have strawberries here as they are easy to pick, but some kind of colour would be nice, but something low enough to let the tulips grow through

 

Maybe some Lavender for your stepped part, or some Daylilies? You've made tremendous progress, must be backbreaking.

 

Oh wow! Day lilies look easy and pretty! Will they give a covering all year round (of green?) Or will they die back like the tulips?
I was thinking lavender at work, make a pattern of light blue to dark purple along the edge.
I'm an engineer by trade so thinking about planting is hard. I find it so complicated, I'd love to be given a spreadsheet with 6or so different plants to make a border that is pretty all year round and requires no planting year on year, but that just doesn't happen haha.
yes, back breaking. I'm only 27 so the physical side is no problem, I'd rather get it done now and have a nice base to work on.

Daylillies are definitely going on the list for the patio area border, they are pretty! And a plant that actually likes claggy soil!

 

Another week of nothing much :(.
The gears are in motion again, 2 weeks until the school holidays... i'm going to be on a mission!
(i hope anyway!)
Nothing much to note, the roses are starting to put on their first show,



The poorly rose is still impressing!



And the last rose, i haven't really posted about because i was 90% sure it was dead, but alas no! It is indeed alive!



The taproot on this was about 4 foot long!

Chillies- i'm impressed!

All of the bigger chillies are as big as any of my other chillies i have grown throughout the years. And they are still growing!

Oh and i had the first chaianne. i'm sure they have been bred in the same place as sweet peppers, because it wasn't spicy... at all.
But my better half loved it, because it was mickey mouse shaped!
The small things in life eh!

 

This is my first year growing daylilies, but I assume they will die back in winter and regrow next year. @Spruce is your expert.

Roses are tough as old boots aren't they?