Hel's heaven once again GSOH required!

No way Ste you'll laugh your ar*e off! :D Hel.xxx.

 

honestly i wouldnt helen i wont, i think you have got me all wrong had plans for the garden this weekend but looking at the forecast cant see much getting done as it doesnt look good

 

Hi all.
No green house yet I'ave put it off until we come back from Newbury and it's a good thing as I think with all the wind we are having it would only be sitting somewhere in it's box collecting dust!

The primroses are doing very well in the front garden, I have been deadheading & removing the odd in-the-way leaf although I did make a mistake planting mostly pink ones but there you go you live and learn and I can always divide and move them around after they have flowered.

There are also an amazing amount of bulbs just waiting to flower, I just don't know how many I have planted but it's got to be hundreds!

It's going to be one hell of a show I think, so all those hours spent on my knees (with my trusty old knee pads) will have really paid off!

The herb border along the front path has started to fill out too although I did plant tons of bulbs there as well. I must get round to taking a picture of the front borders as I have not taken some 'new' pictures of it for a very long time and it's good to have photo proof of how the garden looks through out the year.

Oh and Bob manged to cut the grass yesterday before the rain came down and although I said the grass looks ok after the cut (it just needs a good feed and weed) Bob's still says it's got to go as it's getting too much for him as he has started to get awful back pain too.....bet you didn't know back pain was contagious! :D Hel.xxx.

 

Hi all well I have been a good girl and not bothering Bob too much with regard to my 'Tree Fern' fund the money's collecting up really well now and I have started to window shop for the best buys.

I have already managed to collect a couple of new Cordys, a Fatsia and a Canary Island Date palm along the way I just need some spreading greenery and of cost my Tree Ferns and away I go!

I'm really not sure yet how the design is going to be in the 'jungle garden' i.e. a winding path or island bed although I do know I would like three tree ferns one round about 5 or 6 foot and two smaller ones of which I would like to keep in very large pots in the ground if I can.

I have seen different prices around my local area B & Q and Markham Main Nursery at Doncaster, I have yet to pop into Doobies although I'm sure they will not be the cheapest!

What price per foot is reasonable and what should I be looking for in a good tree fern? Hel.xxx.

 

Aha - tree ferns! I paid about �£25 for my tree fern at Wyevale - a bit overpriced for the size of trunk, as it's probably about 1ft, if that, after a year. Trevena Cross Nursery charges �£30 per foot, which seems reasonable to me. I have seen cheaper big ones in Homebase and B&Q - as long as the unfurled fronds look healthy (I'd buy in April or May to be sure) you should have no problem.

Dicksonia antarctica is the hardiest of the tree ferns. I think Rickard says it's hardy to zone 8-9. Mine's been fine with essentially a fleece bag over it from mid-December to mid-February, and the B&B we stay at in Castleton has a 4ft high one in their front garden which has survived a couple of winters in darkest Derbyshire.

They're pretty slow growing, so definitely worth buying the size you want now, rather than getting a younger fern and growing it up.

 

Hiyah helen.. remember mine, the hub bought it for my birthday in june at B&Q last year..�£25.. A bargain I think,

 

Dee, is that your lawn or a very plush carpet?

 

David, its not like that now, Brand new last may, but I have a bitch, need i say more.. :(

 

Hi Julia it's a little like buying a christmas tree paying per foot! :D

I'm going to start looking around after we come back from Newbury, I think I'll pop my measuring tape back in my hand bag and write some notes down of what I can get where and at what price.

At Markham Main the other day their tree ferns were only under that green net shading and all the leave fronds were out, I saw a nice 5 footer for �£125 poor old Bob nearly had a heart attack although I thought it was a steal!

Dee yes of course I remember you little beauty and for �£25 it is a real bargain as well. Could you do me a favour sweetheart and measure the trunk for me? so I can compare it at B&Q over the next few weeks.Thanks Hel.xxx.

 

It's 2ft 6inch from the bottom of the pot to were the fronds start growing Helen.

 

Wow Walnut, I was gonna say about 2ft, its wrapped up in the greenhouse hel, but as soon as i get the chance im gonna measure it, and id bet Walnut is spot on...

 

Thanks Walnut and Dee.

Bob has come up with an idea that just might work out really well.
He has suggestion that instead of loosing any height on the tree ferns keep them in large pots and raise their height even more by standing them on old tree stumps.

Surround the pot and tree stump with grasses and bamboo's to hide the raised area, of course due to bad winds etc. we would have to strap the pots down and of course water them like crazy but Bob doesn't mind about that.

What do you guys think? Hel.xxx.

 

sounds good to me Helen,i do that quite often
but as you say you have to watch the wind,i have had a few things broken,but nothing as important
as a tree fern,i had a tree stump that hubby screwed the pot through the hole in the bottom to the stump,it did stabilise it more,good luck

 

Thanks Kathy I never thought of screwing through the pot then onto the stump that does sound like a great idea!Hel.xxx.

 

I forgot to tell you all that I have not had any little presents from next door's cat for a long time at least not on my front garden, I have put one of my cat scarers in a better position and it's working beautiful even on the deaf cat maybe it wasn't deaf after all just well'ard!

Now the dirty thing has started to use my side garden so it looks like I'll first have to try another scarer before I have to think about removing my bark chippings and replaced it with slate or something like that.

Its a great shame if I do have to reemove the chippings as I did want to have a woodland type centre piece in memory to my beloved Dude as he did so love his woodland walks as a pup but I'll not give up without a fight.

I would just like to add I'm not a cat hater I'm just really tired of having to clear their mess up after them and also the smell is far from fragrant.

All my problems started when our own cat died then it appeared as if all the neighbourhood cats seemed to invade our garden in a bid to claim the open territory they even ran the risk of running into my aged old Yorkies but the girls are all bark and no bite!

As stated before I don't want to get a replacement cat as since Dude died I seem to get far too emotional with our pet's death once your children have all grown up you really do treat your pets as babies.......or is that just me?

Just got to get another rechargeable battery and plant the scarer and see how it goes, fingers crossed it will work out well.Hel.xxx.