So What Was Your Latest Gardening Treat?

I thought I'd start a thread about what gardening stuff people have recently treated themselves (or got someone to treat them too) I myself have just invested (I say invested as there going to last a lifetime at the price:flwsml in a pair of Felco No. 8 secateurs as the head of the Aboriculture team at RBGE assured us as a group that there wasn't any point in buying anything other then Felco (He should promote for them xD):hehe:

So what have you recently treated yourself too?

 

It'd be pointless me buying a decent pair of secateurs, as I'd probably loose them. I've three pairs of cheap secateurs, "a maximum of two available at any one time."

I spend far too much on our garden every month, too embarrassing to mention, but because of her disability it is one of my wife's few pleasures, so I don't mind.

 

I purchased a new wheeled rotary lawnmower and I think its fantastic ! My garden is very uneven with bits of it going into woodland (yes actual woods in the garden) but this thing copes with it all, cones, rocks, branches, grass, hills and doesn't bat an eye. I now look forward to cutting the grass (when weather allows).

 

Recently bought a WHOLE new overgrown garden, (along with a run down house and small holding in need of all dry stone walls mending!) Moving in before much longer and looking forward to many new garden projects! As we now have no money left...and still owe a fair bit to long suffering family, my future gardening treats will be limited to things found on freecycle and free seeds and cuttings etc., from fellow gardeners!

 

Sounds like the story of my life Ruralgardener.
Hope it all comes good for you as it did for me.

 

Must admit to splashing out a bit on the garden just lately.

New pond and pump to create a waterfall between the two ponds. New chicken house, new rabbit hutch. New front gates, yet to be installed.

Pride and joy is my new polytunnel, 30 feet by 14 feet. Taking me longer to erect than the makers claim it will, but that is simply because I can only do so much each day. Not sure of it enhances the value of the house, but I don't care if it does or not. I just want to be able to grow lots of plants for as long as possible each year.

The polytunnel is the biggest part of my garden restructuring. I am so looking forward to getting it finished.

Chopper.

 

A pair of toe `tector wellies.:hehe::hehe:

 

Didn't buy it from Ikea did you?

 

A new greenhouse :yho:well a nearly new second hand one. Cut down 14 large mature conifers so it's created quite a large area that needs to be filled with stuff so I though hey there's a real need for a greenhouse here!

 

14 large conifers? How big is your garden?!

I hate people who come on here talking about their massive gardens. I don't even wish you well Rob, I hate you and your garden and hope you get infested with honey fungus and horsetail and everything dies.

I want a big garden to play with!!!!:cry:

 

I really hope you are joking, because that is not funny.:thumb:

 

I shop for the garden little but often. There are very few weeks that go past when I don't buy plants, bulbs or seeds of some sort, even if it's just a packet of cheap bulbs from the poundshop. I also seem unable to pass a garden centre without 'popping in' just to see if there is anything new or reduced.

I dread to think how much I actually spend though. It's probably safer not to try and work it out!

 

Every year I work out how much I've spent on growing my own Vs how much I would've paid in the shop.

Every year I save money. I make sure of it, and damn well change the sums if they show otherwise!

 

This is the joy of "being your own boss."

In my working life I was always working to budgets. There was always a battle with my bosses before we'd agree on a budget. Then it was up to me to work to it, as no "unforseen circumstances" would change it.
You know, "The moving finger having writ moves on" etc., anyway, "Bonuses depended on it."

Old habits die hard and I set myself budgets for income and expenditure, broken down into various sections, with a rolling spread sheet mirroring my current, savings and investment accounts, direct debits and other payments and withdrawals, monitoring everything on a monthly basis and linked to an overall control sheet. I even mirror my credit card account with a rolling spreadsheet and I can tell you what I spent in any year on "gardening" "meals out" "petrol" etc., (it's handy when you're looking for a particular receipt for something you bought several months ago that's gone wrong). I can tell you what I spent on gardening and on what, in each year for the last ten years.
What I've spent on the garden so far this year, wouldn't be for the faint hearted.

I've already done my budget for 2011. All on excel with colourful column headers, a work of sheer art!

Any week of the year I know where I'm up to from week one to week fifty-two. I quite enjoy doing it and it doesn't take more than a few minutes a week updating it.

But the joy of setting all these things myself, is that if I find I'm going over budget I can just change the naffin' budget and everything's fine again!