Star for June

These beauts are Ixia. Bought a pack of 10 from Wilkinson's for £1. They are on the deck and look great next to my (as yet) uneaten Hosta. They look even better now I've removed the nettle that was growing through them - I must have some iffy compost as I've got nettles coming up all over and never had them before.

At last

It's been a long wait for the strawberry patch to get going - three years I think. This is our second picking so we're actually eating bowlfuls this year. Strawberrytastic.

Painted up

Trying to decide on a colour took more time than building. It was going to be silver birch, then black, then red (like the Swedish ones). When it was built and we saw the pale colour it seemed wrong to go dark so we opted for stone with autumn red for the windows. This is a funny plastic sort of paint that I'm hoping won't peel off. We have a summerhouse.

Roof goes on

We left the summerhouse without a roof overnight as the weather was looking good. Getting the two roof panels on went much smoother than we thought. A bit scary as Chris had to lift them on his own while I pretended to be helping from the inside.

This is the view from the inside. Good to see the garden from a new angle.

Windows in

The windows go in as the walls get a bit taller.

More exciting than the base

Seeing the walls start to grow (after we had resolved the issue of walls not fixing together due to the base problems). It was really hot.

The base

Dry weather has returned so onwards with the base. It was really flimsy (really flimsy) so we've reinforced it with extra wood. It came in three parts and was hard to fix together as it wasn't quite square. This gave us (Chris) a few headaches later on. Not much we could do about it.

Not travelling light

After a total mix-up with the builders merchant we finally get 2 tons of gravel delivered, craned up and over our front wall. This gravel still has some ground to cover...200 feet away. Fingers crossed our old wonky wheel barrow is up to the task. Oh, and that Chris is too.

Part of the route (crossing our neighbours ground a bit):

The sky is turning grey and sees the end of our sunny spell. Bad news for project work.

Big cover up

The area is gravel-boarded to contain the gravel but we use thick membrane to stop the dreaded weeds from invading.

Tis pic shows how much ground we had to excavate to get the levels right. Our garden was dropping a foot over 11 feet:

It's gone

A lot of barrows later and the weedy mound has gone. Can't wait to extend the bed down here...haven't had a new area to plant for a few months.

Turf's up

Thick, heavy, horrid turf. Even though it's the best in the garden, still nice to see it go (less mowing too).

Here's the view up the garden:

Getting organised

This is the very end of our garden, about 275 feet from the house. It had become a bit messy as we (meaning I) tend to empty barrows and throw grass (weed) clippings here. As we started lifting the turf we realised we'd have to clear up this area to make room for the additional turf. We spent the best part of a day clearing the rubbish out, leveling the pile and pulling up a rampant jasmine that had been planted for the arch but had decided the claim the area as its own.

We did manage to save a good few barrows of compost which will come in handy for the spuds that need earthing up. The plan is to get hold of some palettes to create a big bay that will be our slow compost pile.

Work begins

Work has started at the end of the garden. The big project for 2009. Turf is coming up and that big tump is about to be tackled...

Birthday blooms

Gorgous flowers from work.

Big splash

Oh how totally fab.

Snow victim

This doesn't look good for my Rosemary hedge. I was a bit slow in brushing off the snow we had. See how it looked in 2007, smaller but healthier. I'll have to take some new cuttings in the summer and begin the patient process of patching it up.

Spring colours

A new Heuchera (Plum Pudding) is looking great with Euphorbia Robbiae and some Grape Hyacinths. I love it when it works out by accident.

Paint job

I forgot to take the before picture here. You'll have to take my word for it that this used to be a rather sad-looking faded green pot. Some nice, bright satin paint is going to complement the alpine strawberries (from my mum) a treat. This is an anti snail/insect/other creature attempt to actually get some un-nibbled strawberries: I'll be moving the pot to the deck.

Bad idea

Monty said if you make piles of upturned turves they rot down into lovely loam. This doesn't work when you have 80% weed, 20% grass in your turves; you just get a bindweedy pile of weeds that look rubbish. It's going to be hard work, but the pile must be moved. I can't say Chris is excited about the prospect.

Broadies are up

My spring-sown broad beans are now showing. Trouble is, the supporting sticks that are holding the string are also sprouting.

Lunch al fresco

Homemade (not home-grown) spicy tom and lentil soup. Tasty. Good place to admire the new pot (a bargain at £10 due to a chip on the rim).

Star for March

I think this is a Primula veris but the label's gone awol. Better than daffs, it doesn't turn away so I can see it from the house.

New curve

This bed's not much of a looker right now but I'm hoping it will be. The bit in front of the shed was separate so I've joined it up to the main bed to make mowing easier. The bare plant is a Hibiscus; I have three, all in different spots and none grow very well for me. There's some Coreopsis Verticulata next to it and then a Sage I grew from a cutting. I've forgotten that this place was reserved for my new Lupin, currently in my cold frame. Maybe I can crowbar it in...

Strawberries

Strawberries. Hmmm. I like the idea (and the consumption bit) but never get to them quick enough. I don't know if its snails, birds or something larger. Rather than dig up the bed that is well-established and should probably be moved, I've opted for taking off runners to pot up on the patio. These can be moved to the deck, out of harm's way when they are about to fruit. That's my plan. Will keep you posted.

Getting organised

Well...not really (and not as much as my mum). Things have been dug up for moving then left sitting in buckets. They never seem to care, things are hardier than you might think. Today I'll try to give them more permanent homes.

Next bed

This is my task for today - tidying up this bed next to the patio. It's got the usual bindweed all through it but the Helennium seem to have roots that look identical so it's hard to remove them. The trouble starts when you try to pull off the bindweed: it rips off the Helennium leaves making it look forlorn and scraggy.

I'm planning on softening the edge (which you can't quite see here) and planting in the adjoining gravel. I've a Sedum to move here and Alcehmilla Mollis (Lady's mantle) which should both work together; it's a nice sunny spot.

I'm going to interplant the Helennium with Solidago as they are supposed to be good partners. So it's all planned but I realise I haven't really addressed the lack of flowering in early summer - all these are late season. maybe I can squeeze in some bulbs.

Rose

I bought this rose in an impatient mood (overpriced in an expensive garden centre) and I've only had one flower on it in the last four years. It got cramped by some trellis, fighting for light between a Clematis and a Honeysuckle (not ideal). Then I read you aren't supposed to prune it in the first couple of years (oops) and that branches should be tied horizontally to encourage flowering (oh). It's my first rose so I didn't know this stuff.

I've brutally moved it (might have lost a few roots during dig-up) to this open sunny spot. I'm going to get some bright climbing rope to tie around the stakes to make it look a bit jazzy. The rose is a tea/yellow colour. What are my chances of it flowing this year?

The Rosemary edging looks rather frayed after the snow. I hope it recovers to look as good as it has in previous years.

Broad beans - second sowing

I was glad when I read that Carol Klein's autumn-sown broadies had been washed away as well. I've sown a second lot, so fingers crossed.

Central zone

This is my central bed in the veg plot. Bulbs have been planted and there's a small bay in the middle (looks a bit poorly - I rescued it from a pot of mixed herbs where it wasn't happy). I'm going to sow some annuals here in summer for a bit of a formal show piece. It won't be that grand though. I'll call it my informal formal bit. Chris will be confused.

Bulbous growth

These are new bulbs (tulips and others I can't remember) outside the old shed. I'm planning Californian poppies for the summer to replace them - good where you don't mind if they tumble over the edge (no grass to mow here and horrid cracked concrete to cover).

Mystery seedlings

This is what happens when you feed lazy birds that don't clear up after themselves. Do I give up and create a wild bit? This is growing through a Penstemon that'll soon need its annual prune. I prefer the Penstemon to this lot. Can't say the birds would agree though.

Death by snow

My brother gave me three Echium cuttings. I nursed them in the early days but completely forgot to cover them when the frosts and snow came. Now I have three dead Echiums and a big gap into the neighbour's garden. The good news is that I have been promised three replacments.

Snow sculpture 2

Chris is more talented. A snow pooch.

Snow sculpture

Ena Sharples?

Super snow

The snow has come at last. Looks great, especially this view (below) over the valley.

Big foot

Oh how dainty am I?

Cheeky pheasant

We saw this pheasant in the garden this morning - only the second I've ever seen here. He's interested in the seeds that have dropped from the feeder above. He had a good nose around before sauntering back down the path home. The picture is taken through the window so there's a bit of reflection.

Winter feeding

We've seen a lot of birds feeding in the garden recently due to the frosts we've had. This family of chaffinches used to visit a lot but we haven't seen them all summer. They don't use the feeders but seem to prefer seeds I scatter on the ground. There are a couple more in this group (outside of frame).