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It's a pretty one.

Ha ha! Love it.

Wow! I also thought it was gravel. I hope it didn't cause too much damage.

The Chamaedorea genus is my favourite!

Extremely common in tropical gardens here as well. It copes with the conditions easily and rewards with these great blooms. Does have to be tidied up fairly constantly though to keep it looking good.

:o)))

That's a good idea Shirley.

I thought it was gravel. So sorry you are having a cold spell.

Hi Shirley. Next door haven’t done anything to their garden yet. Behind us haven’t planted anything tall. It’s all down to us! I am waiting for delivery of a Eucalyptus pauciflora. That should fill another gap. We are so lucky that we don’t have any houses at the front. The front garden will be more private than the back! lol!

Thanks Shirley x see you in Gran Canaria!

Josie, you have said exactly what I have been thinking of. Perhaps try it out for a year with annuals and see how it goes. It doesn't get the sun until just after midday so I shall bear that in mind.

Ha ha Julia, the heart shape didn't really register until your comment! I shall do some research on upright trees/shrubs this week to see what else might fill the gap.

David, I was out there again this afternoon, moved an ornamental grass that was growing too close to the lawn. You may be able to see it if you look closely. Hopefully it will like being planted further back!

Karen, I called out to Michael about spending time in Gran Canaria over the Winter months and he's all for it! Hasn't this been such a grey and damp few months? Weather forecast for end of next week sees the temperature in double figures, allegedly, albeit only 10 or 11 but that's higher than of late.

Your garden looks pretty good in the dull weather ... well done!

Oh my word Karen, where has the time gone? Honestly, it doesn't seem a year ago that you moved in and you have both worked so hard to create this wonderful space.

Have your neighbours been planting too? Once the estate has shrubs and trees growing you will see the wildlife appearing.

I wish you well with your volunteering ... :o)

Oh I see...Hope the meal was delicious!

I took the picture in my favoutite restaurant Julia. It was their staff that deserve the compliment.

I posted a blog yesterday which included a photo of the poorly Eleagnus, today there is very little of it left standing.

There was a lovely Ceanothus at the far end of this border for many years, but the trunk started 'seeping' a liquid so that had to go. I really hope it's not something in the soil, but doubt it as everything else seems fine, phew!

it does look unwell. Time for a removal by the looks of it. sad but an new planting opportunity.

This is one of those plants that need to be kept in a pot or it will try to take over.

I had a similar problem with the Ceanothus that we inherited when we moved here. It was such a beautiful tree but flowered less and less each year until it was mostly twiggy branches. Sadly, we decided it had come to the end of it's life so it had to go. However, it did have an attractive branching trunk which looked good against the fence so we've left that for a clematis to climb up. Perhaps you could do something similar?

It does hurt, though, doesn't it, when you have to say goodbye to a cherished plant?

Shirley, although I can't see the full size of the shrub, the main stems look quite thick so it could be that the shrub has come to the end of it's life.

Thanks Balcony, I will try this.

.....and to you both...did you make this or was it a gift? Very unusual.

My latest jigsaw. It was not very easy & took me quite a while!

I wanted to put this pic on the end of Sheilabub’s blog for Janey, re the ad blockers, but I didn’t know how to move it to there.

Balcony, I have tried adblockultimate & others & they don’t seem to work on my Apple IPad. I get all the ads in between the photos in peoples’s blogs, so just have to skip past them. At least I can see everything. However sometimes when I’ve tried to log into somewhere other than GoY, I get a message saying I have an Adblock in place, will I remove it first! I don’t understand this, as I get ads everywhere. Perhaps Apple doesn’t want people to block ads, I don’t know, completely in the dark!

Shirley, your garden looks wonderfully neat & tidy
especially the newly edged grass & your summerhouse. I like the shape of your ex pond. Do you want something perennial there, or would you consider insect attracting annuals? It’s not a big space, so would provide more variety & colour planted with annuals, perhaps in pastel shades. I like to keep some space in my garden for these.
Glad you were able to get out for a gardening binge!

Looks so tidy Shirley, you and Michael have worked so hard there.I do like the heart shape of the newly cleared area...very topical!
The Amelanchier sounds just right especially the shape.

I had one for over 16 years. It was so beautiful! It died in a horrible heatwave a few years ago. 😞. It was the longest I’ve kept one alive. I killed so many by letting it dry out, so I know exactly what you’re saying.

I purchased a new one last year and I keep it constantly wet.

I’m going to post a large one that’s at the horticultural center at Lake Side botanical garden in Oakland.

I have tried them. No matter how long you've had them,one good dry out in summer and they die. Forget one time and its not forgiving-ha.

Ooh, that's good to know, thanks Karen.

'The new build wasteland'! Once more gardens have trees and shrubs the birds and bees will be around. I am still finding those tiny black slugs on fallen leaves ... hateful critters.

Hi Karen, thanks for those suggestions. I did have a Pineapple Broom once but it suffered badly with black fly all over the stems so it had to go.

I have Rachel de Thames's book, 'A Flower Garden for Pollinators' and am making a list as I read through it.

Michael did well to apply that stain to the summerhouse as his hands were getting so cold. I shall tell him you approve ... :o)

David, it has been so very cold and miserable and I was getting gardening withdrawal symptoms. The only thing to do was get out there and keep moving ... :o))

Good thinking Rose. No birds in my garden, so no worries. My mirrors will stay up.

What a treat to see and be able to observe these lovely creatures! At the moment, in the new-build waste land I consider it a triumph if I see an earthworm! Slugs a plenty though!

A very nice colour, Wylie! :)

Summer house looks terrific!

I saw an article in GW magazine about growing a patch for pollinators. Seems like a good idea for the ex pond? Or, if you prefer, you could probably get 3 dwarf Buddleias in there for the butterflies!

Looks nice, Andy! :)

How about a Eucalyptus pauciflora ? Lovely form of snow gum to max about 4m. Or E. Gunnii France Bleu’..dwarf form of Gunnii also to about 2-4m with those wonderful blue leaves and a very graceful habit. Pineapple Broom is semi evergreen. All three are quick growers. I also like the evergreen Viburnum hillieri ‘Winton’.

" a very productive couple of days" I quite agree Shirley! Putting the new stain on the summerhouse will make it look very neat & tidy & will make all the garden look so much better!

Little more than a month now before spring springs! :D

Can’t recommend it h8ghly enough Shirley. The buds are swelling up well!

I really feel your pain Ladybelle. I think the hardest plant for me to leave behind was my Pine Tree. I had grown it for about 17 years, first in a pot and then in the ground and it was about 10 feet tall. I had pruned it lovingly into a very beautiful shape. Before we left I looked up how much it would cost to replace it and I think about 20K. I’m sorry I have nothing to offer but empathy and the sadness of starting again from scratch (or a cutting). But that’s life, and one day we will have to leave everything. So think of it as practice at accepting great loss. 😢

Karen, I have had to remove an Eleagnus that was dying and was wondering about filling the space with an Amelanchier like this. I need to have a shrub/small tree with an upright habit and this would seem a good candidate.

Thank you for your lovely comment FF x

Yes, it’ll probably be at least 20 years before it’s big enough to walk under. There’s some large old specimens here in San Diego. The largest specimens here are more than 70 or 80 years old.

Oh, Janey. I an happy that you were able to get on Goy.
It is a mystery that you cannot get rid of the garbage adds.
I miss you here.

Hello Klahanie, I've just managed to get into your blog before all the adverts descended. I'm trying to sort it out.

Gosh you have had some snow and although it looks very beautiful which it does, it's not what the tiny hummingbirds wants is it. Such tiny little creatures, they are so lucky that you and your hubby look after them so well. I'm hoping your cold snap doesn't stay too long. It's just cold, damp and grey here, but then it's February fill dyke as they used to say. Another couple of weeks and we'll have March winds to dry the land. March brings breezes loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil...:))
I may not be able to get back on the site but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your little Annas. xx