What are you up to in your gardens just now?

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Today I decided to empty the greenhouse and water all the tomato plants growing in there properly… they’re in flower but no sign of any tomatoes so far. That lead me to have a look at my hanging baskets, some had been filled with strawberry plants and I thought I’d empty these and give them a bit of new life… one thing leads to another and before I knew it I was moving plants about. I’ve probably given myself another days work with this but as the sun’s been shining here it’s a most enjoyable way to spend a day!
I took some cuttings first thing this morning from my mother’s garden – she has a lovely kolkwitzia amabillis – pink cloud which I have tried to grow from bought plants in the past with no success, so this time I’m going for localised propagation from her garden to mine. I also took some cuttings of Phyladelphus which is in bloom just now but was hit hard by the recent torrential rain we had, hopefully these will take and I’ll be able to put some in the new border when I “lose” the fir trees later in the autumn. I’ve arranged for them to be cut down as they are really causing a problem in that border for both myself and my neighbours.
Now I have to decide what to replace the hedge with so that both of us (neighbours and I) continue to have privacy… anyone with any design ideas, gratefully accepted.

The trees have now been removed and what a difference that makes…
I’m thinking about using some of my potted shrubs in this area – once the soils been checked and recovered a bit from all the acidity!

Thoughts for new border from the tubs I have already…

Anyone with any ideas…. as always gratefully accepted!

October 16th 2009
Have been on holiday this last week and spent much of my time in the garden! I’ve been clearing out and cutting back the area where the trees came down and next week I’ll hopefully get a replacement fence – till then there’s not really been much point in digging over and upgrading the soil as the tradesmen will just step it all back in again…
I bought some new shrubs for this area and have been lifting and splitting some of the perrenials from other borders which might be used as fillers too.
Also bought a lot of new bulbs that were on offer from various places in the hope of underplanting the new shrubs for lots of springtime colour. I’m really looking forward to being able to get on and get started in this new area.

1st November and the new fence has started to go up… hopefully it will be finished on Monday…

I’ve been planting in the gravel again, mainly bulbs and added a couple of large rocks which I’ve planted gentians in front of …. and to give some colour for now have added variegated ivy to grow at their base but I usually only use that to liven up my tubs and hanging baskets.

Cut back lots of the perrenials but some are still flowering and it’s November, one of the red roses decided to reflower after I had cut back the surrounding phlox which was in a tub – only 2 flowers but beautiful to see on these grim days.
Desperate for the fence to be finished so that I can get started but it’s getting so dark after work that I may have to wait until the weekend to start.

The guy who’s doing the fence is a landscaper and showed his ideas and designs at Gardening Scotland – Edinburgh. I happened to mention that I wasn’t really happy with the front of the house as it was just gravel and some pots – a bit higglety-pgglety really….. we got into a discussion about what I could do with it and he asked me to give him some ideas for what I liked… so I began looking through photos and realised that living here the thing I miss most is the sea, so I showed him photos of what I meant and he became really interested in the idea. When he came back to cut the trees down he said that he’d seen this fantastic gravel that looks like coral and would be brilliant in a sea themed garden… had also seen rotting timbers and sleepers which would be great to use as driftwood etc… but couldn’t get an image in his head yet!
When he returned on Friday he had had some more thoughts… fishing nets – but not the orange / blue type… the problem is the double viewpoint – me looking out but people looking in as well and although it would be great for a seating area there’s no privacy….
I wondered about using the nets as a screen with upstanding wood like you see when you out from a beach and using those for climbing plants or whatever and he thought that these could also be used for planting pockets…
it’s trying not to be too contrived / garish but look natural.
I wonder what he’ll have come up with by Monday…. he says its a real challenge that keeps teasing at him and since he likes a challenge he keeps coming back to it trying to get an image in his head – apparently the last Front Garden he designed was a “low maintenance, just do what you like and we’ll be happy with it!” It was submitted one day accepted and started by the next day … “I’d rather have a challenge any day!” he told me.
Roll on Monday – fence finished and a new border to get my teeth into!

November 9th and the last part of the fence is up… but too dark for me to see it properly! Saw it in the light of day on the 10th and it’s looking good – neighbours are pleased with it too! Let’s in much more light to both sides of our gardens now.
November 12th and the old tree roots have been drilled and some of the easier roots dug out – the soil has been given a turn over and hopefully I’ll be able to add a picture or two at the weekend! No planting as yet but all in good time as they say.

• 9 Jul, 2009
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