Coming together.....

17 comments

Well things are finally starting to take shape in my new garden.

My OH ordered my 8×6 greenhouse last week for my birthday (which was yesterday) from an online company called gardensite.com so we’ve got autovents and louvres for it and we bought the base too thinking it might make assembly a bit easier. I think we’re going to dig a narrow trench and fill with concrete to bed the base into – it get’s a bit gusty up here!
I’ve been onto Crocus and ordered little bits and pieces for the greenhouse, potting stations, watering pods for growbags and growbag supports for my toms, all paid for by my Mum and Dad – who also bought me some cool handheld rechargable Bosch Shears – they’re going to come in really handy on the lavendars and things in the autumn.

We’ve marked out all the garden for the borders and bug most of them out now …. must get my photos uploaded. Most of the lines are still in place and the cat looks like she’s in Mission Impossible avoiding all those trip wires.

I did a soil test at the weekend and found that the soil is neutral to acidic which is pleasing as I really like my Rhods etc. I thought the heavy clay would make it alkaline but dad thinks it’s just subsoil that the builders have churned up and it possibly was acidic to start with. So with that I’ve bought some minature Rhods to put in the front garden to fill out the spaces left behind by the dead/dying Rosemary shrubs. They’re all in shades of white and lilac which should sit nice with the variegated hebes, lavendars and pink roses. They were called ‘Ptarmigan’, ‘Snowlady’, ‘Hycanith Blue’ and ‘Cilpinese’ (I think!!).

We’ve ordered all the lockblock in a pretty mottled rusty colour that we’re planning to use as mowstrips to the lawn and edging to paths – all 80m worth of it. And our patio paving is from Pavestone in ‘Raj Blend’ to hopefully match the pale creamy whitewash of the house.

My poor OH will have so much work to do when he gets home from offshore in a couple of weeks, but once the hard landscaping is done, that’ll be him done with the garden apart from cutting the grass, it’s just not his ‘bag’!!!

14 Apr, 2011
10 likes

Comments

Libet

Ohh! that sounds really exciting! It'll be such a treat to get that all completed, and it will take a while, but take it as part of the joy of watching it develop! I don't envy your poor hubby with all that hard landscaping to do, but as you say it will make his life easier in the long run!
I think if I was you, I would plant all your little Rhodis in ericaecous compost, to help them establish quicker and get them off to a good start! Oh! Hark at me giving you 'advice', from somebody who hasn't even the soil to grow a rhodi! I'm really looking forward to seeing your pics, and your Mission Impossible Kitty sounds a hoot! dum, dum, dum, de, dum, dum...let's hope she doesn't 'self destruct' Lol!

14 Apr, 2011

Donnaj1dlh

I know, I can't wait to see it take shape. It's made such a difference just seeing the borders dug out, being able to visualise it now.
My farmer Dad has got lots of well rotted farm manure ready for me to dig into the soil to try and open it up a little, hopefully he'll work the rotovator too - i can't trust myself with it!! I just have to be patient and let the ground settle until I get planting. It probably won't be until next year 'til I really get that going.
My neighbours across the street have had landscapers in the last week doing theirs, I'd love to see what they're doing but I just can't see into their garden from ours :) they've had skips upon skips of turf and soil coming out. We're lucky to have dad with a big car trailer - he's even suggested the John Deere and trailer but we said no to that!
I don't know how much money the neighbours are throwing at their garden but I know landscapers don't come cheap! But at least when we've lost blood, sweat and tears, we can sit down and appreciate what WE'VE achieved!

14 Apr, 2011

Terratoonie

Wow, Donna ... you've done a lot ...
and you have some lovely ideas for your garden designs ..

You'll have fun watching your gardens progress and grow...
well done :o)

14 Apr, 2011

Lainedru

Happy belated birthday!!! That's so sweet of your OH to buy you a greenhouse. I've always wanted one, but our yard is just too small. Sounds like a lot of excitement going on for you. It also sounds like you will have a beautiful garden. Glad to hear your soil is in good shape. I also love rhododendrons!

14 Apr, 2011

Whistonlass

Donna, your plans sound really great and I hope the greenhouse goes together easily for you.

We have got pretty much a blank canvas in our back garden but we are not doing the bulk of the landscaping ourselves...we have found a lovely lady gardener who is going to undertake a lot of the work for us, along with her little team. Neither hubby nor I have the stamina nor mobility to attempt it ourselves. I admire you for tackling it...and you are fortunate to have your dad near to hand to help. I'll be watching with interest to see how you progress...it's all very exciting, isn't it?

14 Apr, 2011

Ladybug47

sounds like your haveing fun doing your garden,im not sure about getting landscapers in as i would rather do it myself my dad got some in and it cost over a thousand for three days work,get cracking with that camera,i see your in aberdeenshire i used to live up there and found the soil realy nice if not a bit sandy and i think your dads right about the clay,are you putting anything big in or just sticking to small bushs,chris

14 Apr, 2011

Donnaj1dlh

Lainedru ... you can get pretty small greenhouses, I'm sure you'd find something small enough for to fit .... I saw some 6x4ft ones that would be fine if you staged them out to get the maximum use of the area.
Ladybug .... we've kept the borders at 1m depth - a fine depth for when I'm on my knees weeding :) I do have a few things dotted about at the minute (mainly things that I kept from my last house), a couple of Rhods, rowans x2, a peiris, camelia, syringa lilac, sambuccus and a cotinus - all things that can be pruned and kept to a managable size. Hopefully these things will get enough height against the fences to give us a bit of privacy.
I've got 4 minature fruit trees in big tubs at the moment but I haven't decided if they'll go in the ground or not. They're new trees so I'll probably wait to see what the fruit is like before I give them a more permanent home.
I've never been one for perennials really but think I'll have a think about using some to fill gaps.
We have a large strip up the side of the house that doesn't get much sun (it was a nuisance to mow) now laid to gravel so I might get some little alpines to dot about and soften that area up a little.
I got a big DK/RHS Plant encyclopedia from the outlaws for my birthday - it's brill, my new bible, I'll have to read it cover to cover and make lists of all the pretty things I want. Traditionally I've never been one to think to much about where to put something, I just tend to 'plonk' it in, but this time I'd like to do it right!!!

14 Apr, 2011