Last Year 2007

Hi Steve - welcome to GoY! You'll soon find that we all have successes and failures, just like you, but I sympathise with you for the bad start in your new garden. Let's hope for better weather this year! I keep running out after the 10.30 local weather forecast to cover up my new baby Delphiniums - I am fed up with frost - we don't usually get such hard ones down here in Somerset. I have lost my new Coprosma (I should have remembered to cover that as well). Do you grow flowers/shrubs etc as well as fruit and veggies?

hi Steve, like you i also had a new garden last year, and a very small buget to work from - hense all of my plants and shurbs being to small to fill the gaps they are supposed to - still it is very exciting in a new garden - dispite the rain last year i have really enjoyed having a go out there, and i now feel that i have it well underway. my garden is mostly flowers tho being a florist! but i am starting some veggies this year with my daughter in her little raised bed.

Its very encouraging to get response as a newbie. Some of my fruit canes and trees that appeared a little dormant last year are showing signs of life so maybe last year was not a total write off. I/we will be setting flowers and shrubs (companion planting and all that) although i have a passion for roses. Has anyone found a deep blue rose yet? I even considered a lawn but if plants keep getting added to my list I guess thats gotta go. I like and have grown some stunning veg Globe Artichokes and Sweetcorn. That reminds me need to get some more seeds.ttfn.

Sorry, but I hope that nobody creates a blue rose. I have no real reason except old-fashioned prejudice! I don't like 'Blue Moon' even. I love the pink/red/white/cream/yellow ones, though!

Hi there and welcome to GOY. Sounds to me like you did fairly well last year in all. A fallow plot untouched for that length of time and yet you managed to have some fairly difficult successes ie blueberries.
I think most veggie gardeners suffered to some degree last year so you were not alone. Come on chin up and look forward to the bountiful harvest for this year (says a non veg growing beginner hahaha)

The Blueberry that was a success was bought off Lougborough Market and all i had to do was re pot it and look after it of course lol. The Poundland Blueberries failed but this years purchase seems to be going well (see my march 2008 blog).

I ought to get my camera out and take some pictures whilst the garden is in a pretty raw state. Would be nice if Ground Force could step in and help me kick start the process.

But just think of the satisfaction you will feel when your garden takes shape - YOU will have achieved something wonderful! Anyway, as far as I recall, there have been concerns about the 'Instant' gardens made for TV in a few hours - yours will have been done properly, and will last, not like theirs!

The ground force comment was a little tongue in cheek lol. However my middle son,nephew and his girlfriend came round yesterday and we got loads of work done. The bits for my greenhouse have been in storage for almost 12 months.And now its up.

I moved into this house in 1984 and have gradually done the garden bit by bit since then. The patio only got laid in 1996 so twelve months for a greenhouse is a bit quick!

Well unless I have a substantial win on the lottery I hope to stay here for a long time. I suppose im very eager to get the property and gardens sorted out and hope my current surge of enthusiasm continues.