Making An Entrance..Flori Style..

Wow,Flori,that looks brilliant...what a great job you have both done between you..love the colour ,and the ingenious use of guttering..well done ! :o))

lovely, thanks for guttering idea :-)

Hello Flori!! That looks lovely, it will be wonderful when the climbers all grow up :o))))))xx

That's brilliant! You really have a great vision to see how those things could come together and make a lovely feature....well done Flori...don't be painting the OH now, he deserves to sit still for a while and remain unpainted! ;)

Hi Bloomer, my dear friend..and Helen..Great to see you both and am so pleased that you liked my new blog. Am quite chuffed the way it all turned out in the end.. Loved the fact that we saved money even more! lol Those Gardman Westminster arches are usually between £80 to £100 plus, so to get one at £50 was a real bargain, and it is pretty solid too. We were very impressed with it when we put it together. The guttering idea was inspired, and having so much trellis in my garden, I will be using this more often...Thanks for looking in on me..\0/x

Ooooh just seen these extra comments just after I posted.. Thank you Annelle and Karen.. We are wondering if we can eventually get away with digging through the concrete and actually creating a couple of small beds for the plants rather than keep them in pots, but that is an idea for another day! lol.. Am so looking forward to seeing the plants climb over this new area..It should look a treat for all concerned..Thanks for looking in on me..\0/x

Hi Flori. \0/. \0/. lovely to see the before and after photo,s, very clever and thrifty use of materials Brilliant!

Helloooo Flori! Great to see you again :)
I can't wait to see the metal arch filled with beautiful climbers!

Hope the neighbours appreciate your efforts - sterling job!!!! love the tip with the guttering on top of the trelliswork. Well done!

Inspirational stuff! It's great to see the before and after photos - how many times have we done a job and thought 'why didn't I take a photo before starting this?'.
Now you've made me feel tired I'm gonna go put the kettle on and have a sit down ;-))

Think it looks terrific Flori, and makes such a pretty entrance and it keeps it private too. It will look lovely when things have grown over the arch too.

Well done Flori and Andy, it looks really good. Love the trellis and archway. I recently bought a Gardman arch as well, so when you next come this way be pleased to see you.

Hi Flori ...
Good blog .. now on GoYpedia Flower Pot People ..
the wooden versions. Lol. :o)

What a difference you've both made Flori! Love it...have the neighbours chipped in? They ought to if not. Do you have communal garden parties there? I know...you could do a book signing, I'm sure your poetry books would sell like hot cakes. Get in touch with B.A.Publishing when you are ready:-)

Hi Flori, I'm new to the site but just wanted to say your entrance looks fab. So fresh and inviting, when everything has grown it will look enchanting. :o))

Thank you one and all for posting a comment..
Pam..Great to hear from you, and see I did get my blog done after all! lol
Hi Tommy..long time no hear, but so good to see you again..As soon as I get some decent growth on there, I will be adding photos to update you. New arches and trellis always look so bare with no climbers on.
Hello Magna..yes thought this tip would come in handy, and as it is the narrow guttering used on sheds, it is a little cheaper too!
Muddy...ah my friend how good it is to see you here again.. As to the before and after photos..isn't that the truth? I spent ages looking for a decent photo of 'Before', and that was the best I could do, lol..I usually forget as well my friend, take my word for it..lol
Grandmage, lovely to see you on my page, thank you for posting. It certainly makes it more attractive and secure now. Looking forward to nature taking a hand now as well..
Cinders..Would love to catch up with you again..Your garden is such a sight for poor eyes..We will arrange a date..
Terra.. If I had thought about it, I would have put a photo on of Bill and Ben just for you..lol. We ended up being gifted these from previous neighbours, and hope to give them a new lease of life before too long, as they are just so cute!
Ba...I should have guessed that B.A.P would be another arm to your Global Business Enterprise! LOL! Got four more books to sell and that is it..Do you do short run orders?hahaha..The two neighbours that share the courtyard with us are only renting their homes so couldn't really ask them to pitch in, but as we managed to do it all at a reasonable price, and our private garden leads off of it, we didn't mind doing it ourselves...No parties planned as yet! lol..\0/xxx

Hi Jane..A warm welcome to GOY, and thank you so much for looking in on me and posting such a lovely comment. This is such a great site to share your latest garden improvements on..The feedback and enthusiasm on here from like-minded gardeners cannot be beaten..Great to meet you Jane..\0/x

Well here I am back on GOY again after been away for a while Flori, You and your OH have made a great job of the gate, arch and fence at the courtyard, and the paintwork really finishes it off nicely...it looks great Flori.
I agree with BA that you should have a poetry book signing event there - I loved reading your poems...and will bring your book along to get it signed :-)...

Looks fab Flori, lots of great tips & ideas :-)

Hello Richard, thanks for looking in and posting my friend.. Hope your garden is doing well. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has been away from GOY recently. Am pleased that this all turned out so well, though detest Hammerite paint with an absolute passion, but it certainly works well, even if it is like painting with thick treacle! lol Will have to go on tour to get all these Poetry books signed by the sound of it..hahahahahaha..I wonder if Ba's travelling Home/End Internet is still in business?LOL!\0/x

Thank you Willinilli, so good of you to post and I hope the ideas we have used here help inspire..\0/x

Lovely blog Florie, good to see you back after so long, you've given us all lots of tips and idears ....

Hi Flori and great to see you, nice to see you have both been busy lol, gate and arch looks fab, weatehr awfull isnt it and i am thankfull compared to some around the country with floods etc, take care :o)) x

Thats a lot of hard work but it looks so smart now! i bet everyone is admiring it. looks perfect for a party ~ celebrating the new fence and gate!!

Hi hun ... Lovely .. love the colour ..great idea for guttering .. we love recycling ideas ....very pretty ... Ur cottage is 2years older than ours LOL .... Xx

What a great job you have done! Love that you were able to recycle so much of it, some wonderful ideas here!

Hello Stripes, it's good to be back.. Hi San, so great to see you again dear friend. Yes, we have been lucky down here in the south west to have missed the sudden storms. Hope your artwork is still going well.
Hello Sticki..yes, the neighbours were very pleased with end result..Looks so much better now..
Hi Cris, colour called Sea Mist on trellis, luckily I still had some in the shed so that saved me money too! lol Guttering idea so simple but oh so effective and gives a great finishing edge. We adore our cottage..we even have resident spooks here lol
Hello Lil, thank you so much for looking in on me and posting a comment. Even all my planting came from the garden from plants I already had. Can't wait till they have put on some growth..Will post updates as and when...\0/x

Clever girl, love it, a great transformation, my OH took to building his own trellis this year, remember the hedge at the bottom of the garden, well we took it out all 32 ft of it, and put fencing there, which looked very bare, so we put trellis panels up for clems to grow up, looks much better, you would not recognize it now......

Oh that sounds so good DD! My OH loves playing with wood, and he made such a great job on the trellis work..
I adore Clematis..I just can't get enough of them! Recently I have been buying some young Clems from a store called B&M. They are £1.99 each in there. Don't know about other Goyers, but I have been stunned by the huge price increase of Clematis in GCs..I would rather get them young and let them grow on a little, than pay through the nose for a larger version. Maybe that is me just penny-pinching, but in today's recession we are all watching our finances..\0/x

We do the same but we all get ours from Morrisons usually 1.79!! this week we bought an Alstroemeris for £6.00 GC 12- 14 £ loads of GOY ers now buy at `Morries.

You've said it all folks - what can I add? I've already shown my OH the trellis! (Hint)

I think some GC's are getting very greedy just recently Dd..No one minds paying a fair price for a nice plant, but no one likes being stung either.. As gardening is classed as a leisure activity, it seems that it is prone to exceptional price hikes in some places. They lose so much trade when Supermarkets can undercut the way they do. Oh dear, better get off my soapbox now..lol..I'm getting light-headed..hahahaha

Hi Steragram..lol..Ooh, I bet I'm popular with your OH now..not! LOL! Thank you for looking in on me...\0/x

New string to your bow Flori (Garden Design) what a huge difference its made, will be lovely to see the pics when the honeysuckle, clem and jasmine are climbing the arch. I love the way you`ve picked out the paint colour to match the bench, and the clever use of guttering to protect the new trellis.

Thank you Stroller, I must admit that I am looking forward to getting some plant growth on there too, as it all looks very stark and new at the moment. We added four solar wall lights on the trellis today. Will look good if we ever have enough sun to light them up! lol That metallic light green Hammerite paint is a real pain to use, but really looks good as a finished product.
It is great to see you on my page my friend..Thank you for looking in on me..\0/x

What a difference you've made, it all looks fantastic - no wonder the neighbours are happy with it. Great tip about the upside down guttering too. Looking at your photos I felt as if I was watching the changes happen, brilliant :)

Just taken a second look at your pics Flori, now come on own up as to who did all the work - I can see your workmen relaxing on the bench waiting for payment no doubt.lol.

Thank you Gee and Stroller..Ha! You got me Stroller, my two little Wooden tops were really the active ones behind it all..I think it is time my two little fellas had a make-over by the looks of it..lol.
I will be updating photos as the plants start to take over the arch and trellis, softening down the whole hard landscaping look, so that you can follow its progress..Lovely to see you Gee on my blog..and thank you for looking in again on me Stroller..\0/x

what a wonderful transformation! congrats to you and OH on a good job done :o)

\0/ Hello Pip:-)

And from me Pip xx

Hello Pip, thanks for looking in on me. Great to see you again. Hope all is well with you dear friend..Hi Ba and Annella too \0/x

Hi Flori x

\0/ yoo hoo Flori:-)

Hi Annella, hi Ba..good to see you both too! Hear that good weather is on its way...Can't come soon enough! I can remove my thigh-high wellies now..hahahahahaha..\0/xxx