New gate at last

Hi Fran .. Nice to have the new gate ... and good that you didn't have to pay out ...

How are your conifers doing now ?

thanks, TT, it makes a lot of difference, lets more light in, for a start! if i could, I've had had all that wood taken down, but it's not only wired at the top, it's conreted in at the bottom..

lol there are advantages to being a council teneant!

my big conifer is getting more "rusty" and one of the smaller ones has got some too. I really don't know: too much watering, not enough, too much sun, not enough ... I've put the big 'un back where it was, so it won't get so much sun, maybe that'll do something. otherwise I'm at a loss

The very hot weather this summer didn't seem to help conifer foliage ... I tried not to get any hard tap water on my potted conifers, used rain water all the time, and only in the pots, but even still, my conifers have a few new rusty bits... not too bad though ..

I only have access to tap water - no downpipes to fit a water butt to; though i could have set out buckets and captured some. I did occasionally spray the foliage with a plant sprayer, or "rain" on them to give the foliage a dampening. Not needed to water them for over a week, with the rain we've had: if that's what's doing it, hope the plant will recover. And come next summer, either I start dowsing for a spring in the green, or start buying bottled water!

I don't know the science behind it but i have 6 watering cans which I keep filled with tap water but never use it until it has been standing at least 24 hours. It is supposed to be better for the plants than if it comes straight from the tap. That would be a lovely communal garden and it was a good idea to have the gate put in. Do others also have access in to that space?

That has made a big difference to your garden space Fran, now you are free to wander :o)

lol wouldn't you believe it, they put it in late last week, and today I get a letter offering me a bungalow in Shrewsbury! looks like the next tenant here's going to do well out of me - if I can get to Shrewsbury and if it's better than here!

Sods law. A bungalow would be nice though. If you have good neighbours it can be a wrench to leave them. Good luck with your decision.

thanks Scotsgran. I've got an upstairs neighbour who keeps throwing rubbish out of their window into my garden - it's been going on since 2011 and council still can't seem to do anything about it. That alone would be reason to want to move!

I checked the maps when I got the postcode, and checked DEFRA flood map - it's just outside the predicted flood line, so that's something (when i was bidding on properties, always checked the DEFRA map first -some of these places would have been in the middle of a lake!)

I did a blog for the DEFRA map: http://www.growsonyou.com/franl155/blog/22197-defra-flood-risk-maps

I was wrong, you can check for lots of thins, not just river/sea flood areas: you can select reservoir flooding, air or ground pollitom. radiation, and stacks more. The river/sea flooding is the default, so I suppose it's the main problem that people worry about.

It sounds promising then. Fingers crossed it comes up to expectations. Sounds like a good blog on DEFRA. I did not know of its existance and we had the surveyor check out the flood potential of a house my daughter liked.

I can't remember how i found the DEFRA sute, if i read about it or searched for somethign on those lines, but it's had a lot of use here!

I've put this blog in favourites so I remember it in future

lol thanks Scotsgran (blushsed modestly)

Love your gate Fran.............you can now extend your garden beyond..............how lovely, any news about your move?

thanks Grandmage; I got a letter from them, had to send it back for a large print copy, which came very quickly (wow! an organisation that doesn't tell me "we can't do large print"! I like them already!); i've got go phone to arrange a viewing, had to scramble around to find someone to come with me, to navigate and look for me, and to hold my hand! Their letter says that others have also been offered the place, so even though i'm first on the list for a change I daren't hope too much. As soon as I get any news I'll share it

Good luck Fran.