back loop makeover
By franl155
9 comments
I’m trying to name each bed so that I can refer to them and know what I’m talking about! At the back of the back garden, there’s a wider strip in the middle which I call the back loop (there’s another one behind the raised bed at the front of the back)
How it looked before: overgrown with forget-me-nots and weeds
The gardener brought round a plant that he thought would go nicely there: while he was pulling the weeds, he found that I already had one, on the right, so he put this one on the left. There were a few plants under all the weeds that he said were worth keeping, but there was a lot of gap between them.
I have a box of “butterfly garden” seeds – had it over a year, but nowhere to put it at the old place (that was why I wanted to get into the locked-off green at the back, but no sooner had the gate been installed than I got the offer of this place).
Thought I might as well try them here.
When I’d planted the “blue garden” seed box, there’d been enough to make a thick carpet of seeds in all the beds, so I started out this time with similar thick sowing, then raked over and put bark on top.
Stood back and looked, and thought it hadn’t covered much ground the way I’d done it (the box said 15 square metres). I could leave it and let the seedlings fight it out, or I could spread them out a bit to give them more chance.
So I took the bark off, dug up the bed that I’d not yet sown into, then raked the soil from the sown section to spread and mix the seeds out, then barked it again
Still had a bit of spare space, so rummaged through the packs of old seeds until I found one that had its sowing time for now. Found a pack of Clarkia and shoved them in the gap between bird feeder and bird bath.
Finished result:
I’ve got no idea if the Butterfly Garden or the Clarkia are still viable, but at least now I can find out – or soon, anyway.
9 Jul, 2014
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Comments
oh, Gary is brilliant - I was recommended another gardener by a tenant, but didn't get round to contacting him - probably fate!
9 Jul, 2014
I can see it is coming along brilliantly, you and Gary Gardener are working so well together. :O)
10 Jul, 2014
Might as well give it a go Fran. You might get a result out of it. I once planted wild flower seeds in the circle. Fresh ones and all I got were some fierce looking prickly Teasles that seeded all over the place. Our garden helper just rang to say he had just got soaked cutting someone's lawn.....it has been raining heavily all morning.Give him a ring if needed. The grass didn't grow much as it has been hot and dry.
10 Jul, 2014
thanks @Olive - and I reminded myself today that I've only been here about eight months - and Gary's only been here about four or five!
thanks @Dorjac - I certainly hope I'll get more out of htem than by leaving them in the packets! The prob iwth "mixed seeds" is not recognising anything that comes up - as happened with the Blue Garden.
I cancelled the gardener week before last as we'd been having thunder and quite heavy rain; phoned to say that it'd be best for him to skip that week, wouldn't want him out in that!
10 Jul, 2014
I think that's brilliant Fran, and I'm sure you did the right thing spreading those seeds out a bit. I sowed my wildflower seed about six times too thickly and the effect isn't good. I won't make that mistake again!
10 Jul, 2014
I did start the Blue Garden sowing rather thinly, but i was running out of garden and I still had half a box of seeds! so I asumed that this would be the same. Wasn't! Gave myself more work, that's what you get for "assuming"
11 Jul, 2014
Fingers crossed. I like your idea of giving each bed a name, may I pinch your idea? It makes a lot of sense.
11 Jul, 2014
help yourself, Waddy, it's not copyrighted! It makes it easier for me to say "back loop" or "front loop", rather than "the wide bit on the bed at the back" or "the bit behind the raised bed". The main beds are left, right, back, front, so no prob there - I've also got a "composter bed" and a "shed bed".
11 Jul, 2014
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Nothing venture nothing win. it must be a great relief to have a gardener!
9 Jul, 2014