A little water never hurt anyone..........

What an superb garden you have got there, i've been thinking of using gravel at the back of mine and it think looking at yours has convinced me. All your plants look very healthy and i like the pot in the side of the potting shed..

Helloo Oddbillie!...I think your iris may be a poppy?! Your garden's looking great, it's remarkable how fast things can grow...turn your back and they've grown another foot taller! Well done to on growing your lavender from seed, I could do with some, so I must give that a go, your plants are looking very healthy! They'll give you a lovely show of colour soon!

Your plants are magnificent - especially as most of them have been sown from seed. Your garden is so neat and tidy.

Thanks Bill. When we moved here about two and a half years ago, it was just lawn with some mis-sized council slabs for a path from the decking to the bottom gate.

I took those up and set to work. If you've got time, take a look at some of my first blogs to get an idea of how I was able to transform it. It has been fun but hard work BUT, worth it to see the results. Give it a go but to be honest, with a garden that big, you could do wonderful things with like breaking it up in to different areas with trellis to form natural breaks with climbers on them to make them more natural. then, when you walk round it, a new little oasis appears! Just a thought and I will catch up with any blogs you have done.

Hi Libet!

Thanks for your kind comments. I have popped the wrong picture on for the Iris....DOH!!

I used to hate the smell of lavender but since turning 40, 3 years ago, I rather like it now! I will also check your blogs and pics out as well in time.

Thanks again both!

Sorry Mariek, crossed comments there!

Don't be fooled by the tiddiness of it all. I have an area in front of the potting shed which is full of green garden bags as our rubbish men don't do the 'green' waste around here!

It will be sorted in a few weeks when I have time off but as I have said in the past on GoY, it's amazing how we all think highly of each other's gardens yet don't always see it in our own. It's already apparent to me, after 2 short years of gardening and with no previous desire to do it, that your garden is most definitely an ongoing, everlasting project! A fun on one at that but never 'quite right'....

I look forward to catching up with you all as I have been away for some time.

Thanks again

I can well remember you transforming your garden and how hard you worked, it looks smashing Dan, you definitely got hooked..
I`d appreciate a few hours rain here so if you have a little to spare please send it our way...

Your garden looks lovely and fresh, what a welcome sight to see rain on the plants :)))

One tip Bill is the gravel size, too small and the cats use it I have 1/2" and the cats dont go near it. I love it and when it rains it looks lovely.

I've got the jumbo gravel meself and I agree Drc726. However, they were using the bark in my border and near pond until I recently purchased sonar systems on ebay which seem to do the trick and friendly!

Hi Lincs! How are yu? I have hopefully moved the rain on your way as it burnt off this morning so very bright out there right now:0)) Been to GC again and spent a few more quid but you can't take it with you so why not!

TOTally agree Michaella

what beautiful healthy plants you have ~ have you got greenfingers too?
your garden is looking just lovely, so many of my favourite plants.
do you mind me asking how much the half barrel was?

lovely plants there oddbillie and such a lovely garden too.
New Dawn is a gorgeous rose and I use it in my avitar picture. nice scent that isnt too overpowering.

How lucky you are to have some rain Dan, I think some might get to us tonight or tomorrow maybe :o)
Lovely Pieris you have, what's your secret? I always manage to kill them! I agree about cats and bark but don't have any problem with small gravel.
I love the layout of your garden it's so interesting, hope we shall see more of it before too long :o))

Stickitoffee: Thanks for that and glad you like. The barrel was from Homebase and I've been eyeing them up for over a year but didn't really know what to use it for until we got the rose for the mums. It was £29.99 and was needed to fit the Oblisk.

SBG: Thanks also for your comments. I look forward to thescent of the New Dawn and it's alreay flourishing in its new home.....

Lily: Yes, the rain was about for over an hour but today was beautiful again. I managed to get some more plants today and got some areas planted up and some more seeds sown. Finished about 7ish just before it started picking to rain. About 9.45pm tonight, the heavens opened for a good 45 minutes so the garden will be happy! As for the Pieris, well, no secret really. It was a tiny cutting as mentioned and seems to flourish. I keep it in full sun and the leaves are stunning to look at with the green and red in abundance! Multi-purpose compost and that's it really....oh, and the obvious watering when necessary. Much bigger this year though.

I'm interested to know why you say the layout is interesting because from my perspective, I don't have a plan as such, just put pots and containers where I think they look good I guess. It's interesting to know your views as it may help me in future moves. Funny how we see so much in other people's gardens isn't it?!

Hope to have lots more pics/blogs on here over the summer. It's been really good to get back out there.

Enjoyed the tour very much OB like you I`ve no lawns to mow yet somehow have been thinking lately that the garden lacks something - yet looking at yours I think its great strange creatures aren`t we.lol

I will look at your photographs and blogs..I'm going to try and work my way threw everyones photographs. The trouble is there are so many wonderful pictures and gardens it takes so long..Your right about splitting my garden up it does need it.

It's good to see everything is thriving in your garden, Dan. I love those Violas, gorgeous colours and markings. The Scabious is very pretty and, as you know, I love that white Aquilegia! Happy gardening ... : o ))

Well Dan maybe that's just it, you didn't have a plan but it just evolved. I love all the separate bits like the trees and grass at the bottom then the gravelled area with the trellis divider and the steps up to the decking area and I seem to remember another 'bit on the side' you were working on with pavings? Lots of pots always bring otherwise dull areas to life even if they are a pain sometimes with watering. We get so used to our own gardens that they become commonplace....the grass is always greener eh? Well mine definitely isn't! lol. Rain today hooray!!!

Bill: You're completely right about GoY. When I first found it, I was looking for advice on making a pond area as the gardening was all new to me. I googled a question and GoY was there so I took a look and nearly 2 years on, here I still am, with a pond area, a new bunch of friends, a whole lot more experience and.........STILL playing catch-up on the pics and blogs!!

It was and still is, so addictive and that first night, I went to bed at around 1am having been looking through blogs for over 3 hours!! Good fun tho eh?!! Looking forward to seeing some pics of your garden as well....

Lily: Thanks for that. I know what you mean. I've thought about the garden I would like and ones I most certainly wouldn't want and then I see one I would never have on here and think....'Oh, I like that!!'

It's a great journey and sharing in everyone's else's visions, planned or otherwise is truly an inspirational thing. Had a LOOOOOOOOAD of rain overnight....heavy downpour so I have sent it your way. Thanks again:0))

Sorry, missed your comments there Shirley and Stroller.

Stroller: It's a small area of lawn we have out there which I would get rid of but Ali thinks we should keep it for the birds and worms etc....fair point. And YES, we are strange creatures and none stranger than me.....or so Ali would say!

Thanks Shirley, your seed sent are coming along so hope to have some pics soon. Exciting stuff seeing them come through!

Rain duly received Dan, thank you very much. Very good quality it was too, made everything very wet :o) Been busy planting a new area today in lovely moist soil, thoroughly enjoyed it :o))))

I've been thinking Lily, the Pieris needs acid soil to flourish but if you haven't got acid soil, put it in a container with ericaceous compost and this should see it do much better. If you already do this, then I am at a loss I'm afraid. Been working today so not got out there but glad to hear you had fun palnting a new area:0))

thanks OB.

Camellias and Rhodos do well around here Dan so the soil must be fairly acidic at least. Maybe I'll dig it up and try it in a pot like you suggest as I think it will pop its clogs otherwise. This is about the third one I've had, I have no luck with Skimmias either :o(

Took me a while but I finally got here, OB! Your garden is doing so well and I would welcome a drop of your rain too. My little rowan tree has a lot of growing to do and it will never be as rounded as yours as it is an upright version. I will get around to putting a photo on soon :)