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Welcome to GoY

What trees are they Karen ?

Oh, this was the planting of the sorbus Pink Pagoda!

Well done on your first tree, thats where it all starts with the first plant.

Ah, and have they stayed in their orginal position - or have you had a change of mind and moved them about ?
I'm afraid i sometimes end up doing that :-/

No Louise, they are still in situ, although one of them is much larger and thriving more than the other two. I think I may have planted them a bit deep and then there's the compaction difficulties to contend with. I nearly took out the smaller two last year, but they did better so I left them. The only trees I had to move were a large Silver Birch of the wrong variety which came out because it couldn't take the wind, and a Davidia tree which was just going to be far too big for my space. Having said all of that, I am an absolute terror for moving stuff, and it's hardly ever at the 'correct' time of year!!

LOL :-)

Wow Karen, forgot what the blank canvas looked like, it is pretty amazing now, shall have to seriously think about coming up for a break and seeing it for myself again. It is just that long long journey that makes me shy away from it. Pleased you found the site and are enjoying meeting lots of happy contented people who enjoy their gardens as much as we do. Can't wait for the sun to shine again and to get out in the boggy garden (think it might be a while yet though) By the way the first snowdrops have broken through in the hedgerow this week, they are lovely. Have you still got the ones I gave you? or was it Sarah who got them, that many kids I can't remember, ah old age eh!!

No, no snowdrops here. Come up any time, the 'guest suite' is ready!

welcome karen ;o))

thanks sanbaz! Thank you for all your lovely encouragements! How are the pink flowers coming along? Have you got any pink clematis? I could recommend a couple! lol!

sound lovely, any in pale pink lol :o)

Oh yes, lots!
Texensis 'Etoile Rose' flowers july -october and has lovely bell shaped flowers in pink and white - very delicate and pretty;
Integrifolia 'Hanajima' a low growing herbaceous non-climbing type with twisted sepals, ideal for front of border;
Viticella 'Little Nell' very charming flowers July - Sep;
Alpina 'Rosy Pagoda' for the spring, no pruning required!;
Chinook - grows only about 4' so great for scrambling through a shrub and has a lovely pale mauvish pink flower;
'Josephine' for totally ott double pink blooms - would advise don't prune too much, I learned the hard way, but it's a stunner!;
'Mrs Spencer Castle' aother Group 2 (large flower) type, grows 6-8' and you get double and later single pale pink blooms;
Alpina 'willy' another spring flowering beauty;
'Angelique' a lovely large flowering but group 3 (can be cut right down to first buds in winter so easy to care for) with very pale pink/mauve flowers only grows to 3' so another one for growing in a shrub;
Hagley Hybrid - this is one of the best, it is group 3 so easy to prune, and it has large flowers of the most exquisite pink with a hint of mauve. Flowers June right to Sept. and grows 6-8 feet.
'Filigree' one of the new dwarf varieties for front of border. Beautiful pale pink flowers.

These are some of my pale pink favourites and I have them all in my current garden - of course there are hundreds of others. If you want to see great pictures, try the website www.clematis.hull.ac.uk it is a fab site run by hull university and they have thousands of phots etc. RHS have published a lovely book called 'clematis' by charles chesshire and I would recommend it as a great starting point if you would like to grow clems. Of course the easiest of all - also the most rampant clems - are the 'montanas' and several of them are pale pink, but I always recommend Tetra Rose as it has such a lovely scent! Choose carefully when siting a montana though as they grow huge and they don't respond too well to being pruned hard, so you have to look at the bare thatch all winter!

wow lots of choice karen, i will take a look at the website thankyou, you know your clematis, i just cant remember names at all, have to keep tags lol :o))

Aha! lol... I'm not bad on the clematis names, but I keep a clematis journal so it's easy for me to look them up and remind myself! It also helps me remember where they are!! I don't really try to remember any other plant names other than the roses, but I do LOVE latin plant names, they are great fun...being an ex classical soprano I have always had loads of different languages in my head and i do love that.... and I suppose that's why I remember them, because I find names fun! My favourite clematis names are Clematis flammula triternata rubromarginata!!!!....you could just call it rubromarginata like everyone else does....and Clematis Viticella Viola Violacea!!! How could anyone forget those two? .....!!

lol lovely names arent they but i would never remember, like you said with your singing and using differant languages it has helped you to pronouse these latin names, i will stick to common plant names i think, much safer :o))

Yes San! You do that and then everyone won't think you are pretentious like they do me!! lol x

lol well i dont think that, i think its great you can say the names and remember them to,well i know where to come when i want a name now dont i lol

lol! thanks ;)