cottage garden border

a lovely border...

Very nice - I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of your garden.

Hi Anne, the garden looks very similar in its surroundings to ours, (house is much better than ours) we have an 80 acre wood at the back and side of ours.
The only problem I have found is that the plants compete with the trees for light, they seem to grow much taller because of this.
You look to be getting along fine with your gardening, we have been here 31 years, and the garden is my project, hubby doesn't do gardening, he is a groundsman and prepares cricket and football and bowling green pitches etc.so he has seen enough of the green stuff when he gets home from work. I am retired so I spend as much time as possible out in the garden - love it - the children have more or less left home, just the youngest around now, and she is planning on buying her own home (finances permitting) next year.

I love being out in the garden it is my exercise and keeps me fit, not much grass now did a blog not long back on the before and after if you would like a look. Happy gardening - it's a very informative site this and all the guys and gals are very helpful as I am sure you will find as you get into it.

Thanks Olivoil - I love your cottage and garden. Ours is a lovely house but it doesn't belong to us - it's a tied cottage as my husband is an estates manager and we live in the grounds. Still, it should be ours for another 8 years, until we both retire and by then I will want a smaller garden. About the plants growing taller because of the trees, yes some of mine do that but I have more of a problem with the back of the border looking bare as the plants all prostrate themselves to get into the sun which hits the front of the border more. The backs of my borders are all in the rain shadow (an expression I have picked up very recently from watching a gardening programme shown here in Scotland).

I love the look of your garden, so many plants, obviously a lot of love has gone into it. My husband doesn't do gardening but I am lucky in that one of the grounds staff cuts the grass, so that is one less job for me. Lots of the estates staff take an interest in the garden and offer me advice. Its nice to share!

Looking forward to getting to know this site better and getting to know the people who use it.

Our cottage isn't ours either Anne we rent and have been here for 31 years, think they will have to take me out in a box that will be the only way I leave here, lol. Lovely places on private estates ours belongs to Thonock & Somerby Estate. It used to be a gamekeepers cottage many many years ago. OH into shooting and working with his dogs when he is not at work - he is a groundsman at a sportsground 10 miles from where we live. So when he gets home he doesn't want to see grass or plants because he has seen enough of it during the day.

Olivoil - it sounds as if we are living similar lives. Our house is in the grounds of Fettes College (see here if you are interested - http://www.fettes.com/ however you don't get to see a lot of the grounds which are really nice). My bugbare about the garden is the leaves. I am constantly having to pick up leaves during autumn, winter, spring and even summer as the beach hedge greens up quite late and the brown leaves fell around May/June this year. What do you do about leaves?

I purchased a leave sucker upperer, which will hopefully be used this year, last year I seized it up by leaving fuel in the tank and it caused it to stop working, had to have it cleaned out by a friend of mine, the only problem with it is it is very heavy it has a harness and when I purchased it the picture on line showed that it had a wheel, but it doesn't and I did complain but in the spec it doesn't state it has so it was my fault for not checking it out properly.
Anyway will hook up to it and hopefully make it work this year. lol. It actually chops the leaves up as it sucks them in supposedly so I shall know better after I have had a play. We are troubled by Holly leaves when they fall, everyone thinks that holly doesn't lose leaves because it is evergreen but oh boy what a mess they leave every summer. We have the same problem with plants leaning towards the daylight, nothing much you can do apart from putting in plant supports, they still lean but supports help keep them more or less in place. next year am going to put in some supports inside supports to help keep up the Montbretia - Lucifer, it gets very tall and leans over spoiling its appearance. Experimenting all the time with plant supports, cost a fortune, and hopefully I will get it right one day lol. Before the bank balance is exhausted. lol had a quick look at the web site it is amazing, oh to win the lottery and despatch any unsuspecting grandkids off to bonnie scotland. (that is when I have some more of that age) Mine all grown up hopefully some more to come though, the two youngest daughters might one day have children. The youngest still at home, she is hopefully off next year. when I showed her the web site she just said WOW!

Good luck with the leave sucker. I made the mistake of buying a cheap one which didn't work too well and the mice then ate the canvas bag which came with it over the winter lol. However, last year one of the groundsmen came round with his industrial sized one a couple of times and my husband used it once as well. Unfortunately, they both just blew the leaves away into a corner where they rotted the grass away - but as they were doing me a big favour, I didn't complain. I like your idea about the double supports - I'll need to try it. Up until this year I was supporting everything with canes which is a lot of work, however, I treated myself to several different metal types when I visited Garden Scotland. Hopefully, next year will be easier now. I will also ask everyone to get me more for Christmas.

I only have one child, she will be 20 later this year and is about to begin her second year at Aberdeen University. I suppose grandchildren will be a long way off for me.

Yes me too bought metal ones, the canes are deadly also, they break and splinter and have had no end of splinters, dangerous things they are. I am also the same when the kids ask me what I want for birthdays and Christmas I tell them plant supports, they think I am mad, they don't like buying me things for the garden, they are not really into gardening, well the youngest states you will never catch me gardening, we will see!! lol

Hi Anne, thanks for adding me as a fave. I am Oliveoil's eldest but she keeps that quiet ;) Your cottage looks really lovely and the garden looks very beautiful too and very cottagey. I look forward to seeing more photos and I am very envious of your trees around the garden. We have mostly trampolenes around ours!! :))

Karen sue, As if I could hide you girl, I just don't want to admit my age lol. still 21 don't you know!!

Erm yes! I always understood your motivation Mum.....we are all exactly the same on that subject!! :)) lol! btw....I am 47!!!! eeeeeeek!

Now you have given my probable age away - you naughty girl lol xx

Nah, they'll think you're older than you are!! lol x

LOL xxx I have told you I am I am I am only 21 (in the head anyway) x

:)) x