The bottom garden 07.02.12

That's good of them ! send them round to mine when they've finished Annella ........

The algae on your fence, love it, does that mean it doesn't get a lot of sun?

It's south facing 7 so baked in summer but in the shade of the house through winter. The fences all around the garden go like this in winter.

Mine don't unless they're behind a shrub :(

The circumstance must be just right with yours. Alge makes a fence look nicely aged and part of the ecosystem rather than purely functional.

The fences all but disappear in summer which maybe helps

Ah, that's it.

I painted it all when I first moved in then planted to cover it ;O)

It worked! :)

That's what I like...a nice tidy bird! ;))

You have a lovely garden,Annella.

Annie, I'm so sad to hear that your Solanum haven't made it...or do you think they will recover again...they had a struggle last year too i think. My photinia Red Robin is definitely dead and gone. I pruned it hard today and am debating whether to remove it now or try to grow the solanum and lonicera up it. But if I lose the solanum and the honeysuckle next winter..........so perhaps I'll remove it and let the climbers grow up the arches instead. I could plant a buddleia in the place, it will soon grow up and make privacy. Yup, think that's what I'll do. Sorry, thinking out loud on your photo!! :))))

I think that's a good idea Karen (eggs in one basket and all that!). I'm hoping the Solanums will pull through like last year, there will be some nasty gaps if they don't. Not had the heart to go out and have a good look yet, maybe after work tonight. Even the variegated privets look brown and they are not usually touched. When we get a nice weekend I will try cutting some of it back and see what happens.

Well, in the end, I didn't plant another buddleia at all! I planted a bamboo! I moved the solanum and the honeysuckle on to the arches and planted my potted bamboo from the heuchera garden in front of the fence. The photinia came out easily enough. I'm so glad it's gone now....I'd been looking at its sad deadness for far too long!! Who ever has enough patience to wait a whole year to see if a plant will regrow? lol :) I hate to say, but we had a lovely day here. I got loads done in the garden and the Coronilla in the porch actually released it's scent in to the air, so it must have been much warmer, it hasn't done that so far!

It's defiantly a north/south divide at the moment and you are getting the best of it for a change! I hate looking at dead plants and get impatient to get them out that's why I'm hoping things will grow back ok and quickly. There is no way I want to replant this year with selling in mind, more about digging them out to take with me....I have a list!

A very, very long list Lol!

I bet you do! Will you take any of the bigger shrubs with you? You'll need a strong lad to help you get them out! I gently pruned my buddleia 'Royal Red' today. It was so good last year, grew from about 1' to 6' and that was in that horrid wet summer. I'm hoping this year it will be well above the fence. The flowers on it are huge and very beautiful wine red in colour. I've taken some cuttings!

I plan to take some of the shrubs I planted last year and my mums Viburnum from outside the front door, oh and some of the Hebes, a large 'Catherine de la Mare' from the slope just to make sure I have her for ever, one or two ferns ( also from my mum), the garage so I can rebuild it as a granny flat etc etc Lol!

The list goes on Karen.....lets see if I like the new buyers first

Well, yes, that does influence things doesn't it! On the market yet Annie? I hope you get a good sale at the right time....it's very slow up here I think, but some people are asking daft prices even now. I had a look at a new house on line today...in my favourite local spot...very close to the beach, large garden...offers over £425,000....ridiculous. House no bigger than ours, but mush posher..."architect designed don't you know Hyacinth" Still, I may win the lottery this week, you never can tell! :))

Bloomin' architects eh......It's my turn to win this week x

Fair enough hun....I'll let you! If you do...can I come and help you plant the forest? lol :))

I hope I win Karen, that would be good fun x

Oh, yes, it certainly would be!! :)))

In a new patch though that needed weeding in between champagne toasts ! x

Funny you should say that, because I envisaged Pimms no.1 cocktails! :) We'll get some buff chaps to do the weeding! :))

Your on! Btw I did comment on Your mums very lovely pic :o))

lol...I saw that you cheeky devil, you'll be in all sorts of trouble! ;) Still, will we care, when we're sipping our pimms and champagne and watching the buff gardeners prepare the ground for the forest?