Spring has sprung (I think)

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Hey guys, been a while since I last posted a blog and boy have I been a busy bee :))

Been working on planning for 2 gardens, the back garden at home (mostly looking at the shady border) and the front garden at my OHs. I’ve got the basis of a plan in mind, just need the plants for it now and the time to put the plan into action lol.

I’ve been gradually (or not so gradually at times lol) collecting new plants, most of which are currently residing happily in my lovely new plant house (best Christmas present ever :)).

So far I’ve got the perenials collection and lilly collection from GW offers last year (all growing quite nicely), a hebe which I didn’t manage to plant last year, a few aquligeia seedlings,

3 clematis (thank you Morrisons),


a flat of primroses

and a primula veris I think it is (again thank you Morrisons)

and last but certainly not least a nice little camelia I picked up for my mom to give my nan for mothers day. Some of the plants I’ll use at home but a lot of them will probably end up in my OHs front garden (if I ever manage to do something with it). OOh and the sweet peas I planted last month (can’t believe I got 100% germination – not bad for a first attempt eh)

I had a few days off last week went in search of shade loving plants at my local garden centres. I really can’t believe how little any of them stock for shade areas (I don’t think I found one plant!). What I was more disgusted with was the way a couple of the places treat their plants. The one place is more pet shop than garden centre, but they have a small plant related area. Almost all of the plants looked pretty much dead, see:

The second place I went to was a fairly big nursery. It had such amazing potential, lots and lots of little paths that wonder down to yet another hidden area. Several greenhouses scattered through the pathways and loads of cold frames. Just a big shame that again most of the plants look dead or very neglected, pathways were so jammed with very poorly looking pots you could hardly walk through, same with greenhouses. Then every so often you’d turn a corner and find a pot of dead plant upended in a flower bed. The other strange thing, is at one stage I’m pretty certain I’d walked into someone elses back garden, really odd. I really don’t understand why anyone would leave their business area looking like that. It put me off buying anything from them at all. So much so I didn’t even stop to ask if they ever stock shade plants.

Anyhow moving on lol. While I was off last week I got busy planting a few seeds. So far we have Busy Lizzies, Penstemon (collected from the plant last year), Gentian, Lobelia and Petunias. I’m really pleased I seem to have loads germianted. Busy Lizzies are one of the slower ones, I’ve only spotted 16 so far, but its early days with them yet. The Gentian haven’t done brilliantly so far, but we’ll see if anymore pop up. I can’t really complain when I got them in a pack of 5 seed types for £1 can I lol. The Lobelia have germinated really well and unfortunately proven that I’m not very good at sowing very fine seeds lol (photo taken after sowing seed – seedlings not showing in pictures very well yet):

Fingers crossed we’ll have good weather this weekend and I can finally make a start in my OHs front garden. I had planned on starting with getting rid of the 2 big connifers hopefully this weekend, but from OHs responses suspect thats not going to happen. Although he did say today he has a plan, but refuses to tell me what (the meanie) lol! I know I will struggle with the two trees on my own (particularly since they are about 20ft high) but I suspect I may end up dealing with them myself if I want to get something done with the garden. Fingers crossed for good weather and hopefully I can make a start somewhere in the garden.

On the home front theres lots going on in the garden. Lots and lots of bulbs poking their heads up, really looking forward to them comming into flower now :) Lol my mum can’t work out how when she plants bulbs nothing shows, but when I plant bulbs loads seem to show :))) I don’t think we’ve done too badly this winter. A couple of the hebes I planted last year are looking rather sorry for themselves and I’m not convinced the clematis montana has survived, but other than that I think we may be ok. Heres a couple of photos of the garden at the moment, in need of a tidy up though:
Sunny Border:

Shade Border by the Rhododendrons:

Pot planted with 5 hyacinth bulbs and around 20 chinodoxia bulbs, just starting to flower. Shame more of the chinodixia haven’t come up:

The next stage in the grand plan (other than digging up OHs garden lol) is to plant the next set of seed. I may have gone a little overboard with seed :S I just keep reminding myself that I will have two gardens to fill lol.

I’ll shut up now I’m sure I’ve bored everyone silly :)) Heres a couple of photos from last year, just a reminder of things to come :)) Roll on summer eh

• 9 Mar, 2012
• 12 likes

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