Pots away!

My goodness, you have both been very busy, Shirley! The garden is definitely waking up, despite some days of chilly winds and grey skies. Lovely spring flowers there.
Yes, the birds are a moving part of our gardens and I like your baths. We bought a new one last year, only to have it crack in the winter cold this year. So annoying! The pigeons can be a right bother but I do enjoy their courting antics.
However you took the photos, your hellebores are such a pretty colour.

Yes the Hellebores are lovely Shirley. Walking round our front garden this morning, I saw we had several in flower - cream, red, and pink, but all with their faces so drooping that photos were impossible. I don’t have an answer 🙁. But you did well!

Your role in getting the patio ready for cleaning is complete so now you can relax and watch others hard at work. You will enjoy putting everything back though and making changes!
Spring is beginning to take effect now in the garden but the last few days have been so cold here that everything has come to a standstill. Our Sorbaria looks almost frozen!! Crocuses look so pretty in the sunshine and I know you love those too!

Well I must say you've both been very busy moving the pots around as well as the birdbaths, Shirley! Probably a very good decision to have professionals in to do the cleaning for you. None of us are getting any younger & have less energy. That's why I got rid of my 3 white troughs on the balcony! It was sad to see them go in a way but I just can't keep up with the changing of the planting twice a year!

Oh how nice it is to see somebody else doing the job that really needed doing. It takes such a weight off your mind, and you can sit and gloat afterwards without feeling exhausted! Are you putting everything back where it was or having a change around?

I agree with Chris, Shirley..you can watch someone else doing the hard work and look forward to putting your pots in different places ( if you decide to of course)!
We have had sunny mornings with a bitterly cold wind here and then by the afternoon it clouds over and more rain..again!
Roll on the Spring!

Now you sit back and watch.. Don't blame you either, cleaning that patio would be hard, we have to accept that some things we now cannot really do, I hate those sort of jobs Shirley, I'm the gardener not maintainance and even if I used the pressure washer I would be bored to tears within minutes....Things are coming along nicely in your garden, I love to see the robin following you around, they are brave little birds and cheeky, its lovely to see the spring flowers, gives us all a boost, I too have problems getting a decent photo of the hellebores, you did well....Sadly my Sorbaria has succumbed but is one of my favourites so its in my list to get.....

Interesting blog. I love the Sorbaria leaf colour & your Helebores. Frosty morn here today, had to light the night lights again to thaw out the bird bath. Lovely & sunny now tho’ & nice to see my crocuses all opened up.:-)

Julia, I will be surprised if the firm will actually be able to remove all of those white spot marks! Just a cleaner, fresher look will suit me.

Ange, that's a shame about your new bird bath, our larger one leaks so a pot saucer inside it does the job. Those baths were 'Lots' at auctions in Cornwall. We were on holiday at the time and paid £22 for the large, £15 for the small back in 2012. I'm not sure the car suspension was ever the same after the journey back!

Sheila, your Hellebores sound very pretty. I'm sure a gardener somewhere plants them up in hanging baskets to admire the flowers ... just cannot recall where I saw that though.

Chris, you are right, I love Crocus and Primroses too.

David, we must all make gardening easier for ourselves as time goes by ... :o)

Sue, I haven't thought that far ahead really. One certainty is that a large pot containing a Camellia will definitely go back to where it currently sits as it thrives there. I would hate to lose it by giving it more or less sun or shade.

Rose, the weather needs to pull it's socks up! Some more sunshine and less chill wind would be good!

Sue, I actually 'talked' to the Robin when he came so close to devour the worms! Such a tame little bird.

What a shame your Sorbaria has fallen foul of the weather ... I had the same with a Senecio (Brachyglottis) with the silvery leaves turning black and the whole shrub collapsing.

Shirley, thank you, you are full of good ideas!

Sheila, I have searched through my gardening books and looked on-line for Hellebores in hanging baskets. No luck, just images of them in window boxes and elevated pots!

One search took me to Growsonyou ... a member called PamD with a Hellebore planted in a plastic hanging basket ... many years ago!

My goodness,Shirley,haven't you two been busy,in making an early start? I'm still just looking at mine!
We have lots of areas that need Jet washing,especially all the paths which run all around the Bungalow.. We have never been able to remove lichens etc,on the Circular pavers,so it would be interesting to know,if your firm can help with those..
Love your Hellebores,which made my mind run amok,at the thought of you laying down to take the photo! lol .
It's nice to see that most things are starting to appear again,especially on seeing your seedlings etc.so let's hope we are on the right side of winter weather now.. xx

Sandra, I'm really not sure how clean it will come up as they asked if I wanted chemicals used on it, to which I said a definite NO! Too many plants and the lawn to think of being damaged. They do have many positive reviews though, so fingers crossed for a good finish.

I certainly did not lay down to photo the Hellebores, I mean I know I have some mad ideas, but that's pushing it! Just placed the camera on the ground and clicked ... result!

If the lichens are't removed you can comfort yourself that they only grow where there is clean air... Looking forward to seeing the newly washed patio please!

Will do ... no firm date for the cleaning yet!