Hobbies and Crafts

Maybe at the back of your new 'patch' whatever you do to it, and against where the neighbours shed is you could have a tallish arbour or archway. Then, even if you plant in tubs you could have a rambler rose or honeysuckle or any other climbing evergreen plant. Is it your fence? If so you could put lattice fencing along the top to help hide it. annoying though.

We will definitely have to do something Ann. The fence is ours. In fact all the fences round the property are ours. Plots are a slightly strange design here and the garden next to the one with the big shed also backs on to ours and has a similar size shed but this one doesn't seem nearly so "in your face". The roof tiles on this second one are much nicer to look at and we have planted up that corner of the garden so the eye is drawn away from this second shed.

They must be sheds - they're not garages as there is no driveway up to them, but they are like small houses, much larger and higher than a normal shed.

All ideas for disguising them are welcome.

I think 'shed' over a certain size should have some sort of planning permission. You could always grow ivy up the fence and encourage it to grow over the shed.

On the buddleia this morning we had four peacock butterflies and a very large lovely Red Admiral.

Got lot's of photo's of them Ann as we have had lots in our garden too. Rain stops play today though.

I haven't managed to find time to photograph them yet. this morning we had 6 small tortoiseshells.

Getting the garden sorted out prior to going away on Sunday, I was dead heading flowers yesterday. Fought my way through the triffids maquerading as dahlias and found that, at the back, one of the gladioli I bought in the pound shop had flowered shame it wasn't seen, it was a small variety but a pretty orange colour.

Sweet peas are still flowering, not many flowers on them now but they have been really good this year, have picked loads. Pulled the beans up as with being away they will just go over now, had a lot off them though. A good stringless variety to grow, white Lady.

French Marigolds that OH grew from seed have been a picture and are still looking good, also the petunias. Fuchsias have not had such a good year, several succombed to Rust unfortunately, think it was the weather. Cherry tomato varieties have been good, larger outdoor ones are still green so, hopefully, may have some in October. Apples are looking good too.

Himself dug up the last of the tomato plants yesterday. There are still a few runner beans on the plants but the last lot I picked were very tough and stringy, which they haven't been up until now.

It is lucky he is out for the day as I might have calmed down a bit by the time he gets home later tonight. When I was watering the pots earlier I thought things down the end of the garden by the shed didn't look quite right but couldn't put my finger on it.

I have just realised that the summer Jasmine I had taken as a cutting from the one down the lane that flowered all through last Winter, was missing. It was just starting to grow nicely and was about three feet high, I was going to put some trellis up for it to grow along and visualised it clambering over the shed in a couple of years time wafting a lovely smell as I passed it.

Now only one person has been at the end of the garden, pulling up plants , in fact he told me he had pulled some " ivy " off the fence.

I sent him a text, he said maybe next doors cat had dug it up !!!!!! .............

Up to his old tricks again.

I am going to have to try and get another cutting going.

M. :-|

I lost a foxglove, a poppy and a couple of other perenials that way MaryAnna when OH was 'clearing' weeds before we went on holiday. He professed ignorance too!! :-(

I was surprised when I went into my front garden yesterday to find a "pasque flower in bloom". Not Easter is it? :-S

Just come in from the garden, it was getting a bit chilly out there. Have weeded and cut back maybe a fifth of the flower beds.

As it is half term I now have a few days to get on with it, hopefully it will stay dry.

Some of the plants did really well through the Summer, others seem to have just disappeared without trace, especially all those Geums Ann, no sign of the Lady Strathdens or Mrs Bradshaws !!!

There again the Gauras and Pentemons have done really well and I have taken some more cuttings from them. My friend has given me a massive clump of Michaelmas Daisies, they are very tall and a nice deep purple, just have to find a big space for them or probably two big spaces.

All the Geraniums and Fuschias are now safely inside and decorating the conservatory once again.

The only downside is that the lawn has taken a battering from all the to-ing and fro-ing and looks a muddy mess.

I now look like the Wreck of The Hesperis so a bath and hairwash are calling.

M. :-)

We haven't got our geraniums and fuchsias in yet. And we still have some annuals to pull up that are over. some are still flowering though so I am tempted to leave them there for the colour. A couple of days ago we bought a Heuchera to put in a tub and overwinter on the patio, reduced from £7.99 to £4.99. I do tend to lose a bit of interest in the garden in the winter. Better send OH down the garden tomorrow as I think he still has some baby carrots growing in a container. I will leave mine on the patio as last year we were still pulling them in February. It is garden bin day tomorrow so we should be pulling up a few things to put in it if it doesn't rain. :-)

Our little patch is a bit of a mess at the moment. Three or four weeks ago OH managed to throw a pot of freshly made tea all over his arm and was badly scalded. So that put paid to any help in the garden from him. It is healing well but he's not yet ready to cope with weeding, cutting back etc. I've been busy and everytime I have been free to do a bit in the garden it has been pouring with rain.

I have a fuchsia in a large pot by the front door which will need to come in soon and I will need to cover my patio peach with fleece or similar but I am hoping they can stay as they are for another week or two.

Although we have improved it, this is still not a very nice garden so we have looked at the pennies and have arranged for a landscape garden designer to take a look at it and maybe draw up a new design for us. We've filled in a questionnaire about our garden likes and dislikes and what we hope to achieve etc. and OH had a long chat on the phone with her and she is coming to visit on 8th November. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she will draw up a design that we like and, more importantly, can afford to implement. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sounds interesting Vera so good luck with getting something you like.

Vera, that sounds like just what you need.

A good chance to start again and get a garden that is your own with what you want growing in it.

Glad to see your OHs arm is healing well.

Good luck with it all.

M.
:-)

Just don't let him make the tea in future Vera.

Goodness it is blowy out there this morning. I have just been out pulling up all the French marigolds as theya re finished. didn't realise I had planted so many. they have given us a lovely show this year though and the garden looks dull without them now. :-(

Thanks for your good wishes for our garden.

30 years ago when we moved into our last house with its very large garden we did everything ourselves, redesigning it bit by bit. But I don't think time is on our side anymore :-(. I don't want to spend the next few years living in a building site while OH lays a bit of paving here or digs a bed there. If we get a basic design laid out for us we can tackle the planting ourselves.

Off to the garden now to tidy some roses and hostas and clear away some leaves.

Vera

PS what do you mean....don't let himself make the tea? Who's going to bring me my early morning cuppa? He just needs a bit more practice, then he won't drop the pot

:-D

Lol Vera, I have to admit we never use a tea pot these days just make the tea in mugs. And for the mornings we have a tray in the bedroom with a kettle and take up the cups and milk the night before so OH doesn't have to carry full cups up the stairs. :-) :-)

Can you still get Teasmaids ? Mind you, I have got one, called Himself.

Most if the drink making gadgets seem to be for making coffee but for me it has to be a cup of tea first, in bed.

It is the one job Himself has always done. There again he has always found it easier to wake up in the morning than me. Takes me ages to surface but I generally stay up later than him.

My Mum and Dad had a Teasmaid for a while but the thing kept squirting hot water over my Dad so they didn't keep it for long. He went back to making the tea. Come to think of it, that was the only job he ever did in the house as well. .......

Just Googled, you can get them they cost about £60.

Cheaper to send the men downstairs !!!!!!

M. :-)

We prefer just having a kettle on a tray to a teasmade. We had one of those many years ago, then we had the one we bought my Mum after she died but prefer the kettle, easy to fill it the night before and just switch it on. On golf days we don't use it as OH is up so early he brings me a cup just before he goes.