changes in the garden

The weather has been very strange, turning from beautiful sunshine, to dark clouds and rain in an instant.

I battled through it though, with the aid of a knitted cardigan, a hand-me-down pac-a-mac and copious cups of hot ribena I managed to stop out in the garden all day Saturday and Sunday, living the dream.

There has been lots of changes in the garden of which makes me a very happy lady indeed.

We got a table and two chairs for the front which we braved the cold wind and sat out on like we were on our jollies or something.

I planted up a little alpine pot with sedum and saxifrage.

I re-did the edges of the lawn and re-shaped it ever so slightly, I started getting a bit carried away and more and more of the lawn started to disappear, luckily I left some. My grandad also very kindly came and cut my lawn and trimmed my hedges, it's amazing how much better the garden looks after a trim.

I made a new little path which for some reason has made me ridiculously happy, I've been running up and down it like a mad man. 

I did a lot, and I mean a lot of weeding and I re-did the borders next to the hedge. 

There's still a lot to do to the border next to the hedge but it feels good to have made a start. The border gets no sunshine at all, not only is there that blooming great hedge there but directly behind the hedge is a wood which probably doesn't help matters so I've picked plants which hopefully will flourish in the shade. I've gone for an array of ferns, bleeding heart, foxgloves, centaurea montana, geraniums, forget-me-nots and honeysuckle. Fingers crossed that they'll all enjoy their new home. 

The garden is really starting to pick up too. I can't believe how much it changes daily, it looks positively spring like.

A sign of good things to come, me hopes.

I've got a few photos to share of the front borders too but didn't want to bombard you all with a ridiculous amount of photos of plants so will share them with you sometime this week.

Until then, so long folks.

afternibbin. x 

early spring garden

Well, it's that time of the week again, yep its the weekend and I don't know about you but boy am I glad it's here.

I know I shared my pots with you on Tuesday, well I thought you might like a panoramic view of the whole garden to boot, ooh you are spoilt you.

I enjoy seeing how the garden changes so much from season to season and each year too. So here's how the garden looked spring last year, here's how it looked winter this year and now here's how it's looking early spring this year...

I took these photos only a few days ago but already the garden's changed plenty. 

There's lots of work still to do too. I haven't touched the borders around the lawn other than to put those twigs into the ground to act as supports for the aquilegia for when they grow all nice and big so lots of weeding and a bit of rearranging is desperately needed. For one the red cordyline in the right hand corner above is most definitely going, don't worry the poor thing will be getting a new home, although goodness knows where that will be as it really doesn't suit the garden. 

Yep the garden certainly needs a lot of titillating, so in Monty Don stylee, here's a list of jobs that I hope to be getting on with this weekend:

• Of course, I want to move that cordyline.
• Do lots of weeding.
• Tidy up the lawn and re-do the edges.
• Sort out the compost bin and perhaps move it slightly out of site.
• Purchase a table and chairs for the garden.
• Purchase some more pots and perhaps some trellis for the fence at the top of the lawn (I hate seeing the top of my car and the gas tank as I relax in the garden).
• Look in to perhaps getting a screen to cover up the bins and the growhouse.
• Plant my summer bulbs. 
• Scatter wildlower seeds around the garden.
• Look after my seedlings and sow some more seeds in preparation of having plenty of flowers for cutting.
• Oh and potter about in the garden for a little bit taking lots of photos.

I also need to find time to do some drawing and hopefully to practice painting again but we shall wait and see. I think that's it though, plenty to keep me busy this weekend anyhoo.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, whether you have rather large job lists like myself or are just relaxing I hope it's a good one.

afternibbin. x 

happy garden

I am happy to announce that we have a new little resident in our happy little garden. His name is Mr Gnomey and he has a watering can that matches my own. He's a bit of an eccentric and he likes an occasional tipple or two but he's always happy to see me.

Mr Woody's been a resident here for some time and he's super pleased to have a friend to keep him company on these long lonely evenings.

Mr Gnomey and Mr Woody helped oversee some changes I made to the pots outside my house, yes I know, I've changed the pots yet again when I only did them recently, what can I say I get bored easily.

I love my little plant markers (a most welcome Christmas gift) and thought it would be fun to draw on them rather than use them for their intended purpose. I'm quite fancying these larger ones too to scatter about the garden. I may be getting carried away. 

Am also dead chuffed that we finally have a house sign so delivery drivers can no longer complain that they can't find us, whoop whoop!

Mr Gnomey and Mr Woody are just happy for all this sunshine we've been getting, they've never seen so much of me.