Monday, September 29, 2008

Dare to be Different!

The front of my house is north facing! Not the best aspect for the plants I like to grow but you would be amazed at what can grow there! The picture gives you an idea of what it looks like.!

The two palms which you can see at the bottom of the pic I will move to the patio.



I bought and planted my Caster Oil Plant this year it was small and only cost £5 and look at the size of it now!!!



Good investment I think.
The tree ferns also a bargain buy from Wilkinsons at £3.99 each, have come on in leaps and bounds.



To over winter these I just need to stuff a handful of fleece into the crown.

I am exceptionally disappointed with my double white brugmansia's



every bloom went all brown round the edges, I think more because of the poor weather, but not one I will keep.

In the top pic you can see in front of the window some dead plants, well they were Busy Lizzies, not very exotic I know but they love this position and add a bit of 'pink' my favourite colour! I am trying to find something abit different to replace them with. That would add a bit of colour at this sometimes dull time of year.
Current favourites are Choisya ternata 'Sundance



yellow is such a cheerful colour, about three of these, with two Phormium platts black



quite effective, but, and there is always a but, the whole lot would cost me a whopping £25.54 which is rather alot of money on plants that might not make it through the winter. Mind you the garden centre said they would survive and if I bought them from them, I could take them back if they died as I would have a 5yr moneyback guarentee. But that would add about another £50 to the bill!!!

So plenty to keep me thinking!

My lovely cat Tango,



refused to come in last night and suffered because of it. I was woken at 0400 with a big cat fight going on, so shot down the stairs (yes I sleep that lightly) went to the back door and it was occuring in my neighbours garden. So charged down the garden in my (pink) nightie armed with a torch. I couldn't find them or get through the shrubs to try and scare the feral off, it carried on and on I was running up and down the garden trying to make enough noise to scare of the feral but not wake the neighbours. It still carried on, I just couldn't see them then I obviously shined the torch in the right area as the feral ran of and Tango eventually limped in with blood coming from his back leg!
So another visit to the vet, another £33 bill, but he recommend a Cat rescue who would loan me a trap. So I get the trap tomorrow and they expect me to get him neutered and release him again.
What would you do? I know what we plan to do?

4 comments:

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Yep, your front garden is different and it works. Love that yellow front door of yours. For some odd reason most front doors in the novels of Rosamunde Pilcher are yellow.:-)

That Caster Oil has really grown and I love your tree ferns and what a great bargain there.

Poor Tango, I hope he isn't too badly injured.

You are expected to catch, neuter and then release the feral cat? Good grief, what do they Cat Rescue people do then apart from lending you the trap? :-(

Naturegirl said...

I have never heard of Cat rescue loaning a trap and NOT taking over the neuter fee! I feel all feral cats
should be neutered/spayed to avoid what happened to your sweet Tango.
Love that exotic feel that you created in your garden!purzzzz NG

Queenly Things said...

I've just taken a stroll down the blog and I must say things are mighty impressive around here. I love that cup and saucer plant and the front of your home looks so warm and welcoming.
I hope all the cats learn to live together in peace and harmony very soon.

Cheryl said...

I love the front of your house...particularly the colour combinations...........and the tree ferns have done so well.


Poor Tango........what will you do with the feral cat........how can they expect you to deal with it, apart from the trap??????