There and back to see how things are growing!

I haven't done as much as I should have, because I am so pooped but I did do ALL the ironing!!! (shock). I went roundto the neighbours to get some more wood and as they weren't in I thought you might like to see their garden....



I am looking down their garden from the edge of the patio!! Walking down the garden I pass this....



I keep forgetting to mention to hubby about it, we want a second pond because we had no tadpoles survive whatsoever, we have talked for a long time about putting a second pond in, with no fish, so frogs and newts (yep we have them too) could live and suvive happily!! Then walking on to the wood pile



I think I have seperated all the pieces I can, the rest are really tough!! Looking down the garden from the wood pile and it looks like this...



theres a stream down there and he has built a bridge over to the field he owns!!! Now if I turn round and look back up the garden you can see how big it really is...




What I could do with this, I would be in 7th heaven! Its quite sad really everyone in the row of cottages and this house plus two houses the other side of the row, have gardens as long as this except us, only one person uses the full length of their garden, they are all mowed and kept neat but thats it!!! Anyway past the tree on the right you can just make out my white dormer window!

I promised a trip round the greenhouse so here goes...



top shelf, surfina's and sweetpeas, next shelf, nasturtiums and sweet peas, very bottom, chinese artichokes!!



these are some of the Cannas, dawdling along!



mainly flowers on this shelf, cosmos, Cornflower rothrockii,



across the back salad leaves then, morning glory, cornflower, more cosmos and icelandic poppies....



OO I forgot to photograph the top shelf! Silly me anyway its full of tomatoes, chillies and peppers! This is across the back with the brugmansia stuck in the middle (the only place it will fit!!!) More trays of toms and peppers and Coleus.....



the tall plant on the right is another 'something different' to grow....



Ruth do you remember the matchbook of wildflowers you sent...




There where 10 and I think 5 have sprouted! The thing is none of the little matchstick bits where named so I have no idea whats growing, makes it fun!!!






Next to them are the begonias..



Alcosia (Elephants ears) on the left Canna on the right...



another Elephants Ears..



in the corner the cucumbers..



I have always grown them up a trellis, last year they grew right across the roof and out the door, I think most people grow them this way otherwise the slugs and snails would have a feast! You can see I use slug pellets in the greenhouse, because those wee beasties are hiding everywhere, I do try not to use them in the garden though!!

Then under the potting bench, we have more cannas, 2 Eucomis bicolour (pineapple lily)fuschia, ginger and something else I can't remember the name of!!!!



the gunnera (no its not in the greenhouse I just thought you might like to see how its coming along...



the banana by the pond..



bananas on the patio...



new leaves too...



and ironically the one that had the most protection in the greenhouse looks dead!!!



yet the trunk is still firm! I might have to lob a bit off the top and see what happens!! Next the caster oil plant..



some new plants, these don't include the ones I 'won' on Ebay..



and right by the back door the fig..



right off to make a cuppa now, catch you later!!!

BBZZZZZZZZZ, BUSY BEE, BZZZZZZZZZ

The builders where due to start on our leak in the roof today, they arrived on time then left to finish a job that they had fallen behind on and will be back Friday!!! Never mind they always do a good job so won't complain!

The Rayburn went out last week and I haven't bothered to relight it, in the evening its a bit nippy but nothing a pair of slippers and a jumper can't fix!! I have oiled the hotplate, did you know about this? I only found out 2 years ago, so you oil it with veg oil




and kitchen roll then use something to prop open the lids slightly so there is an air circulation and it stops them rusting!!




Clever huh!!

We watched that ITV Climate change programme last night and are doing some research into 'wood pellets' as an alternative to the solid fuel we use. 3 tons to be exact,we have always been very conscious of our huge carbon footprint so I have emailed everywhere to see how easy it would be to convert our current stoves!! I'll keep you posted.

My cucumber making a bid for freedom




I was concerned about it going to the greenhouse but the windowsill is quite cold as hubby pulls the curtains each evening. As I was potting them up to go in the greenhouse look what I found



first fruit!!! Silly things! Anyway now they are in nice big pots in the greenhouse



and I shall just wrap some fleece round them each night!!

My Red caster oil plant




coming along nicely! But sadly my cordyline which I bought with my garden vouchers is looking a bit ill..............



it didn't look too pot bound but I have repotted it anyway, I might have to e-mail the jungle folk!!!



this is bed 4 looking back up the garden, the canes at the far end I will use for the butternut squash, I will make a tent like trellis between bed 3 and 4.
beans top left going over the arch, some of the potatoes are in on the right the rest will go into bins or bags then I had an awful thought??????????????????????????
I have run out of room????????
NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!



now bed 3, the end closest to me is for butternut squash then I had planned to grow sweetcorn and squash in here!!! So where does the salad stuff go???? Bed 2 is full of onions, bed 1 has garlic, carrots and parsnips in!! MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm?
Now this looks like an interesting spot..........


Once I have moved the compost bin I reckon I could make a triangular bed here, just right for salads hey!!!! Another use for that wood!!!!

Must dash got to get Tori, remind me to take you round the greenhouse! Lots going on in there!!

Working hard!!

Well I was a good girl for once (halo) and did a load of housework last night but not the ironing I hasten to add!! I had to do some more work on my secret mission this morning so eventually got started in the garden about 13.00hrs when it looked like this....




I have moved alot of plants around in this bed, nade room for the blackcurrant bushes and alpine strawberry plants on the right, constructed 2 arches and planted my peas and french beans! So it now looks like this...



I have planted my Victorian Peas which climb to a massive 6ft!! over these arches. I decided as I had such a diddy veg plot I had to make good use of it and thought upwards was the best way!!



of course I was assisted by Sassy! I think! mind you if she does that when the carrots and parsnips are in there she will be for the high jump!!!!!



It doesn't look much different but it is I have moved quite a few plants around.....



The blackcurrant and alpine strawberry plants are at the back and this is where I have planted my Climbing French Beans! (thank you Lottie)



I can't remember if I told you of my bargain buy at the veg shop awhile back I got a bag of Jeruselam Artichokes for 50p as they had started going a bit soft, so I bought them and popped them in here and LOOK!!!



there growing!!!! Have to find a home for them too!!!

My foxglove tree plants I got from Worcester, how many days have I had them?? just look...



growing quickly!!!!

The Great Pip Challenge I haven't shown you them recently, remember I grew the ginger from a fresh ginger root and the date palms from some dates my hubby had at Christmas



Sheila asked what I was going to do with all the wood I was getting from my neighbour, well first off I shall edge all the beds it gives me a deeper bed to work with and seperates the lawn from the flower bed (at the bottom), in the tropical area it will keep the soil on the bed and not the patio!!! Other than that who knows but knowing me it will come in handy somewhere!!!

I must admit I'm getting quite excited about the tropical area, but I am being good and getting veggies underway first. I have been looking at this and it shows lots of peoples jungle type gardens and I am beginning to think apart from the veg patch I may do jungle at the bottom as well!!!!!! He heeeeee!!!!

Double tagged!

I have been tagged by the crafty Vallen as one of her 5 favourite blogs and the photographic Anna. I am totally honoured as they both said how much they enjoyed reading my blog!!! Thank you!

Now I need to pick 5 of you ( all run and hide quick)so I will, but please don't feel obliged to do this I know some people have been tagged so many times or have so many readers if they answered all there tags they would not have time to blog!

With out fail I would always pick Lottie and Mrs Nesbitt Their blogs are so different from one another but are full of such info. I have already tagged them but fully understand if they don't/can't/won't do it!!! To this I would add a new blog I would always tag Ruth she is a person I have never met but who I feel drawn to! She has recently lost her husband so I certainly have no expectation of her doing the tag, I just wanted her to know I picked her!!

You must all pop over and visit Yolanda she keeps you up to date with gardening fashions and has the nost stunning garden, which I am going to pinch one day!

Then Petunias Garden from my photo a day blog she always has some useful info and beautiful pictures!

So what have I been up to today, well first off I went to the specialist and he is very pleased but has not signed me off, yet, I have to go back in 3 months!!! Then I spent 4 hours doing something I can't blog about because I don't want someone to know about it!!!

Then my neighbour but one, has a huge pile of wooden pallets that held his patio slabs which he was about to burn!!! I whizzed round at the weekend and persuaded him not to have a bonfire so my other neighbour and I are going to dismantle them, so I spent an hour today pulling some apart. I will have to keep going back this week! But they are really tough to part, well they did hold huge slabs!!

So what has happened in the garden today, nothing, zilch, zero!!!! Which is not good as I am so behind now. Provided none of my local friends phone up tomorrow as they haven't seen me for 2 weeks, I shall try and spend it 'outback'! But I have the builders coming in on Wednesday to fix the roof and I still haven't done any housework!! You see I have this problem, because I'm a 'big' lady I don't like people to think I'm fat & lazy!!! As you know I'm not, I just hate housework! So what do I do? The whole house needs hoovering and dustng, I have piles and piles of ironing, the bathroom and downstairs loo are OK, the kitchen floor needs sweeping and washing and in fact the whole kitchen needs a tidy up! But its sooooooo boring cos I'll only have to do it all again in a few days!!!!!! Aaaaargh!!!

I have a though!! (Only one a day aloud!) I could do the housework this evening or even the garden this evening!! Cunning! Must cook tea first then maybe a G & T whilst I think!!!!!!

Some Assemblance of Order Returns or Maybe Not!!

Well K & L are now back at Uni! T has done loads and loads of course work but not alot of studying as there was too much coursework to do to fit that in! Hubby is taking her to the cinema, as a treat, to see one of those films like 'House of Flying Daggers' with the Japenese actors in flying around and fighting (not my cup of tea). I shall be here playing!!

Quite a while back I made a bid on Ebay for a Paulownia tomentosa (Foxglove Tree)and won!! It was in Worcester and I had asked if I could pick it up, well yesterday I went and got it and was totally blown away by their garden................. full of jungle plants, bamboos, bird of paradise in flower, tracycarpus, tree ferns and loads more, I only wish I had taken my camera but I had no idea!! It has so inspired me, we have alot of similar plants but theirs are planted in the garden, I think I have been too protective of mine.
So once the veg are underway and whilst I am still sorting the bottom out,I am going to redo the jungle area (patio).
Anyway this is what I paid 99p for



its grown quite a bit since I bid for it but look what they gave me.......



3 foxglove plants, 2 palms and a papaya plant all home grown. Totally stunned I am, it was so lovely to meet people who had a passion for jungle plants like me, although they definately had more knowledge!

It has been so hot, and as you know I don't do heat, apart from the fact since, my upset tum earlier in the week I have been feeling decidedly odd!! Anyway totally and utterley inspired by my jungle plant friend I have been re-organising the patio to incorperate the load of jungle plants I have bought off Ebay!!!!!!! (Shhhhhhhh!)




Can you see what I'm planning????? No? Good! Then it will be a surprise to both of us!!!lol!!!
Anyway, Plan A finish the bottom of the garden, Plan B get planting veggies, Plan C lift some of patio slabs, plant tropical plants and move around etc, Plan D I can't say cos its a secret and it has nothing to do with the garden! Plan E, finish planting round the pond, Plan F, do something with the lawn! Plan G, go and see the neighbours as he has loads of timber he plans to burn that would do for edging the beds!!!!! Plan H, lay slabs around greenhouse that I took up from patio, Plan I, maybe I should get a gardener and not be so ambitious! Plan J, set the alarm really early so I can get some of this work done before it gets too hot!!!!!!!! I'm off for a lie down to gather strength!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!