Friday 7 April 2017

In the Garden

It's that time of year again. So much to do. A race against time to get on top of the garden maintenance before things grow wild and weeds take over.
Since the grass had its first cut of the season the rest of the garden looked, quite honestly, a bit of a mess. My good intentions (I have so many of those) of tidying it all up last Autumn went by the wayside as soon as the cold, damp weather arrived, so the dead plants and weeds have been there all through the winter months just waiting for me.
Most of Monday was spent cleaning the moss from the block paving on the driveway. Hard work, but very satisfying results. It looks sooo much better.




The old plants which were in the raised bed for the sole purpose of keeping the cats off got cleared away last week and the soil dug over in preparation for this season's growing efforts. I managed to 'fashion' a barrier to keep any cats off until the vegetables are (hopefully) established.
We have planted carrots, spring onions, spinach and courgettes. Lily really enjoyed this part. Looking at the difference in the seeds and covering them gently with the soil.


This patch of soil was one of the areas I did manage to clear last year of some well overgrown Lavender. I now need some new plants to fill the gaps. The soil is quite stony but does benefit from sunlight for most of the day. Any suggestions welcome.



At the far end of the garden, my favourite feature, the dry stone wall.


The table and chairs are currently being painted in 'Wild Thyme.' Once I've finished painting them this planter will also be cleaned up and painted the same shade. I'm not sure what to put in it yet. We have previously used it to grow strawberries. If I manage to get it finished soon we could maybe manage some for this season too.
This is the first year that I have really made much of an effort with the garden and even though I'm not really sure what I'm doing, I'm doing my best and, surprisingly,  I'm quite enjoying myself.
J. X

34 comments:

  1. What about some colourful clematis to grow up the fence and some bedding plants down below.
    xx

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  2. I love the photos showing Lily concentrating on her gardening, so sweet. We have a problem with cats too even though we have 3 little dogs running about xx

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    1. Much as I love cats, they can be a nuisance in the garden. X

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  3. Lovely to see your garden, gardening can be hard work but the rewards are worth it, I find working in the garden very relaxing, the perfect way to 'Switch Off'. A litte tip for your when your seeds are growing well we put some bricks on the corners on the raised bed so we can still keep them covered until they are big and spread because the cats will still try. xxx

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    1. Thank you Marlene. I know you've been wanting me to post some pictures. It's nowhere near as nice as your garden but it's a work in progress. Thanks for the tip. I'll remember that. X

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  4. It's a busy time of year in the garden getting everything ready and sowing seeds. It's lovely to see little ones getting involved, so many children just don't have the opportunity these days as growing your own went out of fashion, I'm so pleased it's become popular again.

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    1. I'm so happy that Lily has the opportunity to be outside as much as possible. I remember growing a few vegetables when I was young. X

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  5. just lovely. It all looks so pretty, and I love Lily helping out there. Good to get children involved.
    We had to create a chicken wire lid too. I'm a huge cat lover, but I am not a fan of alien cat poo amongst my veg! x

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    1. Thank you Sadie. I'm starting to appreciate my garden a bit more. The lid appears to be working - for now. X

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  6. Your garden looks great, you and your little helper have done a great job! :)

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  7. Always good to have a little helper in the garden. Bet the furniture will look rather fantastic when painted up. x

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    1. The painting has taken back seat for now because of the Easter break. It will hopefully get finished next week. X

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  8. It all looks very tidy! I too have a back garden that needs attention, but the allotments are a huge pull at the moment.Enjoying yourself is the most important thing...if things grow it's a bonus, what with the weather, cats, slugs etc ☺

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    1. I imagine the allotments must take up a lot of your time but the results will be worth it. We are enjoying ourselves. Thank you Scarlet. X

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  9. It's looking lovely! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to come up with cunning cat deterrents! (and the cats aren't even mine!)

    I have a stoney, sunny patch in my garden too, I grow Mediterranean herbs in it, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, as well as lavender and lemon balm all do well there :)

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    1. Thank you Susie. The herb idea is great. There is a small Lavender plant there already which I used to replace the overgrown one and I have some Rosemary which I have now transplanted. I will try and locate some Lemon Balm. X

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  10. It looks fantastic, particularly your 'anti cat screen'. My grass also got the first cut of the year yesterday and does not look its best :)

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    1. Thank you Jayne. I felt like I was back in woodwork class at school, but it seems to be doing the trick. The grass looks a little bit scalped following it first good cut doesn't it? X

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  11. Love the photos of your daughter tending her garden!

    Love the cat screen, too! Just today, I was looking at various screening mesh because I, too, have stray cats who think my garden is their home and toilet!

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    1. Thank you Bless. The cats can be a nuisance can't they? X

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  12. Glad you are having fun in the garden! I agree with Susie, Mediterranean herbs, lavender, rosemary would all be good for a stony sunny area, and productive and smell lovely too!

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    1. Thank you Amy. It's a lovely idea. I now have Lavender and Rosemary in the space. I will try and get some Lemon Balm this week. X

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  13. I love the netting over the veg plot. I may have to do that as a local cat has taken a shine to using it as a litter tray. All winter long I have been filling my green waste bin with dead headed stuff and peelngs. It is now full and is probably already turning into compost at the bottom. The collection starts again next week.

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    1. It's surprising how full the green waste bins get at this time of year. The netting is working a treat. I've seen some puzzled looks on the faces of the visiting cats. X

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  14. your garden is looking lovely, and that cat deterrent is brilliant. I need one of those...

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    1. Thank you. I'm beginning to think I should go into business making the cat screens. X

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  15. Your garden is lovely, and you have a very sweet little helper. There is something very special about dry stone walls, it's wonderful.

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    1. Thank you. The dry stone wall stands out more now since a lot of the overgrown plants have been cleared away. X

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  16. It looks lovely and what a fine way to spend time. I'm very envious of your dry stone wall. Did you know there are some lichens that only grow on dry stone walls? A precious resource x

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    1. Thank you. I didn't realise about the lichens. X

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  17. Your garden looks lovely. I love that stone wall too it is has a lot of character. That is a good idea to cover the garden to keep cats and any other animals from eating the produce.

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    1. Thank you Lisa. We are very lucky to have the dry stone wall. X

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