New shoots

 I can't resist these two pots, the crocus sit on my metal table, but together they make a great photo, the flower beds are full of bulbs growing, spring is inching forward, sadly not much sunshine to encourage the flowers to open.

 

Last year I moved my Peony to the far corner of my side bed, for the past couple of years it had not sent out too many blooms, I add compost each year to the bed, so possibly it was getting too deep, so pleased to see shoots here, it's a very special plant of mine. 

When digging out my bigger wildlife pond I moved a huge Agapanthus, in this tub is just half the plant, the other half was cut again and is now growing in two of daughters pots in her front garden. It does not look much, I have high hopes for blooms this summer.

When I planted my rhubarb last spring, I dug loads of grit below it and built the soil up for the crown, I made a wire collar to help hold the huge leaves up. As I was collecting all the falling leaves, I decided to cover the crown for the winter months, before when I tried to grow rhubarb in pots, they died, so I am again pleased to see new growth, this is an early variety, Timperley Early. I won't force this plant, can't wait to cut some, we did not cut any last year. 

I am now beginning to look closer at my garden, I hope to be able to tidy all the dead bits away, so we can see all the bulbs. I still have some wild garlic growing in one section of the side bed, all I do each spring is pull up as much as I can by hand, it grows and spreads too much if left. I have everything crossed the plants I got new last year all come back, I will still need a few bedding plants for gaps along the front. 

I am planning to move a couple of plants, both are lovely but in the wrong place, I am hoping to separate one of my dark bloom hellebores, it is getting huge. My sweet peas seedling are all doing well in the greenhouse, I am in the greenhouse most days to water and check seedlings, it's really warm inside, the automatic window is open often.

I have asked hubby to make me a small raised bed with a wire bottom (to stop any rats), I have shown him where I want it to go, I hope to be able to fill it with sweet peas and have loads of blooms. Once again a tiny spot has been found, our small garden keep giving, the hope is for it to permanently grow these blooms I desire so much. 

I have been feeling bored and lifeless for a while, the grey days don't help, I have not minded the recent rain as we have had a prolonged spell of dry weather, now the raised veg beds had had a good soak I can pop on the covers to warm the beds. Saturday was sunny and warm, Molly and George was here so no chance to be outside, today it's heavy rain and not expected to stop, I plan to get outside this coming week. 

This week.

I am still at daughters home, I brought Molly home on Wednesday for a break, the boys were at school and nursery,  it was lovely being home for a few hours, I miss my garden. Daughter has a garden, but it's very modern without flowers. Molly enjoyed playing with different toys and books.

The final fence panels have been fitted and we are again secure and private, it was an extremely hard task, the vegetation and rubbish was bad on the other side, hubby moved loads before the work could start,  also having the greenhouseso close did not help. I will pop the lightweight plastic panels back here, out of the way. Firstly we want some gravel, I will look to see if anyone has any going free. Hubby and workman did not see our neighbour, so it's classed as a result.

These peony's are going over quickly and I am missing their beauty,  the other plant which bloomed for the first year, is not bowl of beauty,  its the same colour as this one, I don't mind.

The saga with my daughter is ongoing, she was sent home on Tuesday night with strong painkillers,  and went back into the ward on Wednesday morning, only to find no bed, and again had to sit hours in a chair, MIL sat with her whilst I did childcare, the department had a couple of emergencies come in, we are thankful daughter is not in that situation. It's also the third day of no food, she was nil by mouth, just in case, it does feel as if you are just a number not a person. She had to be back in at 8.30am, which is school run time, so all grandparents were on driver duty. Daughter  has now been sent home with strong antibiotics,  the doctor thinks she has a severe infection, I've suggested she stay in bed, if her little ones see her, it could get too much.

It seems no one is surprised by the waiting times, it does feel like a shambles, again I'm not knocking any of the staff, but it become their normal day, do their thing, wait for test results, move person off bed to chair, to wait, change departments and start again. I don't believe any government has purposely set out to break up the NHS, I think they have all just let it slide, as with schools,  police ect, we live in a world where too many people want cheap, and look what we have left.

Today Will is at school and Molly at nursery,  so I will take George to ours, so mummy can rest, again it's nice to spend time with hubby.

Lovely things

I took a risk and gave up following the placement of colours, and stitched what I liked, it's a very simple design which was easy and enjoyable to do. I want to stitch the final gap just above this, making all the edging bits done, something lacy again. I think I am now working on the final quarter. 

In the garden mum's peony is blooming, the pink just shines out, I love this plant, I have had it for over 20 years. I also have my first bud on my bowl of beauty, which has been planted for years. The pale pink plant in my raised bed had leaves only, I'm not expecting blooms for a couple of yours. 

I still have my sewing machine out, I was going to make the gaps in the bunting I made earlier this week smaller, but I decided to make the second set, I will give the first to my sister. I have almost finished another project, which I will show in another post, I so love sitting at my machine creating stuff.

I have been looking for a new grass for Kurt's hair, but I have been watching the small birds swoop in and take some for their nest building, so for now he can stay as he is. 

After reading this book, I will never get into a driverless car, it's wrote with tongue in cheek, good plot, clever ending, as always a great read, book 8 read this year.

Who loves a bargain, I am on the mailing list for Clarks Outlet, I get more emails than I like, but I do open them. Often I will click to see the offers, these leather trainers were reduced from £100 to £70, still to expensive for me, a couple days later I get a deal of the week email, these trainers were £30 and free delivery. That's not to be missed, there was a free return label inside, should I need it, which I don't, lovely good quality soft leather, inside and out, they should last me years. I do have 2 light weight trainers, neither are waterproof.

With all the showers all I can do is craft and read inside, it does feel good to get things finished, I have a few more things to do, then I can have the joy of a new start, I do have some knitting to finish, and more machine sewing.

I would love to do some gardening,  I have plants which need to get into the ground. We both are missing sitting drinking coffee outside, the dry weather is very slow to arrive. Neither of us enjoy shopping, and can't get out for refreshing walks.

We had the day out on Thursday, trip to the bank and then shopping, hubby's suit is looking tatty and he has a function to go to, not cheap, he could not find anything, so we will need another trip. I did not look at any clothes for myself. I got drenched walking home from Pilates,  I only live 5 minutes walk away, this weather is not drying up, it does feel like one of our wettest springs. 

The new fence panels are due to arrive this morning,  a few days early, so hubby can paint them before they are put in place. So today, is another day at home, I don't mind I can always find plenty to do, it bright and dry, so hopefully an hour in the garden.

Making things better

I was going to put words on here and then remembered these lovely flower stickers, I'm very pleased with the result, and will pop it up in my office, it's too nice to go in the garage.

Outside, I am so pleased with my bedding plants, I purchased them in strips as small plants a while ago and potted them on, the plants and more importantly the roots are strong and healthy, perfect for planting out. I have begonia's and bizzy lizzies to pot on, they will go out into the ground later this month.

The few new plants are doing well this week, I got the Azealia from the village, the red and white is very pretty, my Camelia has loads of blooms, the Chinese witch hazel is a few years old, but is steadily growing.  My Alpine garden is planted in the old bird bath, I do need some top covering, at the moment it's just sand, I hope to get some tiny stones. 

My original Peony has loads of buds, I adore this plant, it's the most special plant in my garden, my mum loved it and care for it for years. Last year none of the buds opened, so I am hopefully these will bloom. 

Whilst our neighbour is behaving nicely towards us (ie not shouting or accusing us of anything), hubby has decided to replace the final 2 panels at the bottom of the garden, he has pulled all the stuff out and it's behind the garage, we have the same man coming back soon to do the work, the panels will be delivered early so hubby can paint them before they are placed. This will be the first time in 14 years we have had someone who is working in the garden to return, normally the kafuffle caused ensure no one normally returns. 

The garden is looking good, I still have to side bed to sort, but the bluebells are in full bloom and the daffodil leaves need to die back a bit more, I managed to plant all the gladiola corns and set up a frame to keep them upright, at the back of the old herb bed. Hubby has sealed a tiny hole in one of our water buts, I am hoping it works, if not we will need to purchase a replacement. More importantly, we had loads of time to sit in the sun and enjoy our space, when the sun shines I do have to be outside, these days I dream of my perfect layout, which would include new buildings, patio's and even space for a couple raised veg beds, all very expensive, and only a dream, but it's nice to dream.

My back has started aching, so I am being very careful, I do need to dig out my composter, but it can wait a week, I am crafting inside and resting, I am having a busy week, spending time with our littlest  grandchildren tonight, I'm having a sleep over on Friday, whilst mummy has a night out and daddy is working away. Tuesday we went to a garden centre for coffee and a chat with sign group, we then went to B&Q, hubby needed more fence paint, I wondered in the plant section, opps, so new plants and other bits came home with us.

The house feels clean and tidy, we both like to pack things away, but had got a bit naughty at popping things in the spare bedroom wardrobe and the back of our wardrobe, growing up in a large family we each had our own space and mum always wanted everything clean and tidy, as I get older I get more and more like my mum. On a happy finish, my third Amaryllis bloom is opening, another stunning bloom. 

On a sunny day

My trio of Acers are stunning, the colours, they blend and clash in equal measures, and fill this area and are a joy to see. I do trim these back to keep them smaller and neat, I use the steps to my greenhouse daily. The red acer is the faster growing plant, but I do try and keep it smaller, so the better colours of the other two shine. 

This Acer tree planted a couple years ago is also looking good, this is next to our decked seating area, it's a nice size and shape, it was the perfect decision where to place it, we thought for a long time to ensure it had space to grow. We now see more small brown birds in this area, the tree gives them cover, so they are braver and come closer. 

I have 3 peony's this year, mums is as old as me and has lots of buds, the bowl of beauty has it's first bud, it's been in the ground four years, and the pale pink one I moved has leaves growing. This is pleasing, as these will stay where they are and give blooms each early summer. 

Kirt's hair is dead, I think the pot got water logged and the cold snap finished it off, two of the grasses in my sink are also gone, the black one in the front and the blood grass in the back are both still OK. The grasses always struggle in the sink over winter, but normally they come back. I am not a grass lover, but I do like these smaller ones.

My Camelia has another flower, and loads of buds, it's happy in this tub in a sunny sheltered spot, it is in shade later in the afternoon and evening. We can see this tub from the sitting room, so the blooms make a scruffy section look beautiful. 

 

My mind is full of gardening, I have bedding plants in the greenhouse, I have marigold seeds under a cloche in the garden, if they don't grow I will get bedding plants, hubby loves them. My alpine plants have perked up and will be ready to go out soon. Nothing much else to do in the garden, except sit and enjoy it, once plants from the greenhouse are outside I will give the greenhouse a good clean and sort all my nasties. But for now we sit and watch the rain showers and enjoy the sunshine in between. 

We had Molly and George on Friday morning for a few hours, they are so full of fun and laughter, they both fell asleep in the car on the way home, I sat and did some more cross stitching most of the afternoon and evening.

Saturday I had a delivery from Ikea, daughter gave me a storage unit with 2 big containers, I ordered 2 medium and 2 small containers, most of the books, games and toys are now packed away, the 2 existing big units and popped them under the stairs, all very neat and tidy. The storage unit will be handy once we stop keeping toys, it's all very sturdy.

Sunday I removed everything from the spare bedroom, we are having a new carpet fitted today, it's the last part of redecorating the room, I have loads to put back into the room, the bed has two huge storage drawers, one we keep spare bedding in, the other games, which we do not play and lap blankets. Hubby wants me to pass on the games, but I'm not sure, will we play them when we are less active, there is room for them. I also want to put less back in the wardrobe and drawers, it's a dumping place for things which we use, but has no real home. Plenty to do today. 

Spring, almost

I moved these 2 pots from the side of the garage, we could not see them, they have started their 1st blooms, sadly the frost has damaged the left hand pot, the bottom is broken, after the bulbs have all finished we will pop the pot on the garden and use it as a raised pot for as long as I can.

I love different pots on this table, I have blooms in various pots for most seasons. In these pots I have forgotten what I have planted, so it's a lovely surprise to see what grows. I did click on the tab bulbs on my blog and scrolled back to see what I had purchased. 

I put bulbs everywhere,

 these are under my triple acers. 

This raised bed by our back door has loads of hyacinths growing along the front and mixed bulbs everywhere. I transplanted a pink peony in the centre, but I can't see any growth, if I have lost it, I will purchase another. There is a fuchsia at each end, so the bed should fill with colour until next autumn. 

Buds on an important plant is our garden, mum's peony, I love to see it's shoots every year, it loves this spot in the garden, all I ever do is mulch it each October, to protect it from any harsh winter weather. This is in the middle of my side bed, between 2 yellow rose bushes. 

Not the best photo, look closely and there are loads of buds on our Magnolia tree, and in a few cases you can see pink. This tree for me is the start of the growing season, the bloom grow before the leaves, so soon we will have a beautiful pink tree. 

Our Olive tree has survived the winter so far, I say so far, as March can be a cold horrible month, we have had snow many times in March, it has thrived in this spot, I do feed it every year. 

Our weather is very mixed again, we have had lovely sunny days and now the days are grey with a bit of rain (not enough), all I can do outside is tidy the space, I did cut back some plants by half so we can see the emerging bulbs. I only have one simple job to do this spring, I want to move the 2 arches from behind the raspberries to the back of the garden, so I am not as yet itching to get outside. My greenhouse is full, I have a few pots which look dead, I will wait and hope, most plants can be replaced, but I have a geranium with variegated leaves,  which looks gone, I will be really sad if I have lost it.

It's a nothing week, I have helped daughter babysit, her hubby is away working for a couple of weeks, it's always a joy to do the bath and bedtime routine, loads of stories before hugs and kisses and sleep. 

I am getting very frustrated with a neighbour across the road, we go to sign group together and share driving, within two weeks she has been moaning about our solar light on the front of our house, it illuminates the house number, we have had it there for 3 years, now it irritates her, she lives in the back of her house, so only see's it when going up the stairs, she does not have curtains in that window. The lights are bright, but not bright enough to shine across the road and into her house, I've been out after dark to check, 4 times she has had a huge moan, and also commenting on Pauline's lights next door to us. This Tuesday she has a loud huge moan regarding some old decking planks we gave to her neighbour years ago for burning, she can see them in their garden and it's an eyesore. I have been friendly to her for years, she can be very harsh with words against other people in our sign group, which makes me very uncomfortable, I do see less of her, and this could be the problem, as others in the group don't call to see her that often. Then someone's harsh comments have hurt me, I don't even think they realise how I feel, we are also looking to get the fence replaced, so I am feeling a bit down. I will bounce back, I always do, but so many people now think it's OK to speak their minds harshly, I am a soft touch, I always see the best in everyone, giving second chances all the time,

It's raining again.

Aquilegias around the garden, so many lovely colours, these have self-seeded in many beds, I do love the pure yellow or white ones, they are all very tall this year. 

I have not shown many photo's of my Peonies, my big plant in top photo, is my best plant in the garden, I have had it for years, it came from our childhood house when mum moved. It is full of buds, which have stopped growing, I have done nothing with it, but I do think this year it's going to fail to flower. I have 2 other much smaller plants which are growing well, neither has yet to grow buds, I'm OK with that I can wait. 

I have done more squares on this, I find it very relaxing to make, I am now just over the half way point. I love these cooler colours, all the outlines of the squares are finished. 

This book was on the thriller desk at the library, I have never read this author before, so it was a random choice, it's a good story line, but the ending was all set out, no clues along the way, a good story not a great one. Book 43 read this year. 

Hubby was out last Saturday for a fundraiser, and purchased this book marker, it is very pretty and the lady who stitched it has lovely neat tiny stitches, I will try and keep it clean, it does look much nicer than the big wool band I was using. 

I have had this book for ages, I want to increase my knowledge on our native trees and wildflowers, I could have used it on our walk last Friday, it's by my chair for now, I might pop it into my camera bag. 

The heavy rain has stayed with us, Sunday was a washout, we did not leave the house, Will played lovely all morning, he did not stop eating, he is a growing lad, up rather than out. I spent the afternoon stitching, and then later reading. We moved the cats baskets from their place near the patio doors to the back of the dining area, away from the promised thunder storms. I got up twice in the night to check they were OK, both times they were snuggled in their baskets, the thunder and sheet lightening was very close and very bright and loud, the rain again was very heavy, luckily we do not have issues here with flooding, I was worried the rain would damage things in the garden, but in the morning, everything was good. 

Monday was a dull day more like October than May, I had loads planned but the grey skies hung on, I did spend 2 hours outside, the new bed has been sorted, I have already planted the bulbs from the pots and our new rose, until rain stopped play. I did waste a few hours on here, just relaxing and reading new to me blogs and some housework was done. I am happy to see so much rain, we do live in a dry part of the UK, so to have all this water at the start of our main growing season is good, and I won't need to water the garden for ages, just ensure my pots don't dry out. I am always happy at home, I can find things to do inside and out, and can lose hours reading I am a book worm. 

Today we are meeting in our village café for coffee about 8 of us, should be fun, then I hope to pop to a garden centre, I want a packet of Thomson and Morgan seeds, which they sell, hopefully they will have what I want. We have blue skies again and it should be lovely and warm. 

Spring blooms

This is the last pot of spring flowers, I have been changing things around here for weeks, soon it will be time for my summer pot to come out and fill this space with colour. This table is important as it's near our patio doors and prominent when sitting inside. 

This bed beside our back door is in shadow most of the time, so the spring flowers bloom much later, so still full of colour, there are loads of other plants here in, this bed needs very little added, most things planted come back every year. 

The side bed is full of leaves from spring flowers, it's too early to cut them back, but other things are growing, I love the new shrub, it adds colour and texture to this end of the bed, the roses have lovely new growth, and there are other plants coming to life, I have loads of bedding plants for here. 

Mum's Peony has loads of buds again this year, I can't wait for it to bloom, the inset is a pale pink plant I was given last year, it will take a few years to get to a decent size, I did disturb it a couple of weeks ago, so that has slowed it growth this spring.

This back bed, in front of the greenhouse is starting to fill with colour, at this time I am really into blue flowers, I love these bulbs. I have pots along the back path, I will at some point sort them and get rid of loads. I have bedding plants to pop in here as well, the centre section has space for extra plants.

This corner in front of the raised bed, is now full with plants, there is a Forsythia, which I hope to keep a smaller size, another Peony, this one is bowl of beauty, Forget-me-nots, all which should come back every year. I have loads of other plants here as well, it should be full of colour later in the summer. 

Along the back fence, I have a white daisy in the old gooseberry tub, this one overwintered in the greenhouse, so it's blooming early, the mixed tub is looking good, loads of summer plants starting to grow, and my Blueberry is loving this spot. I also have 2 Hosta's beside my shed in pots in the shade, they are bursting with life. 

Inside the greenhouse I have loads of bedding plants to put out, still a bit early yet, I am hoping to keep them inside for a couple more weeks, get some good growth on them. The greenhouse is still full, I should get my tomato and cucumber plants into their huge pots later this week, I have various lettuce and rocket growing, I am hoping to grow my own salads again this summer. 

These pots were in the front garden, but it's the sunniest spot and these pots kept drying out, so I now have them, they are along the side garage wall, one each side of our bench, they get sun all morning, but are in shadow the rest of the day, they are sheltered from the wind as well, I have a yellow lupin in one and a Echinacea (also know as cone heads) in the second. 

I am outside every day, just doing a bit at a time, there is nothing big to do outside, the shrubs are now coming into bloom, it's too early for bedding plants, so it's a time of waiting, watching and enjoying the garden, after years of hard work. 

Monday was a lazy day, I did do some potting, I sat in the shade outside my shed, handy to have everything I required close by, I also love the view looking towards the house, a friend popped in for a coffee and a chat sat in the sunshine. Tuesday was a bit cooler, still beautiful blue skies in the morning, we has the washing machine repair man here in the morning, he has replaced loads of parts, which should ensure the machine last a bit longer, we have been on a yearly repair contract, which we won't renew next month, so getting it sorted whilst it's not costing us anything. It did cool down after lunch and we had a storm of rain before tea, my water butt's are half empty, so any rain is appreciated. I have tried making time for some cross stitch each day, it's growing, photo's next time and also some reading time. 

Today nothing planned again, see what happens with the weather, so far this week my steps are really low, so I should plan a walk. 

Bank holiday weekend

Hubby did a wonderful job of cleaning out the birdbath, it was full of muck and the stones covered in green stuff, the only way to keep it clear is to clean it regularly. I have a copper ring in the middle to help with algae, I would like a couple of small plants, but not sure what to get. 

I manage to pot up all the pansies and violas, I have my folding table out in the greenhouse, I've discarded the cucumber and tomato plants, I'm not going to get many more from either, all the green tomatoes are in a brown paper bag, they should all ripen. 

 Daughter wanted some of my peony plant, so I dug up my roots, it was huge, I will keep it in this pot until next spring, when I will plant it in a pot daughter has purchased. This plant is amazing, so long lived, the original plant was in mum's garden when I was a child. 

I was given this gooseberry bush, it was tiny at the beginning of the year, I've now potted it into its final place. I don't like them but hubby loves them, such a spiky plant needs to placed out of the way of grand children. 

Hubby is always helpful in the garden, he moved pots around in this area, the begonias now can be fully seen. The big black pots has some chrysanthemum and pansies in, the sticks are to keep the cats away. 

My sister gave me this pink blueberry Bush a few years ago, it's a lovely size, but in truth I don't need 3 blueberries, so I popped this on our local Facebook page and it was collected. The pot I reused for the gooseberry. 

Sunday was sunny and warm, so brilliant to be outside, hubby went for a bike ride, later he helped me move things, there is very few things better than a day outside, it always amazes me how much I can find to do outside. I trimmed everything in our herb garden, the scent was so good. I did clean my shed, soon I will have loads of stuff to over winter, so knowing its clean in there is pleasing. We did have another mid afternoon BBQ, just the 2 of us, making the most of the warm weather. Later after a wonderful shower, another quiet night in, patio doors open until late, hubby sprayed everywhere on our decking with Pinesol, which helps keep the flies away and it smells great. 

Monday started and stayed a cloudy day, we went for a walk along the shoreline, we are so lucky to have this walk so close, no need to drive, no photos, I've done loads of post before. Most of the garden task were finished, so it was a crafting day, I have done more knitting, and I am looking at my cross stitch designs, we have loads of time to fill, and I am truly fed up with looking at my phone. I have been working on another blog book, the last one I published was 2018, I normally work 1 year behind, but last year, whilst I had plenty of time, I was not in the mindset, and with the new layouts, I found it all too much. It is simpler in the systems, but much harder work, so much of the automatic things have gone, so every photo and word has to be manually imported and edited. I have decided to print 2019, 2020 and 2021, the events of these years have been huge.