Autumnal garden

 I'm in trouble with hubby, I got his saw out again and worked on our red acer, it was just too bulky this summer. It is brutal, but necessary, next year I will reduce the height. I'm not worried it will grow back, I did the same to my olive treea couple of years ago, and Sam does our magnolia tree regularly. 

I have left growth near the base, removed all of the front section. The wildlife camera is attached to the bottom of the trunk.

The pond is looking clearer, I have added a couple of the branches from my red acer, just to soften the area, the cyclamen plant is coming back, I am so pleased with this area, all I do is ensure the water level does not drop. Mum's bird table top stays here, I like the look.

I have removed the runner-beans and tomato plants, I will mulch the two beds, I will sow broad beans next month, the rest of the veg space will lay farrow for the cooler months. 

The garden as always still has colour, the fleabane daisies again is the star, frothy pretty dasies, what's not to like. 

Saturday was dry and sunny, just few cloudy spells, we enjoyed coffee in our sunroom, a perfect spot out of the wind, I did a fair amount of gardening, making it look good for our visitors this coming weekend. I will pack away all my ornaments and the outside seating area next week, always a sad time here. I managed to add some supports to my agapanthus, I have two spots where the plants are getting huge, I hope the supports will hold the blooms up next year, they are evergreen, so it's best to do it now. 

Sunday was cloudy, not too cold, so a bit more time outside, the veg beds are tidy, I am still picking raspberries, I have also dug out my gooseberry, all the leaves have been ate, I have popped it into a growbag to see if I can prevent sawfly, I have always struggled to grow them. I have everything ready for planting my spring bulbs, stored in the greenhouse, I will get them done early November.

My wildlife camera is now just recording Lilly in the garden at night, I have removed all the low branches, I am surprised not to see other cats coming in, we have often seen them, maybe I'm winning that battle. 

Winter accommodation

I have been looking at hedgehog houses for our regular visitor, hubby said I can make that, and he did, using marine ply, so it's completely weatherproof. 

He put a hinged roof on so we can clean it, it has two chambers and a tunnel, all designed to keep predators out. It would have been cheaper to purchase one, I'm really pleased, as is hubby, we have placed it behind the big pot with my olive tree in, a spot the hedgehog often sniffs around. Inside for bedding we put barley hay.

My pond is looking good, the water is much clearer, I can see the tiny cyclamen are growing in the front. The grasses have looked good, this area is pleasing, I have not done anything to rectify the front corner being lower than it should, it does not effect the pond, just I can see more of the container. 

The garden is looking past its best, the recent rain has brought plants back to life, I can see a few have died and some needs cutting right back, the veg beds are still giving.

I have few plans for the winter months, I do have broad beans to go in, probably late November, most of the veg space will be empty, I have leaves to cover the soil, which should rot down and feed the soil.

Blogger is again playing up, I can now comment on your post, for a while I could not upload photo's, again that has been sorted. The final issue is still unresolved, my list of your post has not updated for a couple of days, before that some post were missing, now everything is stuck. 

25 years ago we were in rural Spain, as the news unfolded of the fate of the twin towers, we found a TV with BBC news and sat stunned, our daughter was home with the cats, she phoned us many times in tears. The flight home a few days later was very subdued. 

After the issues in Portsmouth from last Sunday, where the RNIL landed 120 people off a boat in the Channel, our local Facebook pages are scattered with ugly comments, there is going to be a rally this coming Sunday, the man behind the rally recently in Dover, lives locally, its doesn't feel a nice place to be at the moment. I do agree we have allowed too many people to stay who arrive illegally, who mainly appear to be young males, but, is this the way forward.

Just a trim

 Our magnolia tree has put on so much growth this summer, after a poor spring with no flowers, we have had summer flowers, here before it's cut back. I have been using grey water for this tree and my acer, 

Now looking much better, we always use the same guy to keep this tree small (they can grow huge), hubby got the shredder out and all the waste is in my mulch bins, hopefully loads of mulch for next spring.

My pond is looking good, so many birds and Lilly drink from here so I keep it topped up, the water hyacinth has new growth, this area is in shade most of the day, it only gets evening sunshine in the summer months, our magnolia gives it so much shade. There are other water spots around the garden which I keep full of water for wildlife. 

The garden is not so bad, the plastic grass helps, a green lawn always makes the view better, this summer the left hand side of the garden has become our patio, which is silly as it's been a patio for 3 years, now we use the whole area, it gets sunshine all morning and into the afternoon, by mid afternoon there is shade.

Sadly our horrible neighbour has caused issues again, we got the guys to cut back the overgrown vegetation along the boundary in the front of our house, he was very professional and ensured he kept to the boundary, she came out and accused him of cutting the front section over the pavement, and started shouting. Hubby had taken photos before the work started and afterwards, needless to say, our lovely guy had not touched the front. Hubby has sent her an email as we still have the cuttings, the arborist will collect later in the week. I am hoping she is not causing him any issues, if she continues I will report her once again to police for harassment. 

Portsmouth Water who supplies our water has issued a statement, which says they have no plans to issue a hosepipe ban, their water comes from under ground water and one river, their supply is always topped up in the wetter months, and whilst levels are lower, if everyone helps they should manage through this spell. Which is brilliant news, they are known for quickly repairing any leaks as well, so their management is better than most water companies, we use as much grey water as we can. The rest of Hampshire is with Southern water, who has a terrible reputation for leaks and mismanagement. 

It's extremely sad to see huge fires in the new forest after a van caught fire on Monday which started the crisis, the main road south is still closed, and not due to open until later next week, whilst the fire is under control, its still a huge risk.

Survival test

The square photo is the day I transplanted the small hydrangea into this huge pot in my back garden, it had signs of new growth, I added rose food to the compost and give it fresh topsoil and loads of water. I have moved the herbs into the back veg section. Second photo is a couple of weeks later, after a trim of deadwood.

Another plant from hubby's front garden, this white lavender was in a pot by the door, now its in its permanent spot, it's already looking much greener and should fill this space, its been having loads of water, this is a sunny spot. I have plants which should fill this square bed.

My Chinese witch hazel was put into this spot earlier this year, it was doing well, now sadly it is wilting, it could be a number of things, or just this heat wave, I have been watering it, it's a case of watching and waiting. I've had this plant since October 2020, it was tiny.

We decided we would cut back our acer this year, one section had died back, I removed all the dead wood a while ago and we can see new growth. I spoke to our arborist, he suggested we cut back a low branch which was rubbing against another, it has left one side bare, we can look at the new growth later in the year and cut back more to balance it.

I got a water hyacinth for my pond, in hope it will clear the water, I do need to be careful with the plant, its a fast grower, I can cope with that, I will need to carefully dispose of any unwanted new growth, it can't be allowed to get into local waterways.

I gave in and moved plants in the hot weather, I can nurture them rather than hubby ignoring them, I planted a few gaura plants, I've grow from cuttings. I don't have any intentions to move any more plants, I am letting my sweet peas go to seed, I will collect them for next year along with other seeds.

I have sown another mixture of lettuce and two rows of carrots, I can just see their shoots, the cucumber plants is producing more, whilst my tomatoes are stubbornly staying green, I have a few runner beans now to the top of their sticks and a couple of flowers forming. 

I have very little to do in the garden, we save as much grey water as we can for the flowers, shrubs and tree's, I use the hose (no ban here) for the fruit and vegs, I am harvesting blackberries, they are small and hard, I am freezing them to use in crumbles over the winter, the raspberries are beginning to form.

We can sit in our sunroom early morning and evenings, we can sit in our seating area mid afternoon onwards, from 11am to 2pm we are inside the heat is just too much for us. We read inside and chat outside, making plans for a few more breaks.

Spring bulbs

 Last year I purchased some different bulbs, all popped into pots, I'm happy with these blooms, it's good to see something new to me along with old favourites, these have not all bloomed at the same time, bulbs are an important source of colour and nectar at this time of year.

The pots of spring bulbs look good in front of this bed, they add welcome colour. In the back right corner my forsythia I moved last year is full of yellow buds, I hope to keep it the same size as the Chinese witch hazel in the other back corner.

The fleabane daisies are starting to grow and will soon fill this bed, the hyacinth bulbs in the middle add colour, the new flowering plants in the chimneys are doing well, I'm just waiting for the astilbe to come back in the centre back, then the look will be complete. 

The seating is now back being used this warm sunny weather has started our garden living, this year is about enjoying the outside space we have created, no big or even little jobs, I shall have to learn how to sit and rest. Tuesday we sat outside to eat our lunch, first time this year, we both have everything crossed for a good summer, again we had lunch outside on Wednesday, by early afternoon the sun is behind our neighbours house and it's too cool to sit anymore. I dug out my oldest composter, I now have 2 bags of good compost, hubby cleaned all the gutters and then the windows, both dirty jobs, so an early shower and relax inside.

Both my acers are in full bud, the triple at the back now has small leaves forming, I have 4 forsythia bushes, they are all in bud as is my pomegranate. The strong winds blew off the few remaining buds on our magnolia tree, leaves are now forming, often this tree flowers throughout the year, so I have hope to see plenty pink blooms in the coming months.

This week I found a frog hiding in one of the grasses around my wildlife pond, I am beyond happy, it was the correct thing to wait for creatures to arrive naturally, we decided to leave the pond as it is, I was going to try and raise the front corner, best not to disturb anything.

I popped to daughters so she could attend Will's parents evening, he does not enjoy a couple of lessons at the moment, and can be difficult on mornings when he does not want to go, it's hard for daughter, but she insist he has to go to school, anyway, mummy came back happy, he is doing well, his teacher and school are very supportive and are actively helping to get him back to loving school, whilst his attendance has dropped his work levels have not.

Wildlife pond

I have been working on my pond, not the garden around, that has been great this spring. My pond last summer had loads of slimy weeds, which wrapped around plants and floated across the surface, making the water messy. Firstly I purchased a barley hay bundle to pop into the water, which helped, next I got a small pump and two air-stones to oxygenate the pond, I did not want lot's of gushing water. I need to move plants along the back to try and hide the container.

Spring flowers, daffodils and cyclamens, I can see buds on other plants, the grasses are looking good, I do need to raise the front corner, it has dropped, it has always been the lowest corner, the water level at the back is an inch lower then I want it. It has become the drinking spot for Lilly, she sits in the same spot as Grace sat, I keep fresh water inside, Lilly is not interested, I have tried filtered and rainwater, she still prefers to drink from the pond.

Finding a newt and then a second one in the pond has cheered me up, I have seen a couple water snails as well, I did check, newts love grasses and wood piles to hide in, I have both in this back corner. I do love the collection of pebble around this pond, they have been collected over the years for use around my garden, I just pulled them all back to here. 

Hubby spent his time on cleaning the patio, he wanted to get it done using his power washer with a special attachment, it was tiring rather than hard work he told me, he also uncovered the garden furniture, I moved my spring pots to along the slate by the lawn, we can still see them from the house. 

Most of the time the pond requires no work from me, I wanted it to become a natural environment, without chemicals or other foreign additions, I was desperate for frogs, but decided rather than adding any myself, I would wait and see, it was never my intention to have fish here, they eat too much of the wildlife I wanted to attract. The small garden around the pond has settled, this is a sunny spot for part of the day.

Our garden is now ready for spring, purchasing the growing bulbs helps me fill bare spots, I am completely happy with our spring garden, I can see so many buds on shrubs, so much promise. A couple wet days were good for any new plants, it also gave my back time to rest and relax.

Saturday was dull as expected, everywhere was still wet from the rain, we did walk to the village for a few bits, I did some knitting and then read later, hubby made a lovely mushroom risotto for tea, a lazy day. Sunday we had Will and George early, mummy and Molly went to a party, they were back for lunch, we all spent the afternoon together, later after a quick tidy up, packing away all George's cars we sat and read.

Saving Doug

I brought Doug (from UP), home, he's a favourite of George's, he came here in a bin bag with all his stuffing separate, George and Molly were playing in their bedrooms quietly, mummy found the poor thing in bits, another job for Nana. I have done major surgery on his face he is all stitched up and back home, I did check all his other seams as well.

I do love this author, always a very easy read, Life can be good, but what do you do when people start hurting your family and yourself, well she does fix other peoples problems. Book 20 read this year. 

Another good read, I love how this author always has the answer in plain sight, so far I have never worked it all out until the reveal near the end. A couple goes to remote Scottish location to help save their marriage, will it work. Book 21 read this year.

It was world book day again this week, Molly has a growing set of books, all focused on people through modern history who has changed our world, she loves the book Queen Elizabeth by Racheal Riley, so here she is all regal, this girl loves to dress up, George went as Batman, Will went for an army costume. Molly has been queen before, seen here with George and Will as her guardsmen.

Will wanted a Hussars jacket for his costume, we used a blue fleece, I added golden stripes to the front, decorated the collar and cuffs, no swirly decorations on sleeves or buttons, I added epaulettes. I could only get cheap gold tape, which frayed and was a nightmares to stitch, I hate the finished item, Will loved it, most stressed I've been in ages. Far to ashamed to post any photo of my work here.

I have done more on my knitted blanket, I now need to stitch the ends in, I am keeping to my promise to do at the end of each colour section, as I have said before there is no rush to get this done, I am enjoying the process and that's the main point. It's not a project I enjoy doing in the evenings, I need to be able to focus and count without interruptions. 

I have watched Small Prophets, just 6 episodes, I really enjoyed the simplicity of the story, this weekend is the final of Pottery throw-down, we have enjoyed it again this season, we don't watch much TV. Hubby has enjoyed Silent Witness, which I never watch, I get annoyed how the main two, know almost everything and solve the mysteries, they just irritate me.

Undercover

My ranunculi's are filling out I have 18 plants here in the segments, and aquilegia plants I have 4, I split these plants, this is the sunniest side of the greenhouse. 

These are from a split geum plant I removed from my sink, one pot got a bit waterlogged, they are all growing well, and a few extra sweet peas which will not grow so high as the main batch. 

On the lower shelf I have 5 foxgloves, all seeded in wrong places in the garden, I dug them out to grow on, my echinops is growing well, another reduced plant coming back to full strength. My sweet pea seedlings are a bit leggy, they do look good.

10 days ago I was pleased to see shoots on my peanuts, today they are even better, later I will pot them up and put them in the greenhouse under cover to keep them warm, I have the perfect sunny spot for them. All I did was pop them on wet paper towel in this clear box, placed them on a sunny window sill near the radiator.

Some of the above plants will go into bigger pots before planting, I have also potted up, Chocolate Cosmos, gypsophila  and I have two Geum's which were reduced plants, my freesia bulbs are planted in a bag outside, so much promise for this summer. My greenhouse is a bit full, it is also very messy, my tiny plastic greenhouse is still in the middle, soon I will move it back to the side, remove the plastic cover and use it as shelves. I have sown a few flower seeds, I have more to start, I do not require so many bedding plants, in previous years I used loads. I hope to be able to move some of the plants above outside. 

I felt sorry for daughter driving 7 very loud excited boys to their first paintball morning, the day was dry and bright, the sun shone a few times. The woods was not as muddy as we feared, daughter sat and read whilst the company looked after the boys for two hours, they were beyond happy on their return. I had a simpler morning watching Disney for a while with Molly, then painting, we stayed inside, George wanted to stay in his PJ's, which is OK.

Saturday evening and Sunday was at home with hubby, we never do much at weekends, too many people around. Sadly Sunday was wet so we stayed inside, I would have preferred being in the garden, in reality I don't have much to do, just a quick check in the greenhouse. 

Monday was a sunny start, which cheered us both up, I spent the morning cleaning our bedroom and shower room, giving all the glass a good clean, when the sun shines all the smears show, which left the afternoon outside, nothing big to do, its has left me feeling really good. I added a solar air pump to my pond, just a gentle ripple, I also moved a plant, I was overjoyed to see a small newt swimming, finally its a wildlife pond.

Spring Blooms

This fruit bed in my veg section is at it's flowering best in spring, I can see the left hand side from my chair in the house, the striking difference between the red hellebores and the yellow of the primroses shine out. There is a small dark hellebore in front of the strawberry tower hopefully it will fill that area.

Further along this bed, the wildlife pond is pretty, I purchased a few pots of small daffodils last year, they had gone over, just 50p per pot of four, they have all flowered again this year. The grasses are all loving this area. 

My reduced hellebore has flowered, lovely white blooms, the second plant at the end of the raspberry bed I have had for a few years. I can't wait for the white blooming plant to get to a bigger size. 

I have six different blooms from hellebores, I have only grown them in the past few years, they are a firm favourite in my section of the garden, I have another 2 plants growing in the flowerbeds, and 2 more smaller babies, I am hoping hubby might like them in his garden. 

The crocus are beginning to go over, it was nice to see early colour, I have just one clump of snowdrops blooming, I do have another clump which as yet has not bloomed. 

I have cut some damage daffodils, I prefer to see them outside, once the stems are damaged they suffer and the blooms lay on the soil.

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent a few hours outside, just pottering, working in the greenhouse and enjoying dry days, we have had more dry time than rain this week. I sorted my first early potatoes, they are planted in two bags, I have some second earlies to chit, and some shallots, all to be grown in bags. My two bags for cut flowers are ready, I will sow a few mixed seeds in each, in hope they all grow. In the veg beds, my leeks are still small I will leave them a bit longer, my broad beans are starting to flower I always grow an early variety, I have a few cabbages doing well, and my Japanese onions are looking good. We had our last portion of last year's runner beans with our tea, I hope to be able to freeze more things this summer. 

I opened all the windows today, good to have fresh air circulating around the house, our laundry on the line dried. Lilly is spending all her time outside, today a fox on our neighbours sunhouse roof snarled at Lilly, I was close by, it dissappeared when I shouted at it, Lilly did not run away, its a worry, hopefully she will learn to avoid that part of the fence.

Enjoy the weather this week, it's our first sign of spring, gardeners call it fools spring, still far too early to plant out anything.

I get instant cheer from working outside, this winter has been hard on me, so many bugs and absolutely no energy, I am fed up with looking at the rain through our windows. I should not complain, we have had no snow and we are safe from flooding, our home is warm and safe, March can be a hard month here along the south coast, I have everything crossed it will be mild and dry. 

Outside

 The pond area is looking good, the grasses work well, I love the tiny cyclamen infront, I can't see this from the house, my cider pot blocks the view. It's always lovely to pop here, there are primroses and hellebores in flower in the fruit bed, pretty pops of colour.

Whilst I was cutting back the old hellebore leaves to let the buds show, I found another almost black flowering hellebore, so I have two plants which is pleasing, I think I moved the parent plant to my square garden from the black pot. I do have two other pink plants, which the shoots are a bit later.

When we were in Lidl's last week, I picked up this trio of hyacinths, I did not get any bulbs last autumn, I'm using my hand painted pot, after they have bloomed I will pop them in the garden.

A couple of weeks ago, I cut back my gaura plant with white blooms, I popped 4 bits into water, so I'm pleased to see roots on two bits, I have read these plants don't live for years, so I will regularly take cuttings.

Friday was wet, all day, just steady rain, we did not go anywhere, Saturday was blue skies and bright, so I had an hour in the garden, I tied my broad bean plants higher up their stakes, I cut a small cauliflower and thinned some smaller carrots for lunch today. I cut a scrappy cabbage for our neighbours chickens and I raked the paths between my raised veg beds, I have a special plastic rake which makes the job so easy. Next I went in my greenhouse, which was nice and warm, checked my plants, re-potted a couple which were out growing their pots. It was warm inside, so I lingered long than necessary, soon I will start my sweet peas and other seeds, the new growing season is starting. The ground is still frozen so I can only sort stuff for the greenhouse. 

We have nothing planned for today, we are expecting rain all day, it does feel slightly warmer this morning. I am still reading, this time from my kindle, and I have started knitting another pair of socks, I prefer it when my hands are busy.

A new year

 Same old me, same old hubby and same old house, just the way we like it. We stayed in on new year's eve, its been years since we went out, we both love a quiet evening in. I stayed up later to ensure Lilly was OK with the local fireworks, TV was not too bad, we ordered a pizza and had a bottle of fizz. 

The garden has loads of colour, I love hubby's old motorbike boots, this cyclamen is pretty. 

These cyclamen by the pond are spreading and looking pretty, my primroses I split often, I have loads around the back section. 

Hellebores also are in bloom, I am so pleased as I forget I had split my very dark red plant, which is blooming here in a new spot, shown in bigger image, the mother plant has not reappeared this year. These range from white, through pink to almost black. 

I have loads of pots of bulbs, most are shooting, as is the snowdrops in the corner of the long bed, infront of the huge herb pot, it's taken years for them to spread, well worth the wait.

Buds on my magnolia tree, and on the big acer, far to early the cold snap due will see them all disappear, it happens most years. I managed an hour outside on Wednesday, it was very cold, just a tidy around and check plants in greenhouse, I planted some ranunculus I forgot I had, hubby topped up the bird feeders, he never let's them get empty.

The decorations are packed away in their boxes, in the attic, I managed them on my own,  which was not the struggle I expected. I have left some lights out and have been lighting candles, just to keep the cosy feel, it does not feel so bare this year.

2025 decided to crash out, on 31st our air-fryer kept cutting out and our shower suddenly stopped using any cold water and was far too hot for comfort, so a new air-fryer has been purchased and our plumber is booked, not the start we expected.

I have already been sorting, my office/craft space is my focus this year, I have cleared a drawer, so I can keep my needle felting stuff close by, I want to make more things this year, hopefully get on a couple more day courses. I do need to clear my crafting trolley it's become a dumping ground, it won't take long.

I did get some Christmas cards and gift bags in the sale from our local card shop, all less than half price, they are packed away in my pre December box, with all the other useful stuff, it's the only thing we got in the sales, we did pop to town, but just for a wonder to get out of the house. 

Grasslands

 These grasses should fill the back corner behind my pond, and stand out they won't grow too big, I like their sharp pointy stems, they will make a good contrast in the bed.

I always thought Purdy was a nosey cat, Lilly is even noisier, everything has to be checked by her, these have passed after a good sniff.

All in place, I did a good tidy up of this corner, I moved two existing grasses back so they dont flop into the water, for a gardener who did not like grasses I have loads here. I don't grown them elsewhere in the garden. The pond needs a good clean lots of soil fell in, I have a couple of airstones to pop in to help keep it clear.

The forsythia is in the back corner of the square bed, it should shine out against the acer. To balance the back corners I moved the chinese witch hazel still in its pot, it needs acidic soil to thrive, next spring I will need to get a few tall plants for the middle back, I have scattered loads of the big poppy seeds.

A couple smaller pots got moved as well, just to balance this section of the garden, the plant in the middle has started to grow and will fill the space, it's slightly off centre, I have a peony on the right side which needs a bit more space, it's now a case of wait until next spring and see what grows.

We had rain overnight, Monday has been breezy and dull from the start, a day full of showers, nothing as bad as in the north. Daughter came with Will and George, we walked to our local bistro for lunch, a nice treat, it been ages since Will had been there, both boys were good. The afternoon was spent playing inside, Lilly close to George, later I have been reading, I do feel much better today, hopefully the fog is beginning to lift, it's hung around for far too long. Tomorrow hubby and I will take the bus to town, he's taking me out for lunch,  nowhere posh, just a change in routine.