Organic gardening

My copper bands have arrived, so today is gardening day, we are due rain tomorrow, so the timing could not be better. I am hoping these will stop the relentless attacks on my tender plants from slugs and snails, this year they have destroyed so many newly planted flowers.

 A pack pf 10 rings cost £27.50, so £2.75 per plant, these are 10" long, they do come in other sizes, they are thicker than I expected, so they will hold up right, I know at the end of the season they will require cleaning, but other than that, they are easy to use, just pop one around the new plant, push into ground to hold it in place. 

 These can now be planted out, Salvia hotlips, I have 2 plants, purchased locally for 50p each, and 2 Coleus, the latter being the plants I dug out the garden after a snail feast almost finished them off. 

This plant was on sale for £1, I will trim all the long growth off and pop them into water, once rooted I should have loads of new free plants. The mother plant I will pop into a pretty pot, the plant will grow with lovely new flowers. 

Hubby was looking at this grass, he loved it for his front garden, but at £15 it was more than he wanted to pay, but I love the instant appeal, so I chose the best looking plant and asked him to buy it. This is not being added to my stash list as it is for his front garden. 

I have to sort the pots by our side door, they are not looking at their best, the Coleus will replace the contents. I will then have another Fushia to go in my side bed, which means I will need to move a couple of plants, but the bed will stay looking good for the rest of the summer. I am aiming to keep everything nice for the garden birthday party for hubby at the end of August. I have loads of hot colours this year around the garden, and far less gaps than before.
Hubby planted the climbing rose behind the water butt next to the garage, there is a gap between our garage and our neighbours fence, the hope is the rose will fill this space and cover some of the water butt.
I am still harvesting fruit, but I think I have picked my last cucumber, the tomatoes are slowly turning red.

Right lets go and get my hands dirty.