Potty gardener

I love my pots, I am always showing them on here, I even did a post about them back in 2018, seen here, I did say I would cut back on the number of pots I have, and promised hubby I would not litter the new decking with pots, Well.............

Decking is clear only 3 pots, 2 along the fence are placed for the lemon smells near our table, and Kirk sits under the other table. Both tables have a flowering plant pot and there is a pot in the corner with yew in, but that's on the ground not on the decking. The chicken pot above is on the shelf along by our neighbours fence, seen here.

So how many pots do I have? 

Hubby will say too many, but I do love growing in pots, there are 2 pots in the front garden but these are hubby's so I'm not adding them into my count. 

• 6 pots along the side of the house, 3 oblong matching planted with flowers, 2 planted with eucalyptus by front door and 1 planted with shrubs by dustbins. 
• 9 pots at house end of garden, 3 on decking, 1 in corner next to house, 2 planted with Olives, 2 planted with flowers on table, and my chicken, which was a watering can. 
• 19 in middle lawn area, 4 pots have fruit bushes in, 5 pots have plants grown from my seeds and pips, 2 have herbs in, 8 planted with flowers.
• 4 chimney pots, 3 are planted with flowers. 
• 22 in back section, 1 planted with Acer, 3 planted with Hosta's, 8 planted with spring bulbs and flowers, 3 planted with mixed plants, 1 succulent tower (3 pots high), 2 planted with saplings, the last 2 big pots are empty, but I would like more fruit in these. 

I am not counting in my greenhouse, almost everything in there is in a clay pot or a pretty kitchen pot, that's a lot of pots, most of them are not too big,  but I do have loads of time on my hands, to care for them. The back section up by my greenhouse is often a holding spot, the spring pots stay here most of the year and are popped closer to the house when they start to grow. 

I do love the bright blue glazed pots and have a few around the garden, most of the outside pots are much bigger, they have their permanent place and add height to my tiny spaces. All my other pots are years old, they are not plastic, I do like natural pots, I do have one hosta in a copper coal bucket, which helps stop the slugs. 

The fruits, Olive's and the pots on the decking are all plastic, all these pots are huge, so I use the lighter plastic, I don't move them often they are all heavy. The large Olive pot has a water system in it's base and also has wheels, we would not be able to move it, in winter we can wrap it and pop in down the side of the garage to keep it out of the wind. 

My pips and seed plants and the smaller Olive will later in the year go back inside my greenhouse, I have planned space for them inside. All flowering pots get 2 planting per year summer and winter, the rest stay in place all through the year. 

I do love my pots, I have a trio of Acer plants due, and guess what no pot to plant them in, oh well better start looking.

Lastly for honesty, I have 16 plants in pots inside the house, some are tiny pots with nasties in the bathroom, up to a big pot with my coffee plants in in the sitting room. 

Growing season.

Peony time, I love these blooms

 Last of my tulips, 

these should have been red, but I do love the pink

 Alliums, not a bud at all, disappointing

 Hosta's love the shade in front of my shed, just popped the big one on a stool this morning. The tiny plant in the front was growing with the variegated plant, so I moved it to it's own pot. 

 My seedlings are getting a good size, these are spaced so I am not going to pot them on, I love cosmos, these are white and hubby loves french marigolds. 

 More cosmos, these are mixed colours and some Godetia, I want a few bulky patches of them in the garden. I will pass some to my neighbour.  I also have some Zinna's but only 6 plants and my english marigolds just did not grow, another disappointment. I have last weekend sown some chamomile seeds for the big pot in my herb garden. 

 Herbs, lemon grass and lavender cuttings, all looking good. 

 Tomatoes and in the 2 big pots cucumbers, still tiny but growing. I got 3 plants from the pet shop for the pots at the side of the house, they will be planted with french marigolds. 

 More marigolds and cut and come lettuce. 

The rain has done loads to help the garden, and the plants in the greenhouse are all doing well, I have almost no space left inside the greenhouse, but I don't mind, just a few more weeks and then I can plant out.
Last year I purchased 2 salvis, hotlips plants, they have survived the winter outside and are growing, so I have taken cuttings in hope I get a few more plants, not bad for £1 spent.

Hubby purchased a wall mounted growing frame for his rose in our front garden, it was sold in a pack of 2, I was going to use the 2nd for my bramble at the bottom of the garage, but changed my mind and decided it would be better for the jasmine next to the house, it keeps getting tangled in the rain down pipe, hubby is forever connecting the pipe back to the roof section. I wanted to trim the plant as it has become very top heavy, so we set about sorting, whilst I was cutting away some of the plant, I managed to twist and bend, nothing silly, but enough to set my back going again, so I am hobbling about again. I was bad on Sunday, Monday I felt a bit better, but still not able to do much, today I am still aware of the issue, but I am moving better, my office chair gives brilliant support, is that an excuse to linger here longer. 

Waking up

We still have loads of colour in the garden,

 it's a bit dull today so the tulips have not fully opened.

 Top row, left my very old Peony coming back and right a new plant for this year

Bottom left a new daisy plant, and right my lemongrass planted. 

 Fruit with loads of buds and flowers, bottom right my pink blueberries should have some fruit for the 1st year. 

 Trees, Kiwi, Acer, Twisted Willow and Magnolia. 

 My pots at the side of the house are all dead, dried up, they will have to stay until the bedding plants are ready, my eucalyptus are both doing well. 

 In the greenhouse, my Japanese blood grass is starting to grow, with new red leaves. The small olive tree is coming back, we damaged the roots last year. 

Just a photo visit to the garden, I am loving how our natural world just carries on whilst humans are suffering this pandemic. We have loads of birds visiting the garden, not seen anything of our regular hedgehog, still a bit early for them. Spring is marching on, hopefully with warmer weather, everywhere will bloom for us to enjoy.
Family members have coughs and colds, nothing drastic, plus hay fever is starting for both daughters. Will is clear of chickenpox, but baby George is covered in them, at 4 months mummy is keeping his hands covered so no scratching. I so want to go and help support them, but we have to stay away, it's so hard, a video call just increases the desire to drive to their's, don't worry I won't, but I so want too.