Saturday's Garden Update

Here's a photo of the garden, taken after M did her usual brilliant job of tidying up yesterday ...

... there's still plenty of colour which I'm pleased with but, even though the plants are filling out it's clear that there are gaps to be addressed. We chatted about what to do next. There's still room for climbers along the back fence and there will be some empty terracotta pots, currently filled with annuals but which will be used for perennials once the annuals are over. Next year all the annuals will be grown in the plastic planters. 

We've decided to tackle the planting gaps along the fencing first, aiming to get whatever I decide on planted when she's here in two weeks time. This means I need to go to the garden centre again! 😃 I'm going to buy two more repeat flowering climbing roses for starters. I haven't decided on specific varieties but will see what catches my eye when I go to the garden centre. I also haven't finally decided on colours but am warming to the possibility of adding more yellow/lemon to the colour scheme so I'll see whether there's a yellow rose I like the look of and the other one is likely to be white or cream. Next year there will be a couple more climbers added in to interweave with the roses. At the moment it looks like this will be a perennial sweet pea and a purple bell vine but I also like this honeysuckle as well.

Despite best efforts the sweet peas didn't do well in the center bed so they have been removed to create space for an obedient plant to be planted instead. It was always the intention to swap the sweet peas for a perennial next year but I've decided to sacrifice the poorly performing sweet peas and make the change this year. The replacement plant should be here by the end of the first week in September and next year the sweet peas will be grown in one of the bigger planters nearer the house. I'm also adding a few more crocosmia lucifer and gladioli to the mix but will wait until next year to buy and plant those.

I still have to make my mind up about the additional perennials for the terracotta pots but I have all winter to decide. There will definitely be an acer but I haven't settled on the variety yet, and I'd like to try a flowering quince as well ... I love quince jelly!

The runner bean plants are still looking feeble but there are beans growing so I will just have to be patient! The dwarf beans have now all been picked so the plants have been lifted, and once the last of the tomatoes have ripened, those plants will be lifted as well. The patio apple tree has been removed and the money refunded so that will be replaced next year now, but the cherry tree and the pomegranate bush are both doing well, as are both of the blueberry bushes. All of the fruit plants need to be moved down the garden so they have more hours in the sun every day but for the winter months will live against the back wall of the house, together with the fuchsias, where it's more sheltered. 

The spring bulbs should arrive next month and they will be planted in blue pots and topped off with pansies for some winter colour. I have to buy some more blue pots as I don't think I have enough ... yet another reason to visit the garden centre! 😃

a fat bumblebee on a tatty cosmos!

Sightings of wildlife in the garden are increasing! There's always plenty of bees but this year I've also seen a greater variety of butterflies, although they haven't stayed still long enough for me to photograph them yet! I'm thinking about getting a bug hotels for all the bugs and beetles I see wandering around. Thankfully, slugs aren't a problem so far. I'm also debating about reintroducing the bird feeders to encourage more birds into the garden and maybe installing a nesting box on the garden side of the garage. I used to have a problem with visiting cats but that seems to be a thing of the past. Also, there is more shelter for the birds in the garden now so it may be worth another try.

All of M's hard work is paying off and she's as happy with how it's all looking as I am. Next year is going to be so exciting!