Another room

It is always a surprise when spring appears and we start using the garden again, how great that space actually is.  Because in the depths of winter you kind of forget don't you?  For me, I only venture out to the garden in the winter to tiptoe to the freezer in the garage, and usually in bare feet (how lazy not to bother finding my shoes), so even making it onto the wet grass is out of the question.  The garden in the winter is just off my radar, barely acknowledged.

And as spring appears, and the weather warms up like last weekend it becomes another room in our house.  The neglectful attitude fostered over the winter is cast aside, and we care again.  There are keen discussions between The Queen of Clean and I on spring lawn care, compost bins and plans for our veg plot.  Whilst we are doing our best impressions of 'knowing about gardening', the kids treat the garden as another room.

This weekend Yoyo invented the treadmill above - bless her, she did make me chuckle when I saw that. I would pretend hours of fun were had there but it was more like minutes.............

And then there was painting.....there was an ambitious plan for a chicken puppet copied from an Easter crafts book.  I feel sad looking at this picture, because this little project was doomed as I gave the kids plastic coated plates to paint on.  I've promised to have another crack at this soon with them (once I've got the right materials!)

And of course bike riding practice for Littlest One, complete with jumble sale doggy rucksack (40p and already a firm favourite!)

And so it truly is another room for our family.  We are off tomorrow on holiday to Pembrokeshire for a week - so pardon my silence until then..........packing awaits!

Garden in January (warning...it's not pretty!)

I've deliberately made my pictures for this post black and white, as it conveys my mood about the garden at the moment.  I do enjoy gardening, but only really venture out there when the weather is okay.

So at the moment every time I glimpse out on these scenes I'm about to show you, I just can't imagine that in a few months time it will look alright again.

 

These are my bay trees, that usually live either side of the front door.  When I was poorly and not going out of the house during the heavy snow I forgot to protect them and they have suffered.  When I finally got to them, one had been directly under a gutter and  a huge block of ice had formed in amongst the leaves.  I bought them in to the kitchen for a bit of TLC and a defrost with the hairdryer for a couple of days, then moved them to the back of the house against a warm wall.   

Despite this lavish care I think it may be bad news.  Some of the leaves are starting to develop black spots and it doesn't bode well.

These are the raised beds.  Looking a bit sorry for themselves.  Do your remember them here?

They just have some tuscan kale in at the moment - am not sure whyat made me decide to grow that, think Alys Fowler inspired me to grow it, but I've never actually eaten the stuff.  Anyhow....it seems to be growing at least.  I'm also using the raised beds to overwinter some hostas and other things that were too cramped in last years flower beds.  I thought if I took them out and cared for them in there I'd remember to reposition them come April time.

 So this is the view from my raised beds to the other end of the garden.  We had 3 trees removed at our neighbours request this summer and didn't realise how bare it would make everything look come this time of year.  We are planning what evergreen shrubs/trees we can plant this year to balance it back out.  I am officially sick of looking at that fence.

And finally, this little corner with it's cracked and empty pots kind of sums the whole garden up - in limbo.

Playing a waiting game, not sure of it's purpose.

In the meantime, I just need to take a deep breath every time I catch a glimpse and keep reminding myself it will look lovely again.

And please....keep your fingers crossed for my bay trees!

Disclaimer - this post contains a sponsored link.

Those pesky crab apples

Oh my.  It is all very stressful inside at the moment, what with the lack of heating and all.  So I've decided to turn my attention outside to autumn lawn care, and continue fighting what I consider an annual battle with my crab apples.  Whilst anything to do with grass The Queen of Clean usually takes care of, the crab apple sweeping seems to have become my job.

They always seem to defeat me.  The carnage starts late August/beginning of September and becomes a slight obsession of mine.  The aim is to keep the lawn clear.  I have two trees in the front garden that have grown from manageable ornamental trees to crab apple breeding monsters. I can be found at all hours, and in all weathers out there with my pink bucket and plastic rake.  In fact I think the neighbours think I have lost the plot (although a particularly house proud one is quite relieved that I bother and sometimes comes out to help me).  The irony is that I'm usually quite laid back about these things but those crab apples awaken some 'Hyacinth Bucket' tendencies in me.

Aside from everyone treading in the mush (I don't have a clear path to the front door so it is inevitable they get trodden on) they can't be good for the grass can they? 

One positive is that this time has come to mark a change in season, a time that I anticipate at the height of summer I will feel sad about, but when it actually happens, and it's time to feel cosy and snug inside....I always enjoy more than I think I will.

And the trees...the trees will stay.  Despite the abuse I've given them above they are actually quite pretty at every other time of year.

(Disclaimer - please note this post contains a sponsored link)

Family Tree

There was much excitement here yesterday.  We managed to impulse buy a tree!   This was something The Queen of Clean had been muttering about for a year, but we had other more pressing things in the house and garden to attend to.

Well yesterday whilst wandering around our local garden centre we saw this, and how could we resist that lovely orangey/pink foliage?  It is a Chinese Paperbark Maple, and slow growing so we could plant quite near to the house.

We had a little team of volunteers to help plant it (Yoyo's 3 friends who live in our road), and now littlest one has taken on the task of watering it every day.  A task he is most proud of.

Any tree planting I've witnessed has always been done to mark an occasion or in memory of someone.  So The Queen of Clean and I racked our brains for something or someone the tree could be planted for.  We were at a loss for someone the children could relate to - even Michael Jackson was suggested at one point.  

Needless to say we didn't go ahead with that suggestion.

But then it came to me, this tree is our Family Tree.  We plan to be here for a long long time and this tree will mark the time our family called this house and garden our home.

Fingers crossed it makes it - the planting hole was a bit suspect, but now I've attached such significance to it being okay I'm getting a little anxious!

In my garden this weekend...

.....I wish I had spent more time lying on this blanket.  Instead it lay there mocking me whilst I ran around applying suntan cream to little bodies, making food and hanging washing.

I spent lots of time inspecting my little patch - we have eaten two cucumbers (am sure my excitement levels around this are abnormal), dug all our potatoes, harvested some carrots and courgettes.

 Again - I would have liked to have spent more time sitting under this parasol, but maternal duties called.

I made the Queen of Clean look at these sweet peas on more than one occasion exclaiming like a proud child 'Do you know I grew these myself?'.  He wasn't overly impressed.

Hopefully one of you will 'get' it.

Love in a mist

We have just returned from a weeks holiday in Centerparcs, Elveden Forest.  I truly wish I had some photos to show you (after all the Queen of Clean was with me and he can take a decent shot), but despite taking the camera, due to a technical difficulty (I won't bore you with details) the camera battery went flat.  So no pictures of the little goslings and moorhen chicks that stalked our patio, or the squirrels that systematically raided our bike trailer every night for leftover snacks.

So we return, having had much fun as a fivesome, but not well rested.  Probably overdid it with the activites.....and my online banking confirms this for me when I checked tmy balance this afternoon.  Could have been a mistake to keep littlest one up for 'night swimming' until 9pm at night for the last two evenings - he is exhausted and a little irritable.

And yes I know I am naughty taking the kids out of school during term time (I should add here that I did have permission from both schools.........not sure why I'm feeling the need to justify, but there you have it).

So on to the picture above.  Obviously I missed the garden hugely during my time away and some kind neighbours looked after things whilst we were gone.  These love in a mist flowers are my favourite thing at the moment and the more you cut them, the more they flower. So I shall keep a jam jar of these little beauties on my kitchen windowsill for as long as possible.

They come from this patch in the garden here.............(which incidentally appeared from nowhere, I didn't plant them so they have self sown from a neighbouring garden).

 

Unfortunately this also seems to be Martha the kittens' favourite playing spot and she loves diving in to this feathery mass and breaking the stems.  Not sure how much more kitty abuse they will stand.

A garden bore?

I am at risk of becoming a garden bore.

The symptoms are as follows:-

• Clutching a copy of Alys Fowler's 'Edible Garden' wherever I go around the house.

• Skiving off maternal duties to grab 5 mins to read above book..........like it's some sort of guilty pleasure.

• Stolen moments thinking of my garden and my next move - be it hoeing, planting, watering........ throughout the day.

• Luring the children to the garden centre after school with the promise of Pick n' Mix (even that no longer seems to be working - they are bored)

In short, I can think of little else.  Progress on the house has come to an abrupt halt.  In fact seeds and compost are literally spilt over all my windowsills. Even the Queen of Clean has admitted defeat and joined in......and turned a blind eye to the housework to keep me company.

So here we are....I feel the need to share.  As you can see it is nothing magnificient, but it is my little corner of the universe.

My garden in May...........

I'm rather obsessed with the garden at the moment, and thought I'd use this space to capture each month in my little patch.  This little montage of photos has no rhyme or reason - simply things that caught my eye today whilst mooching around the garden..........

.........this Bleeding Heart in white, didn't realise this colourway even existed.  Just adore these perfect little white hearts, and I'm told they don't mind being planted in the shade (fingers crossed!)

.......some more shade loving hostas and ferns.  No slug damage yet, but note my over zealous application of the blue slug pellets. 

.......apple blossom that seems to be disappearing as quickly as it has arrived.

......this mystery plant that I certainly didn't plan for or have last year.  I recognise it from Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden book, think it is a Cerinthe?  Obviously travelled here by seed, and it is of course most welcome.  Love the almost silver/purple foliage.

.......the veg patch coming along slowly but surely.  Including these little radishes below...........

And in this recent garden obsession I have discovered lots of lovely new blogs - my absolute favourite which I must share with you is Carrots & Kids.  I spent a blissful afternoon reading through these archives, if you are into gardening do check it out.

Things that have happened since I last posted..........

I have turned 33.

I have driven on my own for the first time ever on a motorway.  (M1, then M6).  I am beyond proud.

These hosta in my garden have made an appearance.  Every year I think I've lost them, and every year at the last minute they appear.  Like reliable friends.  I think my excitement at their appearance is probably considered excessive by the rest of my household........am even dragging unsuspecting visitors out to inspect these new arrivals.

Raised beds (.........or giant litter trays?)

Sorry I haven't been around here much.  I had nasty food poisoning last week and then I kind of lost my flow.....

But we are very proud of what we created this weekend.  And it really is a shoestring project (unlike some of my recent posts).  I'll even cost it out for you.

I mentioned here that we were going to build some raised beds, and eventually this weekend our plan came together.  The Queen of Clean had some free wood from work (packaging for electrical cabinets all the way from Minnesota) so there was no excuse.  We decided two rectangles would work best in our little plot (essentially as I couldn't commit to anything more elaborate) and went ahead and built them - one Friday evening and one Saturday morning.

I don't have any pictures of the building and painting as it all got a bit heated - I was accused of poor project management skills by my husband when I announced  Saturday lunchtime that they had to be painted cream (same colour as our playhouse), but I couldn't source any cream paint and was just popping out to get my haircut.  Poor project management skills, I ask you?! Needless to say it all came good in the end - I found cream paint in the fourth shop I visited (and now have nice hair).

We built the little path in between the beds from roof tiles that we found in a corner of our garden when we moved here.  This means we'll be able to access the beds even if the grass is wet.

And this afternoon we planted:

Mange Tout
Radish
Carrot
Dwarf sweetcorn
Onion
Broccoli

.........and tried to persuade our kitties that we had not just built them two giant litter trays! Eugh - eventually resorted to green netting across the top, just until they get the message.

Here is a picture of the before (taken end of Feb I think).........it really was an eyesore this patch of the garden.  A huge heap of rubbish and a neglected apple tree.

And here is the now (complete with netting to discourage kitties). The other side of the beds we have put grass seed down as funds won't stretch to the shed I had planned for. 

As promised the cost for this project:-

Wood = Free
Soil - 9 x huge bags = £36 (could have sourced cheaper than the garden centre I'm sure but blame my poor project management skills!)
Cream paint = 2.5 litre can was £19.98 (but also got enough to repaint my playhouse so am costing this at £10)
Labour = Free (although I did have to make several cups of tea to keep Queen of Clean digging)
Roof tiles for path = Free
Fancy wooden plant labels = 10 for £1.98
Netting = £4.00

Total = £51.96

I must also admit I was extremely stupid and let the kids paint these beds without changing their clothes first, and lost some decent jeans and t-shirts in the process.  But will not include these in the cost tally above! 

Green (or perhaps Pink) Fingers

We planted these Ranunculus bulbs today - I soaked them in water overnight beforehand and they swelled up like this.  Yoyo refused to handle unless she wore gloves....nobody else would touch them.  The boys thought they looked like Dalek Sec's head (if you're not a Dr Who fan sorry if the reference confuses, but have a google, the boys are actually spot on).

So in theory at some point this summer these horrible little things will turn into these beauties.......

source

I shall wait with bated breath.

On another garden note - I saw a great new programme tonight, The Edible Garden.  Well worth catching on BBC iplayer if you didn't see it.  There is a book accompanying the series that looks interesting too The Edible Garden: How to Have Your Garden and Eat It (note heavy hint to any of my family who read this and are stuck for birthday ideas ;-)!)

The programme is also giving away five free packets of seeds for anyone signing up via this link (mixed salad, courgette, basil, french beans, carrot). 

Big plans

There are big plans underfoot for this little corner of my garden.

I am sure my wonky picture above confirms my intentions.  We are going to build raised beds this weekend for vegetables (everything to make Shepherds Pie with except the cow, according to the Queen of Clean).  So carrots, potatoes, onions.  And of course non-shepherd pie ingredients of lettuce, broccoli, radish......and am sure there will be many others.

We are a bit worried about this area getting enough light, but thought 'what the heck.....let's have a go'. If nothing else it will have been fun trying.

Eventually we will also have a shed here - at the moment we are storing kids bikes etc in the playhouse, making it very unhomely......which makes me very sad.

I'm getting lots of inspiration from this fantastic blog, My Tiny Plot.  Do have a look if you are into growing your own.

Compromise

After my snowdrops post my Mum sent me this victorian teacup (along with a Shepherd's Pie she had cooked). 

And I thought long and hard about digging those snowdrops up, with a little moss to cover the dirt on top.

But I resisted......and came up with this compromise.

Thanks Mum, those snowdrops and cup have truly made me smile when I most needed it today :o)

Snowdrops

Amongst the bedlam of my garden, I found these yesterday, nestled in amongst the Ivy that has taken over my flowerbeds.

I have been fighting an internal battle since then to dig them up and bring them inside.  Perhaps in a pretty vintage teacup?  Except I don't have a pretty vintage teacup..........

 Must. Not. Do. It.