Home again, home again

Jiggedy jig 

So first thing on returning home from our holiday, and all 3 of us are in the garden. I had asked for my baskets to be watered daily. As you can see, something didn't quite go according to plan and most of the plants are either dead or dying. I really hope some tlc over the next couple of days will save some of them.

Bumblebee's plot is mostly full of flowers now that are also pretty much past their best. We'll have a bit of a tidy up and see what if anything will flower again.

While  away, I worried that these fuchsia cuttings I had taken recently would loose too much water and would die. I needn't have worried, they all have roots on them!

I took some clematis cuttings whilst tidying our friends garden in the Netherlands. I hope at least one takes, it's a spectacular plant. 

A wander around the front garden checking on everything. 

This daphne below doesn't seem very happy.  It might be because since the tree outside our garden was removed, it has been less shaded than it would prefer. I think I'll move it in the autumn. 

I couldn't see it at first, but I could smell this single rose. 

All the hardy geraniums have leafed back up after their haircut last month. They'll give me another flush of flowers in a couple more weeks. 

The tree has 'flowered' again. It's most unusual, but pretty. 

The photinia has surpassed my expectations. We cut this back very hard last month to rejuvenate it, and it certainly paid off. The new foliage is wonderful!

And the holly is looking great. I shall use this in my Christmas decorations. 

The acer too has surprised me. It'll need a bit of a reshape, but it looks so pretty. 

Have I mentioned one of my favourite plants are hydrangeas? 

With the three in the front garden, we also have another two in the birch bed. The one in the bottom photo will be moved this autumn because it's not very happy in its current spot. Gardening is all about trial and error and finding what works best where. 

And so to the back garden. 

The arch is smothered in two honeysuckles and two clematis. Scent and beauty. 

The pink and white border, aka the birch bed:

Another forgotten basket. This one is in the open though so had some rain. 

Penstemon in grasses

Honeysuckle

Intertwined with clematis

Lilies

Anemone

Fuchsia. I need a support for this one to appreciate the flowers better. 

And of course the pond. 

Rose on a Ramble

We visited our friends in The Netherlands this week and helped out in the garden. First stop was the garden centre of course and filled the car with lots of lovelies

Firstly the plants we had brought over with us had to find new homes, along with those snaffled from another of our friends garden back at the beginning of summer.

Some evergreens were added in the form of hebes and euonymous. 

We replaced the cane supports for something a little less conspicuous, and some plants were given a bit of a tidy up. 

This corner was to receive a bit of a makeunder and we added a large clump of foxgloves to flower next year. 

The hellebores had a bit of a tidy. 

And here we added a dicentra, which is now dying down. It will be back in the spring. 

More wire supports added here to the dahlias. 

And a lovely red grass planted. 

Geranium and another hebe join a few clumps of primulas, a fuchsia and a passion flower to train up a fan to the right of shot. 

My own Man that Can joined my friend's Man that Will to set up a waterbutt and we planted a large grass to eventually help hide it. 

The trellis was erected and passion flower attached. 

Another trellis panel attached and one of 3 honeysuckles moved from the corner to this area. 

This was the congested corner of the garden. The other two honeysuckles remain but we have hard pruned the clematis. I took cuttings of the clematis for myself and the ones of the scented honeysuckle were taken for our friend's mum. 

Once the garden matures, it'll all fill out lovely. Another visit will of course be needed to enjoy it. 

Pond update

Just had to share

Project Wildlife Pond

On a recent visit to our favourite garden (and its owners of course), we sat whiling away some time by their pond.  They have the most beautiful wildlife pond fed by an amazing little stream.  It looks so natural that if we hadn't seen it being created, we would not have known it wasn't.

The Man that Can from that garden was good enough to draw up a plan for our very own little water feature.  We 'lived' with the plan for a while before my own Man that Can decided that with a little adaptation he was ready to begin.

The original plan was to have a pond at the top of this part of the patio feeding a waterfall and another pond below on the bottom.  We discussed it, but because we have dogs and regularly disinfect the main patio, it wouldn't be suitable for a pond on the bottom part.  So we would adapt it to fit it all on the top part.  (also away from little ones when they visit).

We've decided that our garden breeds rocks.  Fortunately many of the rocks could be useful.

The soil beneath sand and rocks beneath the thin layer of concrete beneath the slabs was of really good quality.  It might not be as long a project as first imagined.

A much needed rest before discovering the liner wasn't quite level and having to be removed.

Rocks dug up having a good scrub.

And Bob's your mother's brother!

The ferns from the wicker basket were found a more permanent home, along with a couple of lily of the valley plants from our friends and the lilac coloured hardy geranium that didn't quite fit in the pink garden.  The 'log' came with us from our old garden and will be the perfect place for froglets to hide should we be fortunate to get some.

Isn't it amazing what you can create in a weekend?