Mostly these

but amongst them are frogs and a visiting hedgepig, who are most welcome

Dandelions
Frogs and hedgepigs are good, they eat all the bad things.

First year we've had a garden we actually own - last year I tried to grow some stuff in pots but the miscarriage storm started to hit again toward the end of the summer and I basically fell apart and everything died.

Most stuff in pots because we haven't got to grips with what's in the beds yet... lots and lots and lots of pansies and violas (many lovingly sat on by the dog) because I absolutely love them... sweet peas that aren't growng very quickly but are still surviving... peas... spring onions... mange tout (which has gone mental)... radishes... lettuce... strawberries... cucumber... chillies... got some tomato plants I think I planted out too early but they seem to be surviving and I've got more from seed ready anyway if they don't make it... also herbs - mint thyme rosemary dill basil corriander and we've planted a few fruit canes which aren't showing any progress yet and won't fruit first year if they DO survive... and we've got a mature pear tree in the garden as well that was fruiting like mad when we came to view the house before we bought it.

I MAY have overdone it on the tomatoes - hubby hates them - I eat the cherry ones like sweets. My chillis took forever to start from seed so I went out to buy some plants - now of course all mine have taken off so I may have a few too many of them as well. No greenhouse so I've had to risk planting stuff out far too early but so far it's survived and we're nearly away from frost risk anyway - and it's all a learning curve anyhow.

Neighbour's about to plant a grapevine up the adjoining fence - so we may have grapes dangling over the fence to nab as well (he's said to nab at will if it does come to fruit)!

Haven't really touched the beds at all - chucked a lot of summer flowering bulbs in there so the place doesn't look bare but we've got rose bushes that are 6 foot high that need pruning back under control and the like still to sort out. The one thing we DID really plant was a magnolia tree - for very sentimental reasons as the twins I miscarried would have been due about now (well, exactly now today) and I wanted something in the garden now we're in our permanent home that came into flower this time of year to remember them by.

The lawn's shockingly bad though - house stood empty for 2 years before we bought it, and of course it's got the mandatory doggy pee yellow patches in it... and a cracking selection of dandelions at the moment. We need all the outside hard landscaping re-doing really - the front path is falling apart, and the back bottom patio concrete is completely cracked and shot, with the back top patio being really badly laid as well - will ask builder neighbour to do us a quote at osme point.

The garden's actually tiny btw - just sounds huge cos I've put pots everywhere at the far patio that actually gets sunlight most of the day!

Erm...

Apples, pears, plums, cherries, strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants

Spuds, garlic, onions, jerusalem artichokes, 4 kinds of bean, 8 kinds of chilli, 10 kinds of tomato, 2 types of carrot, some salad-y things, aubergine, courgette, cucumber

Thyme, sage, oregano, mint, bay, chervil, borage, chamomile, rosemary, cumin, lavendar, tarragon

No pics at the mo, but will try and get some up soon....

This is my Montana and my little hidey hole when it is hot.



Hope your sweet peas are growing Tilly. Mine are a bit slow but then I am not the most patient of people

Beautiful

Your'e Montana is beautiful too Sue
My sweet peas have grown 1.5 cms
and some seeds which I threw in a pot have come through too

OMG you measure your sweet peas.
Now where is my tape measure........

Sue
Your Clematis Montana is gorgeous-how old is it?
Ive a few clematis,but none are as early as the Montana
I grow potatoes in tubs,
Tumbler tomatoes in hanging baskets,dead easy -loads of little tomatoes
trailing begonias in pots and baskets-really gorgeous and carry on till the first frosts,
sweet peas up a spirally metal thing-didnt have much success last year,but was told to pinch out the growing tips and to give lots of feed-so Ive been pinching and giving them the leftovers from our tea-not sure if thats the right feed-but if its good enough for us-it should be good enough for them
also nasturtiums-will grow anywhere and need NO care-apart from checking for black fly,will self seed like mad
tried peas this year for the first time
violas
trailing giant fuschias
mint-could eat it with nearly anything
yellow poppies-again I planted 1 and it self seeded everywhere-lovely happy flowers which cheer me up when Im down

When we moved in here O.H did all kinds in the back garden
but we had a side garden at the back too which was like a jungle-(the window cleaner used to ask if he could put his ladder in it as no one would ever find it-honestly thats the truth)
There were weeds like something out of Jack and and the Beanstalk and when O.H was pestered to do something to sort it -he would dig a few things up and have a bonfire!

When I retired from teaching-some of the vast amount(NOT) I received I spent on the side garden
built a little pond,pergola and stuff.
O.H now cuts the grass ,cant do weeding-as he says he doesnt know a plant from a weed,doesnt do digging-bad back,so I do most of it and it keeps me sane-well a bit sane,
Our cats come out supervised as 1 is a real Houdini,our dementia dog wanders round looking for something he has lost-but he cant remember what it is
and our other dog Lulu who we lost at the end of January is buried there,along with 2 other dogs 2 cats ,a few hamsters and some mice.
Excuse the rambling post-just love talking about gardening -its so rewarding and its lovely to sit in the garden and see all the things you planted growing so well -or just withering away as some of mine have
Maureen

Hi Maureen,

The Montana is about 10 years old I think and I have never cut it back - scared to now in case I damage it.

I love my garden too and will be putting in all the usual this year, geraniums, begonias, fuschia, cordiline (sp?) etc. etc. I have two lovely big stone troughs which look lovely in mid summer. I also had some free seeds sent to me of various flowers so have chucked those around as well. My favourite flowers though are definitely roses, especially the scented ones - can't beat them. With everyone growing so many vegetables I am definitely going to have to branch out a bit and especially like the idea of tomatoes in hanging baskets - what a great idea. Your garden sounds like a real hive of activity and as you say, keeps you sane