EGGCITING NEW SIGN!!

Our girls had better get busy!  We're eggspecting sales to rocket following the installation of our new sign at the end of the drive - courtesy of the talented Ollie Marshall!!

More Lovely Garden Visitors!

 Last week, we didn't think we'd have any more garden visitors until a couple from Oxford arrived. Having DEFINITELY thought we wouldn't have any more garden visitors this year - surprise!!  Four lovely people, two from near Bristol, came for a couple of hours this afternoon.  The sun tried to shine but really didn't try hard enough.  However they were very enthusiastic and enjoyed afternoon tea on the terrace before exploring the garden. 

PLANTING BONANZA

 Following a visit to the Plant Fair at Malvern and gifts from 3 friends, we have a brand newly planted up border!! All very exciting!!!  Have never planted up a herbaceous border before or ever had so many plants to play around with. Our new border enjoys a sloping sunny south west aspect and now contains the following:

Phlox:

Europa

Maculata Rosalind

Paniculata Red Flame

Rudbeckia:

Goldsturm

fulgida var. deamii 

Achillea:

Vintage Rose

Millefolium Summer fruits 

Echinacea purpurea Cheyenne Spirit

Digitalis foxlight Ruby Glow 

Aster:

novi-belgii blue

novi-begii Marie III pink

Coreopsis:

Mercury Rising

grandiflora Early Sunrise 

Tickseed Red Elf

Verbena officinalis var. grandiflora Bampton

Gaura lindheimii Sparkling White 

Scabious 

Bearded Iris (6)

Crocosmia (6) 

Helenium Moerheim Beauty

What a list!!  I've named them all here for my own future reference and not to bore anyone who might be reading this!  Photos to follow.

 

 

 

 

MORE CHICKEN ANTICS!

Recycled chicken activity wheel!

With an old bicycle wheel an unused parasol base and a few bits and pieces, the girls have a new facility to enjoy!! We're just waiting for them to get used to it!!

Pot Parking Pads Mini Feature!!

Newly laid flagstones.

Thanks to a power cut and having 2 buckets of mortar mixed for other work and not wanting to waste it, the well path got its entrance widened!! 

The ground drops away here so Chris Genever dug down, made foundations using sand, cement and bricks, cut the stone then laid and pointed them up.  The path here is a tad narrow for two large pots so now we can move them onto two newly lid flagstones.  

Now we're discussing what we might use as plinths for the pots!

Well path entrance.

ALL CHANGE FOR SPRING!

One last look!

Phase I - colour removal!

It's that time of year when there's  crossing over of seasons.  The raised border is full of colourful Nemesais, Marigolds and Heucheras.  If it wasn't time to plant  Wallflowers in their place, I'd being enjoying their colour for a few more weeks.

However, as requested, the Under Gardener called at Keith Boulton's Heath Nursery and came back with some particularly fine young bushy plants in Cloth of Gold, Sunset Red and Sunset White.  I also dotted a few Queen of the Night tulips among them.  

I must mention that this is the best border in the garden in which to plant Wallflowers. Not only is it alongside a much used path but as the perfume is a nose height.

Laying out & planting up.

No wonder we gardeners are such optimists.  Roll on spring!!!

All finished.

                               

WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY...............

Chris is having a well deserved break this week.  Heaven know what he's going to say when he sees what I've been up to.  I must say, only one Saturday away and I'd have sold my soul for his chainsaw!!  I tackled a massive multi stemmed old Hebe with a pruning saw and it took me ages.  He would have done it in seconds!

This all came about for 2 reasons, One: it kept flopping over the well path steps and light. Two: I bought a couple of fab later flowering Phlox plants (Europa and Maculata Rosalinde) from Stone House Cottage Nursery  The idea is to mirror the perennial colour  already on the opposite side of the path.  I'll split and move some Rudbekias and also some Echinceas to increase the effect.  Firstly, I need some muscle to dig out the Hebe roots!

Hopefully, this time next year, it will have established and look a riot of colour!  As bare as it looks now, I'm not missing the Hebe at all and the view towards Woodbury from the conservatory is much extended!

Phlox 'Europa'.