firbeck 860 Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 In April I published a thread about Spring and all it's attendant wildlife, I just thought you might like to say how the summer is affecting your gardens and what has happened in the last few months. Our garden thankfully isn't very big, but backing on to a conservation area, it seems like it, we had an enormous garden at our last house and it was a pain maintaining it, this one is just right. This year we filled our drive at the side up with planting boxes for veg, we also have a small greenhouse up there too. We've been virtually self sufficient in salad stuff and veg for a couple of months now, there's nowt like your own stuff picked straight from the garden. Over the weekend everything but the meat was home grown, spuds, the parsley on them, runner beans, carrots, yellow courgettes, the cabbage isn't up to scratch yet, but it's developing. Last year I built an arbor along the side of the garage: As you can see, we've got so much growing along it, runner beans, the grape vines are doing well, bar one that died as the dog used it as a toilet, but we have a replacement clematis, another one shooting up and an unhappy honeysuckle, I built it out of that stress graded timber from B&Q, the whole thing only cost me £25 to build, though I admit to being able to sit at my drawing board and design it precisely, any one willing to pay for a cheap arbor design? Our Nectarine tree is unhappy, it's suffering from blight, I know the cause and treatment but can do nothing till the winter, got plenty of fruit on it though: On the other hand, the Victoria Plum tree is going mental: Looking forward to the crop after a dissapointing 2008. The pond has been a bit of a struggle, few dragonflies this year but loads of tadpoles and newts which are subsequently hopping all over the garden, I daren't cut the grass. The water lily has been a bit of a dissapointment: Perhaps I'd better post this and carry on or the site won't cope. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 We've had so many birds nest in here with so many broods, Robins, Blackbirds, Sparrows, Great and Blue Tits, Dunnocks, the blackbirds currently have a nest next door, here they were with some of their last lot:- Like I said the frogs, of all different sizes are everywhere, I've never seen anything like it: Every time you go to get some spuds or a lettuce, there's always a frog lurking and whenever the dog goes for a pee or a crap in the garden, a frog makes him jump, he don't bother them though. We've had some great caterpillars, look at these beasts: They are the larvae of Mullein Moths, they must be big buggers, we've had so many incredible butterflies too. As for the greenfly, we are overun with various types of Ladybirds and beetles that are happily munching away, let nature do it's course. Well thats my story, how are you lot doing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fynger 841 Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Nice pix .....looks a lovely garden ( we've not got one ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Thats really sad mate, I can imagine you lot really loving a garden, like I said, ours isn't very big but we use every square inch, of all the various gardens I've owned, big or small, this is the most loveable and fruitfull I've ever been involved with. It's all down to Lizzie, she's a gem and has sorted everything, despite never really seriously involved with gardening before, she's just taken off, it's brilliant. It's not just the garden, it's the wildlife that comes with the balance. We have a family of hedgehogs, lovely cuties that are so small but shuffle around the lawn at night, you can sit out at night and take it all in, the bats flying about are massive for a start, mysterious noises in the undergrowth, foxes talking to Scooby Doo over the fence, we love it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plantfit 7,662 Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 My little patch of the Mediterranean in Lincolnshire, don't know why because I,ve never been there, the arch is now covered in blue clematis and passion flowers but the yukka has died back Rog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted August 9, 2009 Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 Welcome to the jungle! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radfordred 6,284 Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 So there's a few gardeners on here on one side my flowers beds are covered in this dig it up it comes back ? anyone identify it ? Close up some more photos here help flowers or weeds ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Comfrey The Wonder Plant ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radfordred 6,284 Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Errm and what about those little things close to the ground ? looks like cress ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 I think that's 'Chick Weed' Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bip 88 Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 What makes one think any creepy crawly would be interested in making a home in my back garden Hey!! All come to that visiting this little corner of utopia in sawley. Bip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 I didn't realise you were into modern art, just love the way the empty gas bottle compliments the forlorn cement mixer, plus the fence giving an impression of privacy but allowing a vision of open spaces, did you get a grant for doing such? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radfordred 6,284 Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Someones pinched your hose pipe & left the hose pipe holder , strange that ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bip 88 Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 We have had a spate of hosepipes going a miss with just the reel holder left behind ‘funny that? My nosy neighbour reported to me yesterday that his had gone a walkies all that was left was the six designer pray attachment nozzle…….good job I had a spare hose to lend him…. Bip. !cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Are you sure that the picture wasn't taken at your nearest Local Authority 'Travellers' site, if it really is your garden, be careful, you could wake up one morning and find half a dozen pykies caravans parked up with their 200 Irish residents admiring the view, chopping up the patio and spreading hardcore all over the place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tich 0 Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 Beautiful garden, you are a lucky man having a lady with green fingers, lovely job I can taste the veg from here. Your water lillies could perhaps do with feeding Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted August 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 How do you feed water lilies then, they are rooted in the detritus thats formed at the bottom of the pond. Last week we went down the river and got a bucket full of minnows, sticklebacks, snails, dragonfly larvae, water beetles etc etc, to supplement all the rest of the teeming life in there so we can't put any artificial feed in the pond, any suggestions. A couple of weeks ago we went to our local garden centre that was selling off all it's seed stock for 50p a packet, we had a £10 voucher and ended up with 20 packets for free, reckon that lot was worth £30. Some interesting stuff too, we dug up the last of our spuds and hung up the onions and planted out some late varieties. The weather has been so perfect the last couple of weeks that everything is coming up like mad, we have some late varieties of dwarf broad beans and french beans that I've never seen before and they are coming up very well. The problem we have is too many plums, we're getting fed up with them already, but Liz has got all the stuff ready to make plum jam, so they won't be wasted. The surplus of runner beans is not a problem, they're being blanched and put in the freezer for Xmas. It's generally been a good year, the only failures have been grapes and cucumbers and the peppers have only just come into flower, plenty of time yet though. Incidentally, we have our names down for 3 allotments, one is a distinct possibility for next year, that should make us self sufficient for food, chickens are being talked about as well, perhaps we could even put a moo cow in with our horses, no, don't even think about it, I don't want to be milking at 4 in the morning. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 G'day cobbers, just been walkabout to the old motherland to see me fair dinkum mate Ashley, he suggested I post a pic of me garden Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlebro 234 Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 Complete with his'n'hers thunderboxes out the back! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 I was watering the plants out the front yesterday and noticed that two of them were missing, my standard Budleiagh and a rare related species. Bumping into the old girl that lives next door yesterday, she informed me that they were trouble and would block out our light, so she dug them up out of my garden and they ended up in her green wheelie bin, no discussion, just done. I've rescued the rare variety, lets hope it recovers, assuming it survives, it will have to go in the back garden, I can't fall out with her about it because she is such a love, lets see what she digs up next. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 set fire to her shed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Is that how you wish to treat your local OAP's Ashley. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,091 Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Sorry about your plants, firbeck, but you did give me a smile this morning. You've got to love the old folks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 wish someone would love me, I'm an OAP! lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Do you dig up your neighbours plants as well Ashley. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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