This last week has been utterly glorious and the sun has been cracking the flags which has allowed me to get cracking on the millions of jobs needing doing in the garden. The cold Spring has left me really behind and now everything is growing at such speed I simply can’t keep up with all the seedlings needing potting on and plants needing planting out. So, it was a case of onwards and upwards!!! FINALLY, I managed to dig out the overgrown herb garden. Sadly, most of the original plants died as I kept them in water which herbs loath, but I’ve planted out some herbs that I grew in the greenhouse, and I have plenty more growing from seed. This year I’m only growing herbs I use and Rosemary and Lavender for the pollinators.
Next, I began the ordeal of weeding the wildflower border. As it has so many tree roots it’s almost impossible to get the long grass from beneath the roots. I know how archaeologists feel now…. and of course Curly always steals my weeding mat which is hard on my old knees….
Finally I finished it! Oh what joy!!!! Then it was time to plant it up, which is one of my favourite jobs. I’ve planted tall sunflowers and about a hundred wildflower seedlings, including hollyhocks, delphiniums, marshmallows and other wildflowers that have faded name tags, and, as I haven’t grown them before, I’ll have to wait until they’re bigger to find out what they are.
It should be fantastic when it grows!
Moving a hundred or so plants has certainly given me more room to play with in the greenhouse, which I urgently needed for my tomatoes, courgettes, melon and peppers.
My veggie patch is thriving too and my broad beans have finally flowered! Yippeee!!! It does need weeding though……sighs….there really are not enough hours in the day and housework has gone out of the window!
Now some of you may remember the wonderful antique barrows I got from the auction last year which I painted up. Well….now I’ve planted them too and they look absolutely gorgeous! And even more rewarding, all the plants are home grown!!! A mixture of cuttings and annuals should produce a real blaze of colour in a few weeks. And see those benches under the window? well, they came from a church. I like to call them my prayer seats, and this year I’ve painted them blue….well, they were sitting still!
A closer view of the barrows…..please ignore the overgrown sage patch!
And look at these fab olive trees hubs got me for my anniversary. That little trolley to the right is about to be painted too! AND the woodwork on the door…..really got the painting bug now I have!
A lovely surprise arrived in the post, it came from my lovely blog friend, Marion, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several times. She sent me seeds and a lovely friendship ribbon for my tree in the courtyard.
And here it is all tied on. Thanks Marion, you’re a real sweetheart!
And the same day daughter bought me these gorgeous little tea roses. Aren’t they a lovely colour. I added some garden flowers and now have a wonderful little posy.
And for her trouble???? Yes, I sent her out weeding yet another over-run border.
And finally, it’s been so hot Duggie has had to don a hat, and somehow he’s acquired himself a doggie friend!!!
Lol….there’s NEVER a happy medium is there? If only we just had the inbetween for a while.xxxx
Summer took so long to get here this year. Mercifully, it still hasn’t been too hot. I hope that trend holds out for as long as possible- I may complain about long winters, but the 30-35 C days are hard on me.
I’m SO glad you’re enjoying nice weather too, we too missed Spring, as you say the seasons are very confused. I can understand how those temperature changes can cause real problems, hopefully everything will settle down again.
Happy gardening.xxxx
Ohhh so nice, you did a great job! Here summer arrived too (finally) but this year we didn’t have spring… seasons are getting crazy… and from 5-6° we jump up to 27°.
This give us quite troubles with gardening…
Thanks for these lovely pictures full with inspiration 🙂
have a lovely week
claudine
A very bust time for you which is paying dividends. Dougie looks rather dapper.
Lol….dapper indeed! Thanks Dessie.xxxx
Your barrows are looking fantastic in blue, and I love those prayer seats, what treasures!
All that hard work in your wildflower border is sure to reward you with a gorgeous display, and, what is it with cats and kneeling mats. Mine gets scratched to bits as they use it to sharpen their claws on!!
Thanks Paula, treasures indeed. I’ll have to take good care of them and keep them painted.
Lol….Curly cat scratches mine too! I didn’t realize that all cats had a thing for them.xxxx
Lol, thanks Kegs…..ground elder? groans…..it’s impossible to get rid of the stuff, it overpowers everything in my garden, and no matter what I can’t get rid of it…..good luck with yours!
Daughter is being rather angelic at the moment….not sure what she’s after!!!!
Hahahaha….I’m far too fond of blue and do get carried away. In our last house, I awoke one day and realized that I had decorated every room in blue!!! Seriously…..I wasn’t even aware I was doing it! A girl has to know when to stop!!!!xxxx
I feel worn out just reading about all your exertions ! You have reminded me that I need to get to grips with some nasty ground elder that is coming under next door’s fence. It is a pain to get rid of.
Your bouquet looks lovely and how nice of your daughter to buy the roses for you. She is very good doing the weeding for you. What did you bribe her with ? LOL :>>
I do like your propensity to paint everything blue. Blue is a very calming colour. I like it too.Those barrows will look great when the flowers are all out. And the church pews are a fantastic idea. A good place to sit and rest after your travails.
Thanks for another enjoyable post xxx
I just adore your garden and those Hollyhocks and Delphiniums will look gorgeous when in flower. x
Thanks Suzy, I cant wait for them to grow, it’s like watching paint dry waiting for them to shoot up!xxxx
That first image is the perfect image of what a garden should be – dogs playing and people sunbathing – us gardeners so often don’t take the time to just sit and enjoy all our hardwork.
I’m loving those Bean supports and the colourful barrows however the stocks are just the business as far as I’m concerned – in fact i may have to have a go at making some for the garden – I can put Mr TG in them until he relents to my way of thinking re the pond lol.
You have a beautiful garden there Snowbird.
Thanks Linda, how very true re never getting to enjoy the garden, funnily enough I said the very same thing to hubs recently. Recently I’ve tried to sit out and eat, especially as the weather has been so lovely. You just can’t beat being outdoors.
OH!!!! How WONDERFUL it would be if you made some stocks too!!!! Lol…poor Mr TG…..He’d best mend his ways FAST!!!!! xxxx
Your garden looks so beautiful. And you’re right, of course… there are not enough hours in the day. We realize that as we grow older. And you should never let a day go by without spending some time with Curly. I love wildflowers, but here they don’t last too long. Wishing you luck.
Thanks Shimon. Yes, the older I get the faster time flies!
Ahhh….my little friend Curly cat is fed twice a day and is always waiting outside the front door so she always gets two long cuddles a day, whatever the weather, and many more when I’m outside. This reminds me that I must do a post on her…..she really is the oddest and most trusting cat that I have ever come across.
I’m really hopeful re my wildflowers, I just have to try and keep the dogs from trampling the seedlings.xxxx
I forgot to say that I love the painted barrows:):)xxx
Thanks Janet, they are lovely aren’t they. No-one makes them like that anymore.xxxx
I can hear all the joys of good weather in your voice through cyberspace, and the photographs tell the story of renewal and hope.
I love the image with the kitty hat:)
Have a fabulous weekend dear Dina.xxxxxx
Thanks Janet, the good weather is a real help re getting painting etc done. I can hardly believe it after the awful year we’ve all had.
Curly loves the extra strokes too…..and gets cross when I try to garden!
You have a wonderful weekend too.xxxx
Lots going on in your place that really made me smile. Great photos and a good read at the end of my day. Happy painting, gardening etc. this weekend!
Thanks Linda, it looks like it’s going to be a glorious weekend. Amazing eh?xxxx
Goodness what a busy post.
I like the pictures of Curly giving you the ‘cold shoulder’ and the wheelbarrow.
There looks to be plenty of work to do over the weekend at least. xx
Lol….Curly gets annoyed if she doesn’t get endless strokes.
I’ve always had a thing for old barrows, they do have a charm about them that the modern ones lack. Thanks Flighty.xxxx
I do like your pea ‘sticks’, very unusual.
Your new plants will thrive in the borders, and far less greenhouse watering too!
Thanks Rusty duck, the pea sticks were from a pergola that blew down in the wind. I was loath to throw them out and they do look decorative as well as being functional.xxxx
I can’t wait to see the sunflowers when they’re fully grown they’re going to be so beautiful. That weeding is hard graft we’ll all have body builder arms if this weather keeps up! X
Lol….I already have body builder arms. It is a lovely spot for sunflowers in the front isn’t it, they love the south facing sunshine and their great heads move with the sun. I can’t wait until they grow.xxxx
I did notice two dead bodies on the lawn in the first picture I should bury them in your flower border they will make great fertiliser. Everything is looking good you have obviously been working very hard. I have dust an inch thick on everything as housework has been put on hold. The wheelbarrow with the geranium looks great with the colour contrast. Hope the nice weather holds out a bit longer – I could get used to it.
Hahahahaha….daughter and her bloke won’t take kindly to being planted!!!!
Lol….I too have dust gathering, but sometimes life is too short to worry about the small stuff!
I really hope we all have lots more sunshine, it really does lift the spirits doesn’t it! xxxx
Terrific photos of everything coming along. You have been very busy. Great to hear that you’ve dug out the herb garden with some new herbs planted in. I love the flowers you’re planting; hollyhocks and delphiniums are amongst my favourites – and the wildflowers, too. The roses look beautiful. And I’m pleased to see Duggie again, he looks rather rakish with that new hat.
Thanks Wendy, that herb garden almost had me beat but now I can easily access the herbs I always use. Lots of the old plants had become woody and straggly so it needed a serious re-vamp. I now have lots of herbs growing to replace the old ones.
Oh….wildflowers, me and the pollinators just can’t get enough of them.
Lol….rakish you say???? I’ll let him know!xxxx
Love this post – it all looks WONDERFUL and I love that beautiful cobalt blue! It will look stunning this summer and be worth all the hard work. Poor Duggie – he looks as if he could do with some shades and a pair of speedos … 😉
Thanks Gilly, y’know, blue is my favourite happy colour, it goes with everything.
Lol…..I’m looking for shades for Dougie, but speedos are BANNED!” Oh yes!!!xxxx
The Australians call them ‘ budgie smugglers’ which always amuses me ! :))
Hahahahaha….yes! xxxx
The greenhouse must look empty now that you’ve got that lot planted out. The weather’s been fantastic, great for getting all those jobs done which have been waiting for months now. Bless Curly sitting on your weeding mat, it must make a comfortable cushion.
It’s great that so many plants have left the greenhouse, now I’ve been able to re-pot the toms, peppers, cucumbers and melon…..I’ve had to move lots more plants out too, but they should harden off well in all this glorious sunshine.
Ahhhh….yes Curly cat always steals my mat! She knows she’s in prime stroking position!!!xxxx
It’s all looking so beautiful, Snow bird, just enchanting! Your husband and daughter sure gave you perfect presents…and weeding, too? Wow! So happy Duggie and doggie have been united!
The greenhouse and gardens, and the barrows, look wonderful; can’t wait to see what you do with the cart and the door frame. You are a creative marvel! It looks like a fruitful summer is in store for you. 🙂 Yay!
Thanks Kitty, it’s great to have an extra pair of hands when it comes to weeding, the damn things grow like wildfire!!!
I can’t wait for my barrow to flower, it should look all cottage gardenish…..a look I love!
Lol….Dougie is happy as Larry now he has a little friend!xxxx
Housework can wait can’t it? Especially when the sun is shining!
I couldn’t agree more!!! xxxx
Your wildflower border should be wonderful. I look forward to seeing pictures.
Thanks Jason, I have my fingers crossed for a border that will delight bees and butterflies!xxxx
An awful lot going on there; lots of lovely mild weather plants to enjoy. It all looks good. 🙂
Oh the weather is simply wonderful. I can’t quite believe we are having endless sunshine. It’s also nice to take long walks and eat outdoors.xxxx
Most cheering post…even ‘feels’ like summer as one reads….so excellently illustrated…My! You have been….continue to be a really busy, little ‘buzzing bee’…..Looks beautiful D! Hugs! :)xxxx
Thanks Bushka, a little sunshine really helps with getting the garden straight, but the more you do, the more needs doing!xxxx