Garden - the first week.

Dear hearts we have proper internet so here's a peak at the gardens first week in our care. For some reason, the photos from the garden have appeared as if by magic backwards. Just the story of my life don't you think. Everything normally bottom about face, so lets have a peak at the garden rather oddly from the garden gate at the rear which doesn't open, so why we're here, who knows! 

A laburnum presides over the back. I have to say after much discussion and research - whilst it looks pretty for about a week of the year, its also highly toxic to both children and chickens. Whilst my children are all now grown and fled, and not the sorts to munch seeds from the ground, the chooks however are a priority. And, would you give space, and ample space at that to a plant which is not only toxic but prohibits anything like a chicken living under it. Erm no. Its days are numbered, whilst its sad to even think about taking down a tree of this beauty. Its coming out, probably sooner rather than later. I'll replace it with an orchard and chickens. This is to be a productive garden, no room for slackers, even if they are bonnie.  Beside the Laburnum, the 'man cave' - where else would you put it after all. This is the rock gods outdoor hidey-hole and being a rock god, he needs a blast of colour to announce his arrival. Bright yellow was thought the best colour.

And talking of slacking, the back also is home to an old byre and an outdoor fire place/pit. I think we'll have a canny think about popping up an arbour maybe and having a wee sit out here in between those productive plants, of course.

 

So the rock god shed is kept good company by the girl cave. Remember this being a new to us 'marriage', we'll both need our space. And fret not dear hearts whilst my cutesy cave is smaller, I have the advantage of another shed further down the garden and a greenhouse. So all's not lost. We're a three shed family now. And, mine has bunting, isn't that cute. Its now full of axes, power tools, saws, chainsaws, shredders, and all that sort of 'girl stuff' that I love so much. 

Now here's a curious thing. Tracey island, right in the middle of our garden. Its a wild and unkept place where rowans and foxgloves preside, just the place to hide a secret hero base don't you think. (And a couple of footballs and a basket chair too.)

I quite like the unkempt wildness about it, although not the nettles. No one likes nettles. Except butterflies who must have legs of steel to avoid their stinging hairs.

So alot of this garden is well laid out but a bit, mature. Unlike its new owner who's barely bigger than a gnat and not very grown up at all.  It needs a serious hack, erm I mean prune. Best wait til I've had a fight with someone and use the wrath of the short person on the shrubbery eh?

More of the shrubbery - lots of well established stuff and lots of well established nettles. Did I mention I hate nettles.

So jumping (as if by magic) down to the bottom of the garden we're near the apple tree and a whole heap of yellowish shrubs. Anyone near and needing some yellowish shrubs please get in touch. I've me spade at the ready and whilst I appreciate yellow, its not something I'd grow given the choice.

So we've walked backwards to the borders which sit at the front of the house, near the patio. Lots of mature shrubs and a block wall. There's also a few half chopped Holly's - a darn fine Acer and some huge fushias.

And, again with the yellows - a huge Brachyglottis (sunshine bush) resplendent in grey dominates the top of the stairs in the photo below. Days and numbered come to mind. I know I sound harsh, but I've inherited a largely yellow garden. I appreciate the grey silver form of it, I do, but yellow daisy flowers just don't do it for me. Unless they're sun flowers, entirely different. 

A border of monbretia/crocrosmia (whatever floats your boat) definitely a couple of different varieties in here and a lovely pale Fushia magellanica.

The garden's clearly quite coastal and sheltered with these fushias being so big and a huge Fatsia japonica hiding at the back there.

Side gate and boiler/oil tank, we all know you wanted to see the nuts and bolts of this backward garden, so there you are. This border like the rest of the garden is quite overgrown but the bones of it are still very much there.

A very empty south facing wall and a shed which potentially needs relocating into the main garden, to allow me to sit in the morning sun, which gets to just that spot where the shed is at around 6.45am. Perfect for a cuppa and a contemplate of the day. I know this because its been sunny alot and I've woken up so excited I've been out early. Well, the earliest has been 5.37am but don't tell anyone I'm quite that obsessive, lets not wake the neighbours just yet.

Boys having a wee explore as I stand looking out from the kitchen door. So lots to do and plenty to be going on with. Here's to the new garden when we arrived. OK so it doesn't quite look like this now......

So far we've had a wee play in the garden since we've been here (and this is the royal, Peedie and Haggis 'we') - and thus far whilst we've been incomunicado with no internet............And I've great plans for this one to be a productive happy busy space so I thought I'd best get started.

• Demossed the patio and weeded it (almost done)
• Cut back the entire length of the border to the edges, leaving the height at the moment.
• Shredded all the off cuts and dressed the borders with some of it.
• Half cut the Brachyglottis, we both (the shrub and I) know its going to be cut down hard, its just a question of when.
• Dug a whole bed over and found a path, seat and a Choisya I didn't know we had.
• Edged Tracey Island
• Found a huge dresser nicely planted.
• Started the hen run and painted the hen house.
• Hung a hammock in the apple tree.
• Cut down half an old holly.
• Moved some of the logs.
• Dug a border by the house and planted some lavender and other lovely purple plants (needs finished)
• Put a patio set up and lolled in between the monsoons
• Inherited a whole heap of plants (thanks girls for visiting with a car load of plants) and need to get them in pots
• Got some half price wicker trellis and edged the walls on the low border and swept up the rampaging gravel.
• Pondered the location of the greenhouse and the shed which needs moved.
• Filled lots of pots and containers with edible plants (strawberries, tomatoes, basil, herbs)
• Visited a botanic garden, a nursery and the local den
• Visited a nursery and bought some plants and some fencing materials
• Pruned the cherry
• Outdoor hoovered (mowed) the lawn
• Made some elderflower cordial, strictly not gardening but fits with the productive side of life.

Well they do say to leave a garden a wee while until you start on it. 

I left this one a whole 26 hours before I started.