Greenhouse to bird house bed - what's aboot? {the longest plant list for a small space ever}

This post should really read, 'confessions of a plant hoarder' or 'here's what I spent my wages on this year'. But, this is a productive garden and to be productive, we need to know what we're working with. I started a list when I moved in. My plan is to make a garden which is productive and bonnie with plants I think are fit for anyone's garden. As my passion is for propagation, that's where I'm going with my hoarding. Good things, which grow well and are bonnie/useful and above all reliable.

The original garden was none of that. Even this tiny area at the back (zone 4 if you are on weeding duty). But, this border never existed.  It looked like this. Logs and Laburnum. Nowt else.

June 2014 - before the S border.

No greenhouse, no bird house. Two plants only and about a tonne of mulch and a footballs worth of fabric suppressant.  *Link to the original walk about this time two years ago, below. 

Back to the two plants. Because we all know that's why you're here. For the plants.

Start of original plant list.
Laburnum - felled shortly after arriving. There it is sprouting on the right hand side of this picture.
Viburnum x Bodnantense 'Dawn'
End of original plant list.

Just a tiny bit bland and boring and several thousand metres of weed fabric lifted, and a few stones later we created the S border, and in the end nearest the greenhouse, this years plant inventory looks like this......

Laburnum - definitely not dead now coppiced - three flowers and several branches this year. I'd also bought an evergreen Pipthanus nepalensis to replace it. Hey ho, now I have two types I guess, all good!

Virburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' - bonnie and still lives.

Since these two shrubs in 2014 I've added to this bed in dribs and drabs and in no particular design. A designer I am not. I file myself under plant hoarder. 

So here's that hoarding planters list so far.......and I will add to it as I add to this page as I add to the border.  Instead of two plants we now have at least 27.

Saxifraga × urbium - London's Pride (pink/white) - end of prop material runts (free)

 Lunaria annua - Honesty (purple) - self sow (free)

Tulipa - Negrita (dark purple) - present (huzzah!)

Veronicastrum virginicum 'Fascination' (whorled foliage, purple flowers) - bought full price

Aquilegia dark purple single = who knows but its bonnie. (purple flowers) - self sow (free)

Pulmonaria officinalis 'Sissinghurst White' (speckled foliage, clear white flowers) - end of prop runts (free)

Tanacetum parthenium - Feverfew (white)  - self sow (free)

Hosta 'Patriot' - Variegated hosta that survived the mulching (green/white/lilac flowers) - total survivor! 

Geranium ibericum - Iberian cranesbill (soft hairy foliage, blue flowers) - gift in a bucket from the neighbours.

Sanguisorba menziesii - Ornamental burnett (attractive foliage, dark red flowers) - compost rescue from work (free)

Stachys macrantha -  Giant Betony (large leaves, large purple flowers) - bought full price

Digitalis purpurea - Foxglove (white/purple) - self sow (free)

Ribes uva-crispa 'Hinnonmaki Red' - Rose Blush Gooseberry - Aldi for £2.99

Geranium phaeum - Mourning widow - gift from a friends garden (free)

Phlomis russeliana - Turkish Sage (architectural, yellow flowers) - bought full price

Phlomis samia - (architectural, lavender flowers) - bought full price

Crocossmia 'Lucifer' (red flowers) - moved from other area (free)

Rubus fruiticosus 'Merton Thornless Blackberry' (white flowers, climber, black fruits) - Aldi £2.99

Primula denticulata - Drumstick primula (blue, purple and white flowers) - Orkney (free)

Malus Apple Cox eating (white flowers, red fruits) - gift from Orkney (free)

Myosotis slyvatica - Forget-me-not (blue flowers) - self sow (free)

Galanthus nivalis - Single snowdrop (white flowers early spring) - bought

Aster dumosis 'Starlight' -  (purple flowers) - £1 table at work

Brunnera macrophylla (syn Anchusa myosotidiflora) - Great forget-me-not  (leaf interest, blue flowers) - £1 table at work

Pulmonaria saccharata 'Dora Bielefeld' -Bethlehem sage (mottled leaf interest, pink flower) - £1 table at work

So that's what we've got so far. Some bargains, some gifts and a few full price plants. I've spent £32 on this border. That's not bad. All of these have settled in nicely and I'm hoping will bulk up to release a few to friends/clients as and when they're ready. Its an eclectic mix, but why not.

And, its a lot better than looking at a tonne of mulched bark. Or two tonnes lifted as it turned out. Don't fret this has been rehomed on the veg garden paths.

*First week in the garden link is here

Wordless Wednesday - Bum feathers returned.

Omlet netting, far too easy to put up. Never listen to a hen.

Extended hen run with omlet netting.

Well, as we've had nearly 600 page views yesterday, I'm assured whilst few comments land, someone [other than me and my mum] is reading, so here's yesterdays' installment of garden antics. Its very chicken focussed, as I've hardly anything left to chop down. So we extended the chicken run. I'd been thinking of letting them move into the next area for a while. But they are a tad impatient to get on with it.

So, yesterday, they, those pesky chooks, took over the second quarter of the veg patch. Quite spectacularly, in less than half an hour, they staged a break out.  I fear it was actually planned that way, chickens are sneaky.

Omlet* chicken netting, quick and easy to assemble.

Dear hearts I fear, I was, however, a bit more than an accomplice to their chicken will. Persuasive things chickens. They made me buy them this, on the premise that I'm shockingly bad at instructions, I agreed. [It would never make it up, my skills with instructions are, lets say, limited.] However I gave it a go. They'll have less internet shopping privileges in future. Let me tell you.

Omlet net laid out. It came with pretty red ribbons too. Aww.

They even sent in 'Greta' to supervise. The instructions were not in Swedish, but she was very helpful nevertheless.

Omlet fencing gate post. 

Of course they watched too, voyeurs these chooks are. Watching my every calamity experiment in the garden. [NB other brands of mobile netting with suitable silly egg-tastic names are available too.] THEY thought this one was funny given how many eggs I've dropped/they've stood on.

Tracey Island

They wanted to invade Tracey Island. Home to the thunder birds and various slugs. A rowan acts as HQ for the slug master 'Dr Slime'. Inbetween here and their 'old home' is the second quarter of the veg patch. So really, they told me, by linking them up to clear both, they'd be doing me a favour. Hard to actually argue with a chickens logic.

Fun stuff for chooks to allow slugs to hide under. Cunning eh.

They also asked for 'fun stuff' which I'm sure is code for climbing and escaping material. So I left them some logs and various things to 'climb and perch on'. I have to say ex-commercial farm rescue chickens seem to have many opinons. Maybe its the close quarters they lived in before, too much chat, not enough action.

Scheming hens.

They also demanded a chair, ropes and scissors. Now, we all know not to give hens scissors they get unbalanced using them. [Or rope, for obvious reasons, they do a lot of knitting, its just not suitable, but they never listen, although I've told them they might enjoy macrame.] I gave in and left the old chair. I'm sure they'll be using it soon for an escape launch pad.

Then they demanded a drink, don't be surprised to hear Scots hens don't drink just water. They're gin lovers** pure and simple. Given how enraged they get without any, I gave in.  Of course they don't drink whisky, that's for dragons and ducks.

By the time I'd got it up and finished due to FAR TOO EASY instructions. [Curses]. Haggis turned up to see how easy it was to get at the chooks grub (and gin, he loves gin). Not easy at all if its put up right and thanks to stupidly easy instructions, it was up in less than 15 minutes. Blast.

Happy lasses in their new extended run.

They seem pretty pleased with themselves. Tracey Island invaded. So they demanded an audience with the master, Dr Slime. I couldn't refuse. Seven hungry chickens can be very persuasive.

So that's the next phase of the chickens taking over the garden. They've cleared the first quarter of the veg patch in record time, scoffed a goodly amount of slugs, so it only seemed fair. Less grass to mow, more for them to eat.

Dr Slime's companions have been seen retreating to the Grey Shed looking for a Fushia to hide under.

Next time slugs, next time. [We will eradicate you in a kind and natural fashion, unless you leave the premises.]

Of course the hens were happy with their new home. They left me a present to say thanks on the roof peak. Cheers lasses.

Egg production peaking? Who said chickens can't climb? Buggers the lot of them.

These hens came from Wing and a Prayer rescue in Central Scotland.  British Hen Welfare Trust has more information on rehoming birds for other areas of the UK. Have a think if you can. For Scarlet and all the others who are 'let go' very early in their laying careers.

Scarlet, rescue hen, happily rehomed. Feathers returning day by day.

*no posts on here are sponsored, my opinions are entirley my own and there's no advertising. Just gud stuff, I did my research. Other brands are available.
**no hens were fed gin or cairns either in this household. Twas just a jest before you get me in bother. We all know they prefer tequila in the summer.

The vanishing grey shed and the mystery of the missing fushia

So, good morning to you, I hope you're well. I've decided that I don't update on my garden escapades enough. So rather than bludgeon you all with long posts I might try and update a bit more regular like. (Stop groaning). Some days not much happens but when it does often there's lots to do and the muscles are willing. So I thought I'd tell you about the shed, one of three, this one is grey and has a lovely wee porch to sit under. Anyway it started life on the terrace. Why there's a shed on the terrace, no clue. Seemed like an odd place to have one.

The shed, was hogging the morning sun spot. It gets sunny in that corner of the garden at about 6.30am and it was hogging my 'sit and have my morning cuppa' spot. We had a chat, it agreed to move. As mentioned before, never come to dinner here and ask can you do anything. Like move a shed before the starter. Anyhows its happier here and aside killing a Fatsia by landing on its head, no real harm done oh and the honeysuckles hacked back too now, but we know that don't we.

What it did though was open up the bed behind and expose the most gorgeous Fushia. Fushia magellanica  'Alba' or var. molinae is a beautiful shrub, semi-hardy that thrives in coastal gardens. Many forms of it reported at the local St Andrews Botanic Garden by Prof Crawford. Happy and proud of its new view, I trimmed out the dead wood and raised the canopy. It looks right bonnie. Or should I say it LOOKED right bonnie. However, what I didn't know was we'd get the tail end of Hurricane Bertha. I should have listened to the hounds they knew something was a brewing.

Lots of soft sappy growth previously guarded by shed, canopy was heavy and unsurprisingly we lost quite a few limbs after the winds. Not particularly bad winds, but the heavy growth did for it. Victim of its own circumstances. So sadly and with a heavy heart (and suitable dark clothing) yesterday it had a wee haircut.

I did say a wee hair cut. Well actually I suppose now its completely bald and down to the wood. The thing is, when you start pruning sometimes its hard to stop. I have now locked the loppers and the pruning saws up. Just in case I get into a frenzy again. [Jobs like this are always good when someone's particularly annoyed you, turn that energy into positive action, I say.] And NO the gate still isn't up. Thanks for asking but the posts are in and the area is now clear for a wee fence too.

Whilst the bees who loved it too will be sad for a while, there's oodles of it in the garden still. And, it will come back beautifully. The corner will be full of its bonnie flowers and it will adorn the shed nicely.

I hate this kind of gardening, cutting a plant down in its prime, but it was unfortunately necessary. OK so its my fault that the shed shifted and the plant was exposed, but long term gain for short term pain. Sorry missing fushia, you'll thank me one day.

See I told you there's still oodles left. I'll be propagating this soon, its a gorgeous plant. Hands up if you want some. In true copycat style, I ordered a professional garden drawing of the patch here when we arrived. Well I've been trained to do them, so I got the pens out instead. Not sure I'll show this one to the tutor though.

Long gardens require wallpaper to allow you to draw it all in. One day I'll do this bonnie, I promise.

The scribbles and scrawls on a bit of old wallpaper and a notebook page I think do the garden justice beautifully. On closer inspection however.........

Scrawly garden drawing from the first week here.

Most of the plants in this section of the drawing are shifted, as is the shed and the washing line. Honeysuckle has also had a hard haircut and the debris gone, Fatsia squished by shed landing, sorry about that, evil Senecio, about to flower in lurid yellow also, gladly, gone. Its more slash and burn than haute couture at the moment. But needs must. There's an ormanental veg patch to get in after all and a productive garden to grow. 

The ornamental veg patch first draft. Bonnie eh.

Obviously I commissioned another pretty drawing. Arbour, arches, raised wooden beds and possibly a gazebo. But you can tell that right? No? Oh well I might have to scribble something a bit better in future.Ornamental and beautiful this garden will be. You heard it here first.  The chickens are currently clearing area one (the top right hand side of the future garden). They're moving to the second phase (right lower bed and Tracy Island) later this week. Clever girls.

In the mean time, gardening for the day over, we headed to the local beach. This is my grandpa's beach, he kept his boats in the harbour here, other people call it East Sands, to me its always Granpas beach. We holidayed here as children, its now where we've made our home. Near the beach, not on it obviously. Although that grey shed might make a great beach hut and it doesn't seem to mind moving........

The hounds like it here too. A fine place to wash your paws and have a stretch after some hard core hacking back in the garden. [They supervised.]

Afterwards, a nap of course. Hard work all this supervising and beach walking.

So that was yesterday and this is Haggis right now. Aside a bit of dead heading and putting the gate posts in not much else done in the garden. I'm researching fruit (Kiwi's and Banana's which will ripen outdoors in the UK) well that lovely terrace has a huge south facing wall and I have a near empty glass house and conservatory to fill with edibles. Seems a shame not to find something to soak up all that sunshine. Haggis snores on, no interest in fruit.

And as for shorter posts. OK I lied. Breakfast anyone, you've earnt it.

So kiwis

http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Kiwis/

Great set of varieties and into there. 

A great page, any recommendations anyone? Outdoor ripening Kiwi you will be mine. 

I've an eye on a mini banana too.

http://www.weekendgardener.net/fruit...ors-011001.htm