The first day down of a busy week. Plenty of early season general gardening work for clients, a smattering of child minding, couple of shifts cheffing and a good dollop of Higgledy Garden work.
Our shed blew away in the storm….which wouldn’t have been too disastrous but it blew into the greenhouse…which WAS pretty disastrous but also very funny…so we’ve lost several panes of glass and we need to find some timber to fix the shed…but hey…we’ve still got our looks.
Work started with the turning of a super uber compost heap today which was full on but also a great early season treat of earthy smells and the promises of warm weather. Though it was a reminder that I’ve been pretty inactive over the winter and my limbs are whining at me now.
In the afternoon I started the final preparations in the cutting garden which lies close to a pair of rather fine walnut trees. It is a bed of approximately 4 meters by 7 meters. It doesn’t get the morning sun and am thinking about having it as a dedicated Nicotiana bed as they don’t mind not getting the sun all day. I love em too so a whole patch would be great…ok I’ll stick some foliage plants in as well.
Any suggestions for partial shade foliage?
Tomorrow will be some DIY on the shed…though I’d rather leave that to Big Al…as one, he’s good at that sort of thing and two….he’s being a lazy sod ever since he got his Play Station. {Yes Al…I do mean you!} Then some more digging over at the Railway Garden and preparing the beds for seed….yippie!!!!!!
Will post photos of shed as soon as Oli sends them over.
Ben
PS Jan from JW Blooms suggested Alchemilla…has anyone tried growing it from seed? I haven’t…though I have written a post about the little tyke…{Clickerty chip here}
February 11, 2011 @ 3:59 pm
The wind can do incredible things; our garden looks like a tornado has swept through it, there is stuff all over the place. The perplexing thing is that I’ve no idea where all this stuff was hidden away in the first place!
I find that Heuchera work well in either shaded or partially shaded areas; they do produce flowers but they’re all about the foliage. The only down side is that the slugs love them so plenty of vigilance is required.
Your talk of turning the compost makes me feel incredibly guilty as my own is in need of turning but I keep finding excuses not to do it; I think I just need to knuckle down and get on with it.
February 11, 2011 @ 5:48 pm
Thanks Jason, Turning over compost really made me think the Spring is really about to pounce upon us like a…er…flowery panther…as for the shed…I never liked it. I checked out your site…great stuff…reminded me I should get round to a blog roll thingy…shall do tomorrow… ;)
February 9, 2011 @ 11:48 pm
Wind is a real pain and resulted in us losing phone and internet access since Saturday night. We are quite exposed here but thankfully the shed stays put! It must have taken an amazing windstrength to lift your shed. I would take it as a warning that your flowers will need a windbreak though!
For shade how about Solomon’s Seal, Aquilegia, Hosta, Epimedium, Bergenia, Honesty, Pulmonaria, Dicentra formosa ‘Alba’?
Alchemilla is one of my favourite plants; I have a sea of it across the gravel where it decided it was happiest and propagates itself most abundantly. I began with one plant, quite somewhere else in the garden! Tease up the seedlings and pop them in areas of light shade to give a longer season. Also, savagely shear it back after it has flowered for a while and you will get a second show.
February 11, 2011 @ 12:01 pm
Thanks Martine…you’re dead right…that plot is windswept…I do however think we may not have secured our shed down properly….hummmm
February 8, 2011 @ 10:03 pm
I have grown Alchemilla from seed, its very easy.
February 11, 2011 @ 12:01 pm
Thanks Gill….there is hope me then!
Running To Stand Still « JW Blooms
February 8, 2011 @ 7:57 pm
[…] so I don’t know why I was so upset by it, especially as it could have been so much worse. The shed could have blown down, the polytunnel could have ripped, the plants could have been uprooted. As it was, the only problem […]
February 8, 2011 @ 4:33 pm
Ooops! As JWB says, at least your shed doors are secure – reminds me of that famous quote from The Italian Job….
February 11, 2011 @ 12:02 pm
Ha!
February 7, 2011 @ 10:57 pm
Sorry, correct address you need is apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector
February 7, 2011 @ 10:53 pm
Haven’t tried it yet but there is a new service on the RHS website for a plant selector- an updated version of what used to be there.Apparently there are 3000 plants listed so far, should be 5000 by Easter. To find the best plants for full sun, partial shade,shade, soil type, garden style etc, go to apps.rhs.org.uk. Hope it works! About to order some seeds from their seed scheme for members-it costs £12 and you can have 20 packets, all from plants grown in RHS gardens. I got a good deal on membership through my Tesco clubcard.
February 7, 2011 @ 11:03 pm
wow great! Thx
February 7, 2011 @ 8:38 pm
Ha! Yes you’re right…the lock looks somewhat daft now doesn’t it…good lock too.
Have you tried growing Alchemilla from seed? x
February 7, 2011 @ 8:58 pm
No, but it self-seeds in my garden, so I imagine it’s pretty easy. Maybe one of your gardening clients has some you could purloin and save yourself the effort? x
February 7, 2011 @ 9:24 pm
I had to chuck about 30 plants a couple of yrs ago from a clients garden as we couldn’t find a home for them….oh botheration!!!!
I looked it up…not to tricky but if sowing in spring they need a head start in the green house I think… x
February 7, 2011 @ 8:07 pm
Good to see you’ve got that shed padlocked – you don’t want anyone finding a way in! I haven’t dared go to the field yet to see if anything has been spared. I hate the wind – it always feels like it’s getting a great deal of pleasure out of being irritating. As for the shade, I would grow masses of alchemilla – I don’t really have any shady areas at my plot and my plants burn up as soon as it gets even vaguely sunny so I am jealous. x