Primula's

The primulas are stunning now, I've just sown 2 pots of Harlow Carr hybrids from the RHS Seed list, so if they germinate I'll have to extend the stream bed

Visit to Tal-Y-Bont

This is one of the NGS Gardens we visited for inspiration, I'd love a pond like this one, its fed by natural springs running through the property. The children loved exploring this bit, we hope to go back again in the next couple of years. The owners are getting on now and have just started employing a gardener.

The view from the garden is stunning, we could make out the mountain behind our house - 20 miles away. The teas and cakes were very nice too, it was here I first spotted a Rubus 'Olympic Double', but nobody knew what it was.

A daisy or two in the lawn?

This area by the front door was sort of here when we moved in. The painted white wall surrounding it was awful and the area much larger ( I wish I had kept it big now). We replaced the wall with some sleepers, child No 7 has taken it on with the colour theme orange (because of his hair) and blue (because of Thomas the tank engine).

The steps have been dug out at long last ready to be filled with gravel, the lawn is full of daisies still, will have to get the weed and feed out soon as we get a dry day. The stocks have been grown from seed in the autumn and have made a wonderful display for weeks.

The primulas in the stream bed are starting to flower, these were only grown from seed in the autumn too. The trees have got their leaves already and the garden is looking green.

Spring is here again.

The borders are already starting to look full, I've started digging the bed for the sunken area, impatient as always there are plants in already. The avairy bed is growing too, I hope by the summer it will look overgrown. We've been sunbathing in the polytunnel a few times, and with the wood burning stove in the pool, we've actually been swimming....roll on summer.

More spring growth here all fresh and green, the double white flowering cherry tree should be in bloom soon, more bargin buys 5.00 each but they're coming along.

New beds that have appeared as if by magic.

Just another view of the toilet bed with some planting. I have ferns by the mushrooms as the majority of the day it is shaded, the overflow from the gutters pores down by here too and seems to made it quite damp.

Just starting to show signs of life after the winter months, we get a lot of trouble from hairy bitter cress and creeping buttercups in this area, I tried spraying with roundup which worked for a while.

The wind gets blown in from the direction of the field in the summer making this a windswept bed. I've planted roses and clematis (bargin buys as usual) along the fence, but last year the sheep from the field got across my barriers and ate most of the new growth. My Garrya elliptica was starting to grow back when we had another attack of the sheep, we might have to double stockwire the fence this year to get the shrubs established.

Pretty poor sight at this time of year, this is the striking pink bed (believe it or not), it will look absolutly stunning later in the year I know.

Our chickens were destined for the Kentucky fried chicken factory, but our eldest saved a few so a hastily made chicken run was erected. They were a scrawny bunch of girls when we first saw them having spent their earlier lives laying eggs in the battery farms locally

Compost bins made with one arm, m'spouse had nearly finished these when the 'accident' happened. Under his direct supervision I was allowed to hammer in some nails.... trouble is, they were filled immediatley and we need some more...

New beginings.

Whilst I realize this just looks like markings on the grass, this will be the basis for the new beds in the garden. This area will be the sunken area to hide and relax in the sun, with the dominant colouring of orange and yellow.

We call this the grave bed, because of the pile of soil at the end - I think one of the children was buried there - that's the rumor going around. This bed will eventually become the red and plum/black border with a bright green accent, it may well be extended at some point.

It looks so bare at this time of year before the bulbs start coming up. I'm keeping an 8' path around the garden following the lines of the long border, the paths between the beds will all come off this and join in various places so walking around the garden should be possible in many different directions.

The new aviary that m'spouse started building, I'm afraid after an unfortunate accident with a step we purchased from Ikea, m'spose was left with yet another broken arm and ball joint, consequently he has yet to finish.

Just a picture of Ipheion 'Rolf Fielder' that looked so nice in the garden.

Quite a difference to the summer border, I hope to increase the overall evergreen content of the garden over the next few years to make it interesting all year round.

Winter frosts in the garden.

Garden frosty, wall looks stunning, so glad we've got one although could do with it a lot higher at the bottom of the garden to hide the awful road and traffic.

The stream doesn't seem to freeze up in the frosts, probably as it does still trickle constantly, don't know if the newts have survived I suppose we'll see in the spring.