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Post by roofgardener on Feb 2, 2019 15:40:27 GMT
February is here !!
Well, I seem to recall that at least ONE of my seed packets said to sow in February, so tomorrow I need to dig it out from my seed cabinet, and start a'sowing. The polytunnel is pretty much ready for some serious gardening now  
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All of these pictures are on RoofNet, so you can click to see a larger version
Well, the workbenches are pretty much sorted out.....
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I still need to sort out the shelving. I think a LOT of the gravel trays and seed pots might be for the bin. I seem to have far more than I can reasonably use ?
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The shelving unit is VERY handy for my little library. Unlike the main polytunnel, it doesn't suffer from condensation, so anything inside it will stay dry. I'll just have to be careful when I'm watering the adjacent seedlings 
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Some daffodils that I'm going to transplant into troughs....
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These are refugees from the old roofgarden......
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There's my Thyme, and the Cinerrera.
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And some young Honesty plants. Not sure what I'm going to do with these... I may actually plant them into the garden itself, rather than keeping them in plantpots.
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.. and I THINK that these are foxgloves ?
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I got some Cycloman and Primroses from the local garden center (more on THAT later) to decorate my path.
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| EGADS... me ponds frozen over  |
Well, that's about it for the moment. On my NEXT post I'll be photographing the dangling shelf thingies for SueA |
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Post by ladybird on Feb 2, 2019 18:14:50 GMT
You have a pond roofy, how exciting and maybe a nice fountain ? I never thought to plant daffs like that , good idea , mine are slowly withering away in the sack they came in  Have you much ground for planting or will it be mainly pots ? |
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 2, 2019 18:21:52 GMT
You have a pond roofy, how exciting and maybe a nice fountain ? I never thought to plant daffs like that , good idea , mine are slowly withering away in the sack they came in Have you much ground for planting or will it be mainly pots ? Well, a fountain in theory ladybird, but it's broken. I may look into getting it functional in the spring ? Hmmm.... I've got SOME useful ground for planting in, though not a huge amount. I'll take some photographs of the garden area tomorrow, and try and post them |
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Post by grindle on Feb 3, 2019 5:41:10 GMT
all very organised in your polytunnel roofgardener and extra planting space and a pond, how exciting, opens up a whole new world of gardening for you |
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 4, 2019 9:22:07 GMT
Hanging shelves
A couple of people where asking about the hanging shelf thingies in my polytunnel. I think I got these from Coopers of Stortford, or some other mail order catalog ?
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The shelf/rack unit, before being hung up.
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So, imagine you have a shelf in your cupboard, with quite a bit of space below it ?
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Et Viola !! A handy little hanging shelf for small thingies.... pots of herbs or whatever.
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Of course, when I hang them in the greenhouse, they lean over and dangle. This means that you can't put THAT much in them, but I use them for...
- An umbrella
- Rolls of bin-liner bags
- Gardening gloves
- Paper tissues
- Very small rocks
- Apples
- Cider
- Churches
And I rather like them
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They're made of metal, covered in plastic, which - after a couple of years - starts to flake off to reveal rust. But you can always re-paint them They also come in a couple of sizes. I seem to recall that the larger ones where around £4.99 each, and the smaller ones £3.99, or something along those lines ? |
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Post by SueA on Feb 5, 2019 8:23:21 GMT
They do look very handy Roofy, I wouldn't have thought of using them the way you have in the polytunnel but can see you get good use out of them. |
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 5, 2019 13:13:21 GMT
The New Layout
Well, it's all very exciting. For the first time ever I've got actuall grass and soil n' tha' to play with. I'm not entirely restricted to plantpots any more ! At the same time, there are limits on what the landlords will allow me to DO with the garden... sooo.... its all a bit 'compromise and diplomacy'. It's a bit like Brexit.. but without the foreign accents ! Well, I've got some photographs, but they're a bit confusing. The whole yard area is somewhat... compact. There is nowhere I can stand to take a photograph of the entire Cottage Garden. Also, it was after sunset when I took the photographs, which is why they are kinda grey and murky. Soooo... as a starter, here is a floor-plan of it 
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The polytunnel, pretty much in the middle (ish) of the garden. To the LEFT of the polytunnel is the "front garden", and to the right the "rear garden", and the little annexe area. As ever, you can click for a bigger version.
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Well, my largest grass area is "behind" the polytunnel. I can't really change this... it pretty much has to stay as grass !
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Another view of the 'back' of the polytunnel, this time showing the pond. (and the patio in the background) It's not brilliantly clear, but the pond is surrounded by a kind of circular border that is currently chocked with weeds. Now THIS I can 'decorate' to my hearts content. I'm thinking of California Poppies, and perhaps Cosmos ?
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Oh, and if you turn 180-degrees around, you can see the Annexe area. I'm hoping to put my garden storage boxes here ?
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This is the "front garden" area, which does look remarkably small in this photograph. I might be allowed to dig out a 'border' along the line of the hedge. It is VERY shaded, only getting sunlight at lunchtime in summertime, but it's possible that shade-resistant flowers might work there ? Perhaps Honesty or Primroses ? (any suggestions ? ).
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Now, this low wall runs the full length of the garden, from "front" to "back". It also gets a reasonable amount of sun. All SORTS of possibilities suggest themselves for this ! I could dig out a little border, or put plantpots on it. Or both.
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One thing I forgot to photograph properly is the Patio and the lower part of the Pond, both of which have LOTS of potential for plantpots and troughs. Hmmm.. I may photograph them this coming weekend. |
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Post by grindle on Feb 6, 2019 5:27:33 GMT
a lovely space with plenty of potential |
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Post by SueA on Feb 6, 2019 8:49:55 GMT
It is a lovely little garden Roofy, are the 2 compost bins in the annexe area for you to use, they would be useful? If you want to make a border below the hedge in your 'front' garden look up 'plants for dry shade' as the hedge will draw a lot of the moisture out from it, you could try things like primroses/primulas & bulbs/tubers such as bluebells & snowdrops, cyclamen hederifolium, hellebores, various ferns, anemones etc.
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 6, 2019 15:09:46 GMT
It is a lovely little garden Roofy, are the 2 compost bins in the annexe area for you to use, they would be useful? If you want to make a border below the hedge in your 'front' garden look up 'plants for dry shade' as the hedge will draw a lot of the moisture out from it, you could try things like primroses/primulas & bulbs/tubers such as bluebells & snowdrops, cyclamen hederifolium, hellebores, various ferns, anemones etc. Ooooh... Cyclomen ? I LIKE cyclomen. It would be excellent if I could persuade them to grow there. Not so keen on ferns.. but anemones look nice Hmm... what are your thoughts on Honesty ? Be honest ? |
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Post by SueA on Feb 7, 2019 7:57:26 GMT
If I'm honest Roofy I've never managed to get honesty to take in my garden! It's supposed to be able to grow virtually anywhere so would probably be fine by your hedge, you could give it a go, it will only cost you the price of a pack of seeds, I love the seedheads. |
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 9, 2019 17:47:40 GMT
If I'm honest Roofy I've never managed to get honesty to take in my garden! It's supposed to be able to grow virtually anywhere so would probably be fine by your hedge, you could give it a go, it will only cost you the price of a pack of seeds, I love the seedheads. As it happens SueA , I have a seed tray full of seedlings Well... I SAY seedlings.. they are getting rather well developed. I really need to either plant them out, or put them in a proper plant pot, as opposed to a seed tray ? |
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Post by SueA on Feb 10, 2019 9:15:29 GMT
With the weather as it is at the moment Roofy I'd pot them on into either individual pots for now if there's not too many or in clumps into a few pots if you've got lots & they look overcrowded.
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 11, 2019 9:45:59 GMT
With the weather as it is at the moment Roofy I'd pot them on into either individual pots for now if there's not too many or in clumps into a few pots if you've got lots & they look overcrowded. Hmmm.. good point SueA. I'll add this to my list of tasks for next weekend ! |
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 11, 2019 9:46:55 GMT
The Patio
Well, my grass area will have limited options for plants etc, so my Patio is going to be a Major Event this year. Sooo.. lets wander around the Patio... as ever, you can click on the pictures to see a BIGGER patio !!
| Well, here is a view from JUST outside my property line, showing the patio. It's not HUGE, but it's a decent size. It's probably about 25' long and 12' or so deep ? |
| On the left-hand side of the entrance area is a little gravel strip. I've put a couple of troughs there temporarily, but I think with a couple MORE to increase the plant density, this could look quite nice. Or perhaps I'll use it to grow onions ? |
| On the right-hand side, opposite the above gravel strip, is my door area. This has got 'gaps' either side that need to be filled with flowers. Or possibly onions. I've currently got a mixture of Primroses, mint, and Cyclomen in two old wooden troughs, just as a temporary measure.
(I happened to have a coupld of wooden troughs left over from the old garden, one with mint in it, and some primroses and cyclomen. )
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| There is some sort of climbing plant on the left-hand side of my door... NO idea what it is. Perhaps it will grow as we move into spring ? Beyond that is a black wall made of wood, just before the patio doors. It is crying out for SOMETHING... but I have NO idea what yet. Any suggestions ? |
| I've got this strange "micro-hedge" made up of some sort of shrub. Well... the area just in front if it is crying out for troughs and plantpots, don't you think ? I've got a coupld of troughs of dafodils for the time being....but I might replace these with onions. |
| Well, here is the pond. I think a number of small plantpots - or possibly troughs - around the circular base would look nice ? Perhaps something with tall monocoque leaves such as.. dunno... onions ? |
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| Not strictly part of the patio, but the border around the pond is going to be weeded, and heavily planted. I'm thinking Californian Poppies and Nigella ? Or possibly onions !! |
Well, that's the lightning tour of the Patio. I think next week we shall take a stroll back into the polytunnel and see what the Owls have been up to ? |
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