Trowel and Error

[Squirrel]

Goat, re foxgloves, I don't think they flower the first year. So unless your plants were already one year old when you put them in, you won't get a display this year, it'll be next year.

Oh!

[Disco]

After ten years my foxglove has finally flowered. I've actually tried to dig it up every single year thinking it was one of the millions of green alkanet but this year I left it a bit too late and lo and behold there was my long lost foxglove. I think I've managed to completely eradicate the other one I planted a decade ago.

I've been eating out of the garden too. Rocket.

I had planted out my swiss chard a few weeks ago but I did it in clumps - stupidly - so I spent some time digging the clumps up to break them apart and replant as single items. They're starting to grow a bit now so hopefully I haven't buggered up my SC production. Eeverything else is remaining a bit juvenile looking.

[baargain]

You can grow it in clumps as well as singly. There's a number of veg that you can do that for. Charles Dowding has a Web page on module planting which I found v helpful and was all about this.

[Mountain Goat]

My chard hasn't been great, only three have germinated. I'll give the rest a little longer and then sow some more.

[Disco]

Oh thanks Baa, that's saved me a job of the chard I planted on the other side of the garden. I'll leave those in clumps and will take a look at Charlie Dowding.

[Disco]

I know it’s not the most amazing garden but it looks nice enough in the sunshine and it was literally entirely ground elder, ivy, bluebells and onion weed when I first moved in.

[Cerise]

I love foxgloves but I’m pretty sure I can’t trust the cats not to eat them.

[Mountain Goat]

That's really lovely, what a good job you've done. I love a black sambucas (and miss mine) and is that a hollyhock about to come out?

I am jealous because for all the work I'm putting in, everything is tiny and immature and looks really bitty/scattered. You have such gorgeous established shrubs/trees/other.

[Disco]

That is a hollyhock yes. It has looked so sparse for years as I literally started from scratch apart from the mock orange blossom near the black samubcas and on the opposite side I have a grape vine you can't see and peony that were hidden amongst the ivy.

[Squirrel]

That looks beautiful!

[H1ppychick]

This was my garden last week, so be careful what you wish for Goat.

[Disco]

This was it when I moved in. That’s not lawn, it’s ground elder and the bushes are three feet of ivy.

Then this was during my lawn creation.

[H1ppychick]

This was a zoom in of the front garden yesterday, the climbing rose is pleasingly coming up through the black elder and my neighbour’s pear tree again this year, and the elder is coming into bloom also

[Disco]

Looks lovely Hippy.

[H1ppychick]

Your garden is so peaceful and calm Dics

[Derek Nimmo]

That's beautifully tidy Dics Sections of mine look that good for about 5 mins, then you turn your back and everything explodes!

I was just out watering and look - flowers on my buddleia that's pretending to be a wisteria. Here's hoping it takes over the entire bed and negates any need for weeding...

[Disco]

I imagine that will grow big pretty quickly, Del.

[Derek Nimmo]

God I hope so

[Disco]

I seem to recall them growing quickly when I had them in Bristol.

[Mountain Goat]

You've done an amazing transformation, Dics. How long did it take you? And how much of it were your wrists in traction? I am really putting mine through the mill.

Yours is lovely Hippy, lots of life.

Your buddleia is bigger than mine, Del. I am hoping it will pick up soon, I think it's trying its best. I thought they grew like weeds. I bought mine pretty tiny though (hence cheaply).

A bird has knocked the top of one of my new zinnias. OY. I have too many anyway. Also I just took delivery of a delayed parcel of plants, they have been struggling, and they have substituted a few things, so now I have to find room somewhere for 10 snapdragons and 10 stocks (I had ordered small front of border plants in colours that would work at the north facing front of the house, and now have tall plants that want sun and in the wrong colours for the front. I love both stocks and snap dragons but....) I wonder if I can put some stocks in pots so they can be near the back doors so I get the smell benefit?