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Post by Ann on May 15, 2003 22:49:26 GMT
It's time we had a bit of activity on this Board don't you think? The talk of gardens on the General Board made me think it might be a good idea to start a thread here with pictures of members' gardens. I took the following pictures of my back patio on 13th May. The boys were both tucked up in bed taking their afternoon siesta at the time, so for once, they're not featured.   |
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Post by Catnip on May 18, 2003 20:38:40 GMT
I've only just noticed this post! Tch, tch! Ann, your back patio is so neat and tidy and I love the idea of your raised flower beds at each side there, and the seating area near the house. The colour of the paving slabs adds warmth, and best of all, you don't have to mow any grass!!! I'm going for a garden like that next time!!! I know I've all ready had a pic of my garden on the other section, but that was really to do with Jacob, so I hope you don't mind me adding a few more pics...... First, the front garden, rather overgrown, last June!  Next, the back garden, looking back towards the house, last May.  And finally, the top end of the garden, featuring my three hens! The area to the right of the grass path is my neighbour's - he doesn't mind my 'girls' trespassing so long as they eat all the slugs in his vegetable plot! It looks like that was where they were heading when I took the pic! They seem to prefer his garden to ours for some reason!  |
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Post by Lesley on May 20, 2003 21:38:14 GMT
ann, that back patio is fantastic! oh how i'd love not to have dirt tracked in the house everyday! last year this time our yard was nearly all flattened earth (and a small patch of grass). i've been working on it steady to make it more 'green'. however, every picture i took still looked like mud. so, since one of the roses is blooming i took a pic of that instead. boring, but pretty. this is a 'laura ford' climbing rose. i transplanted 2 of them from my mothers yard last year. they seem quite happy. i wish everything was doing as well. after seeing that hen's eat slugs - (my arch enemies) i will work on the hubby to find some. haha. i already know his answer. no sense of humour that guy.  [a href="  "] [/a] lesley |
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Post by Chris on May 20, 2003 23:57:03 GMT
What beautiful gardens you have girls and Lesley your rose is just gorgeous. My garden needs some TLC as I've just taken over the one next door as well (that doesn't mean I've got acres, I live in a small terraced cottage!) and I can't decide what to do with it. I think it's going to be moving flowerbeds and putting some more patio area down first and then we'll see. I love the idea of chickens, slug catchers extraordinaire! But as I know we have foxes around here maybe their not such a good idea. Shall have to pinch my son's camera to download pics direct to the pc, then I might learn how to post pics and let you know how I'm progressing!
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Post by Ann on May 21, 2003 16:34:40 GMT
Sue,
It was your picture on the General Board that gave me the idea for this thread, so I'm pleased you've added some pictures. You have a real "gardener's garden" to my mind. It looks MASSIVE by the way. Are those the polytunnels you've mentioned in the third picture? I loved the shot of the chickens heading off next door for slugs. They look so purposeful. Mine is definitely a garden for a non gardener!
Lesley,
Roses are one of my favourite flowers, especially the smelly kind. Sounds like you and Chris are both taking on quite a task creating gardens from scratch.
Chris,
I've always fancied keeping chickens too, but the deeds of the house are quite clear that it's not permissable. It must be wonderful to be able to collect your own eggs.
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Post by KathyM on May 21, 2003 16:43:22 GMT
Well, hopefully (fingers crossed) we'll be moving to our new house in the next week or two, and the garden there is very much a blank canvas. I must admit that I'm really excited about the gardens, and have already picked out a tree for the back, and hedging plants and climbers for the front ;D As and when it gets sorted enought to show off on here, I'll put up a picture  Take care |
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Post by Lesley on May 21, 2003 16:59:18 GMT
kathy, good luck on the move - and on the garden.
the 'experts' aren't kidding when they tell you to pick out the permanent stuff first (trees, bricks etc.),
i foolishly wanted the 'country cottage look' - but i'm very impatient - so in a few years i will need a hatchet and a pith helmet to make it into the backyard.
ann, roses are becoming a favourite of mine (not the fussy ones though, they have to be able to make it on their own!)
sue, your garden is what i'm trying to grow in a hurry - i guess i like what you think is overgrown - of course i'm only against my mother's 'neat little rows' of everything.
so i'm going for the jungle look. too bad cleo and coco aren't allowed. the finches would be very upset!
if the garden ever fills in (to the point where it doesn't look like a muddy farmer's field!) - i will post a before and after pic.
oh, kathy- if you have time - take before shots - its fun to see the changes!
lesley
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Post by Lesley on May 21, 2003 17:02:02 GMT
ann what kind of trees are in your garden? are they going to be really large?
i'm always curious about trees. i could have a yard full of them (although someone gets a bit pissy when i make 'him' dig too many holes - apparently there are things like water and gas lines around. how silly)
lesley
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Post by KathyM on May 21, 2003 17:08:55 GMT
Thanks Lesley! My garden'll be nowhere near as posh as those above  due to minimal funding *lol*. It'll be very basic. I have decided to get a crabapple tree for the back (malus "Royalty" looks good), and some berberis and roses for along one of the fences in the front (some local kids like to climb over to use the garden as a shortcut, so thorny plants are a must!). I'll definitely be growing a passion flower, as I had great success with one at my old house and have wanted to grow another for some time. Other than that, some pots, a weedy lawn and some clematis montana over the "porch" (bin cubby *lol*) will be about as far as it gets! I love gardening, but I'm not clever enough to do major structural work, so I'm going to go along with what the last tenants have left. Both gardens are fairly small, but size doesnt matter in my eyes, I love the new house! |
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Post by Catnip on May 21, 2003 21:54:50 GMT
Lesley Your rose is absolutely beautiful! I have mainly pink/red roses and one or two orange ones, but having seen a couple of yellow roses in bloom when I was out and about last weekend, I mentally put one on my shopping list. I hope I can get mine to stay as healthy as yours looks! The 'country cottage' look was easy to achieve, even in the first year. I got most of my plants from car boot sales where they are dirt cheap normally. I went for perrenials as they come up every year, and filled any gaps with mixed hardy annuals, some of which seeded and came up the next year too. The secret is big wide flower beds, rather than straight borders up each side of the lawn! I'm with you re your dislike of 'neat little rows' - mine certainly doesn't have those! And the tall grows amongst the short, and vice versa! (And there are weeds, too! - sorry, I mean, wild flowers!) Chris It is one of my dreams to bag the neighbour's garden for myself as well! (like you we have a terraced house), but sadly they won't give it up! With regards to hens and foxes, if you use 6ft high chicken wire and bed it into the ground, and make sure hens are always shut into their house at night, there is no reason why they can't be kept safe from marauding foxes. I'm sure we must get them here, as a neighbour lost hens to one before we moved in, but so far we have been lucky enough not to have been bothered by them. Ann, The garden is quite large, being 237 ft long, but only 24 ft. wide! The poly tunnel you can see in the other pic is my neighbour's, the photo is angled towards his garden rather than ours, but ours is up there too, to the left of the grass path. This is our tunnel! The flower bed you can see in this piccie is now the hen/duck enclosure!  Kathy, Best of luck in your new home. We've been here 6 years and although there had been a bit of work done on the garden before we came, most of how it is now is what we have done ourselves. I have found it very satisfying but sadly don't have the time to spend on it since I work 5 days a week now. Will look forward to seeing some pics of your new garden in due course! By the way, clematis 'Montana' and passion flower are two of my favourites, as well!  All, Do you know, we've hardly mentioned cats at all......! |
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Post by Linda_Wells on May 25, 2003 11:47:07 GMT
Green with envy here! I moved five years ago and the garden is still a blank canvas. I'm waiting for <<someone>> to dig it, as I can't with my back. Last weekend he 'weeded' the front garden with the strimmer. He managed to strim three rose bushes and a series of small bushes down to the ground...
Linda
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Post by Lesley on May 25, 2003 22:51:04 GMT
linda, much of my yard was hard-packed clay - so i added lots of compost (manure/peatmoss etc) and put great amounts of topsoil right on top (hate digging). this (in a year) has worked fairly well. ok, fairly expensive - but i have been adding bit by bit with bags from the gardenstore. the higher the beds get the easier the weeding. maybe malcolm will build you raised beds - they are better for your back! and will keep him very busy.  i have also put in a number of shrubs that do not need any real work - so therefore, if the flowers and others die! i still have something to look at! p.s. keep that hubby away from the trimmers. my parents have hacked away at a number of trees and shrubs in their yard - i feel bad for the plants as they struggle to put out a few leaves! although they haven't actually killed anything yet. maybe plants are tougher than i think. lesley |
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Post by KathyM on Jun 13, 2003 9:15:14 GMT
Well, we're in, and the garden is strimmed. That's it so far *lol*. I've decided to plant some shrubs in the back garden along the back fence. I've bought a buddleia and a weigela so far, along with 3 roses for the front side fence (Doris Tysterman - one of my faves, a lovely peachy yellow), a passionflower (bog standard "Caerulea" as its very hardy), and a honeysuckle. I bought them all at Morrisons (cheap little plants, yet they seem to do well). Haven't planted any of them yet *lol*. Still pondering on the crab apple tree, as the back garden seems even smaller now we're in  . I'm a big fan of anything scented, so will probably get some philadelphus or deutzia for the back too. When I work out where I packed the camera, I'll post the "before" pics. ;D |
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Post by Lesley on Jun 13, 2003 16:16:09 GMT
kathy, how exciting! hope the move was okay. the shrubs you've purchased sound wonderful. i love the scented ones too. i have a few of the ones you've mentioned - i've recently put in a jasmine - evergreen, climbs (post, trellis) beautiful flowers - awesome scent. okay so i'm plant crazy. now if only the 'ground force' team would come and do all the work! (we get that show on bbc canada - i'm addicted - ok, i keep hoping tommy walsh will show up in my yard - hasn't happened yet though  ) lesley p.s. find that camera! ;D |
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Post by tabitha on Jun 16, 2003 20:49:17 GMT
I have been in my house 3yrs and i am still doing the back garden.I have got the fencing almost done and have got the patio i always wanted.I also splashed out and got a greenhouse.Its a tiny garden and i am fast running out of space.My daughter takes up a lot of room with her toys i.e. a slide,sandpit and small tent.
I have got about 50 or so plants to put in the garden and i keep buying others that i like.My greenhouse is full ,mostly tomatoes,my daughter luvs them.
I have yet to really start on the front although i have done a bit.It needs fencing next.
I have no pics of my garden,might take some when its got a few more plants.
Tabitha
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due to minimal funding *lol*. It'll be very basic. I have decided to get a crabapple tree for the back (malus "Royalty" looks good), and some berberis and roses for along one of the fences in the front (some local kids like to climb over to use the garden as a shortcut, so thorny plants are a must!). I'll definitely be growing a passion flower, as I had great success with one at my old house and have wanted to grow another for some time. Other than that, some pots, a weedy lawn and some clematis montana over the "porch" (bin cubby *lol*) will be about as far as it gets! I love gardening, but I'm not clever enough to do major structural work, so I'm going to go along with what the last tenants have left. Both gardens are fairly small, but size doesnt matter in my eyes, I love the new house!
. I'm a big fan of anything scented, so will probably get some philadelphus or deutzia for the back too. When I work out where I packed the camera, I'll post the "before" pics. ;D
)