2014 The story of our garden this year.
Please click on the small pictures to see a larger version
Other years : 1970 onwards 2000 2011 2012 2013
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Monday 27th October - The new fence panels arrived and with Steven's help we got them in place
It was reasonably straight forward but the original concrete panel under the new two foot panel had been pushed out of place by the roots of the Virginia Creeper and the Ivy so I had to dig more out and levered it back in place. The original wooden post seems quite firm and the screws all screwed home and held. Used creosote to try and proof it against rot
From here the notes are in chronological order
Thursday 9th January - first photos of the year. For the first few days of the year it has been very wet and windy.
Monday 13th January - Green Envy scarified the lawns
Wednesday 15th January - first crocus. The primroses have been out for a while now. The snodrops are pushing through. There is a fungus on the dead berberis tree,
Sunday 19th January
Sue spotted this funghi on the dead berberis tree in the fron t garden earlier in the week.
Croci, snopdrops and primroses. The snowdrops are at the top of the drive, the others are under the kitchen window.
Monday 3rd February - The snowdrops are all coming out now -
these are in the back garden
Yesterday I started work on widening the border on the north side of the back garden - today, as it was dry I decide not to cycle but carry on with the border this is where I started today:
It didn't look much different when I'd finished but I'd removed lots of hard core and the solid motar base for the granite sets - two trips to the tip.
Tuesday 4th February - I decided not to walk today but carry on with my project to widen the border
Another trip to the tip with the remaining hard core and motar and two trips to the garden centre for a total of 400 litres of top soil.
Tuesday 18th February - Our Crocuses in the front garden are blooing
Back Garden
Wednesday 19th February - Did more pruning of the Wisteria and Magnolia. Pruned the Apple tree, Amelanchier, Weigela, Mahonia and Rambling Rose in the south east corner. Did some pruning of the large Clematis in the Conifer and Rambling Rose in the Variegated Holly
Monday 24th February - Repaired another fence panel and the two 'arches'
Saturday 1st March - Carried on tidying up the back garden. Planted out the Rose tree, the remaining Clematis, the herbs and the Winter ...
Saturday 8th March
Pieris
Sunday 9th March - cleared the rose bed of grass and wild pansies
Front
Back
Alex's Daffodil
Monday 10th March
Saturday 15th March - cut the Skyrocket down, need to get the stump out now.
Also cut the lawns for the first time - they don't look well.
Sunday 16th March - Cut the Variegated Holly down between us and 419, it looks a right mess now!
Thursday 20th March - The trimmed conifers:
I cut back the left-hand one yesterday afternoon. The right-hand one I cut down on Monday afternoon. The stump of the Sky Rocket is in the middle and just to the left is the savaged Variegated Holly that I did on Sunday.
We have lots of foxgloves and wild pansies, most of which we removed from the rose bed.
Friday 21st March -
Saturday 22nd March - early morning photos
Burkwood Viburnum
Friday 18th April - Walking round the Back Garden clockwise
Saturday 26th April - Back Garden
Sunday 4th May - Back Garden
Saturday 10th May - Back Garden
Sunday 11th May - Back Garden
Monday 12th May - Lilac & more Wisteria, Back Garden
Friday 16th May - Rhododendron, Delphinium and Aqualesias - front garden
Tuesday 20th May -
Saturday 24th May - Tiger Lily
Monday 26th May - The Blue Tits - they chose the old box so we didn't see inside!
Friday 30th May - Front Garden
Back Garden
Wednesday 4th June
Saturday 7th June
Front Garden
Back Garden
Baskets we'd got for Trudie's house.
Sunday 22nd June
Betty, our next door but one south neighbour, taking about the garden with Sue. Aglimpse into Betty's garden:
Back to our Front Garden
this is the climbing rose on the old Berberis tree stump
Our roses this year have been swamped with Foxgloves which we hadn't the inclination to remove
Thursday 26th June
Our latest watering control - sadly they don't seem to last more than two seasons
The hanging basket in the 'Square', which is dominated this year by the sheeted over Mirror sailing dinghy
Back garden
The Alkamilimollis is taking over the space occupied by our Lily of the Valley
and into the Front Garden
back in the house through the front door
Wednesday 23rd July
We're having a glorious July but with one thing and another we've only managed to cut the grass after three weeks, perhaps longer, time not the grass, which was long.
The Lobelia have taken over the stands!
Tuesday 19th August
I cycled to the Park, did the Health Walk and cycled back. In the afternoon I started to prune the Magnolia but unfortunately fell off the steps so all work came to a halt for two weeks and only intermittant spells after that
Friday 12th September
Despite the lack of attention the gardens still hae the feel of summer about them. We've been lucky with self sets that have dominated the weeds.
The Japanese Wind flower has done well this year.
Thursday 17th October
In the afternoon Steven came and cut the tops of the hawthorn tree and cleared the sides of the drive, we helped by tidying up. He also cut away the shrubs etc. so that he could swing his car (and all others) round into the turning space.
Friday 17th October - Ordered three new concrete bases, three 2' panels and a special panel 2'6" rising to 4' for back garden south fence see photo below.
Saturday 18th October
Front Garden
Did a little weeding today and took all the foxgloves out of the Rose bed.
Pruned all the Roses except this one
and left these two blooms only
This one's climbing up the old Berberis trunk
Back Garden
A couple of weeks ago I started to clear the Virginia Creeper from the fence. 2014 has been a difficult year for us because from the 15th April either one or both of us has been incapacitated. Clearing the Virginia Creeper took a few days but digging out the roots, there's still a few left and digging out the Montbretia had to be done in fifteen minute stints of which I only managed three or four.
The end photo is the last of the hanging basket flowers
The last of the Pelargoniums on the stands
Evidence of our neglect but nature is looking after our garden
This lovely red flower has been blooming for sometime in the 'Wild' Garden
- under the bird table
The Azelia and the last of the Japanese Wind Flowers, another plant that has done well this summer and autumn
The Ice Plant hidden away and the Black Eyed Susan's which have thrived late summer and autumn
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