Tom and the Potato's

On the 23rd March (2012) I sowed my Chocolate tomato seeds, that I had collected from last year tomatos.  At first I was not sure if they would spout or not!  So on 28th March (2012) I was exticed to see little baby seedling had come up.

A week later I took them out doors to to plant up for the first time in little white cup's.

Then on the 14th of May I planted the tomato's up in those black pot's from Morrisons (Supermarket) eight for 99p.

Like I have said over and over again in other blog post's, we have had frost and cold weather.

So the tomato's have not done so well.

This is how they look today (11 June)

I am hoping they will pick up soon, I'm giving them food every day just to get them going.

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For a long time now I have been dying to grow my own Potato's. 

So this year I decided to get some seed potato's to grow, I got 'Charlotte'.

I had some empty tub's, so I put some kitchen roll in and placed the seed potato's in the tub's.

About three weeks went pass and the seed potato's had chitted.  So on the 4th Of May I took the chitted potato's out and planted them up.  A week later little green leaves appeared, I put some more compost on top. Then so on as the leaves came up, til they got to the top.

This is how the Potato's look today (11th June)

I will keep you all posted on how I get on with the potato's and tomato's.

Plant Marathon!

Over ten week ago I sowed Impatiens, Lobelia's, Petunia's, Nastrutras, just to name a few.
I popped them in my propagater's and  first time ever popped them in my greenhouse, because I sowed too many.  I noramlly put them on my bedroom windowsill.  Then the frost came and like most of us have found, it kill off any chance of life! :(

RIP Seeds/Seedlings

So yesterday (23rd May) I decided and I am a shamed to say. Today (24th May) I went and bought some plants and some more compost, has I knew I won't have enough.


Here is the list of plants below.

1. Geranium's Mixed
2. French Marigold's Mixed
3. Celosia
4. Petunia's Mixed
5. Lobelia - Regatta Mixed
6. Lobelia - Trailing Mix
7. Impatiens - Chelsea
8. Nicotana - Mixed

So after getting the plants and try to find local Honey (which I think needs to be another post!).  I came home which was at 12o'clock and set to work. Emptying the pot's on the wall's, cleaning them out. Pot up plants that decided to start growing where you don't want them.  But I still want to keep them, to see what they turn into.

Oh and kill the slugs and snails, the old fashion way with the beer. I use an old drink bottle with a drop of old (out-of-date) beer. When I see a snail/slug I un-do the lid and pop/drop the snail/slug in. I don't seem to have many in the garden anymore! 

Once I had sorted every think out, I started to pot up all the pot's on the wall's, then I moved on to the two black pot's and potted them up well. 

A couple of weeks ago my uncle gave me three pots of Cosmos and a pot of Lavateria that he had luckily growed from seed.  I found my big green tub left from my rose's, to use.  So I popped in some stones for dainage and fill the tub of soil!

I spilt the Lavateria up into four peices and planted that to the back, then I popped in the Cosmos's and nictiana's. What every I had left over I put in the pot too......

Here are the picture's I took these yesterday morning!!!












I love this one!



Chelsea Flower Show 2011

Sorry I know I'm at it again!  I meant to get this finished and posted a week after Chelsea last year! But as you all can guess work and family stuff got in the way.

Can you believe it is a year since last year Chelsea Flower Show.... I can not believe how time fly's!  Has you all know by now,  to me one of the best week of the year is the Chelsea Flower show. But last year again I could not get the time off work.  Has I had only started my new job eight weeks before, and there was rules to follow. 

So once again I would like to say thank you to the BBC and to Alan Titchmarsh and the team for a wonderfull coverage.

So here are some of my fave gardens!

B&Q Garden 

Designer:   Patrick Collins & Laurie Chetwood

Won:        Gold

I have to confess this garden was not my fave on how it looked. It was because of the bug hotel. If I remember right half way thought the week. It was reported that the hotel was full of life, of bug's coming and going.  But I can not remember what happen to the bug hotel after Chelsea...  Maybe it was was broke up into cubes and dotted them across the country at school's!!  If so please let me know?

The Art Of Yorkshire

Designer's:  Gillespies

Won:         Sliver

The Art Of Yorkshire was one of the only Artisan garden's I really liked and still do - one year on!

The garden was a celebration of Yorkshire art and landscapes thorough the eyes of an artist, Artist's like David Hockney. 

I loved every part of the garden. But especially how the eye is drawn to the frame on the easel.

A Monaco Garden 

Sponsored by: Principality of
              Monaco

Designer's:   Sarah Eberle

Won:          Gold

The garden illustrates the interaction between architecture and landscape that characterises Monaco's spectacular scenery.

 

To be honest I still can not make up my mind on what I love about this garden.. Hang-on a mo... I think I might just love all of it.  Well okay apart from the one plant that is planted on the top, Lavender... Some of you will know that Im allergic to the plant. :( Which is not good!

The HESCO Garden

Designer's: Leeds City Council

Won:        Gold

The garden was designed to draw attention to the importance of water power in the industrial evolution of Leeds.

Another fantastic garden from the Leeds City Council and HESCO. 
When I first saw this garden on the BBC coverage, I fell in love.  I love the watermill and all that surrounding area.


 

The Tourism Malaysia Garden

Sponsored by:   Tourism Malaysia

Designer's:     Amphibian Designs - James Wong & David Cubero

Won:            Gold

I'm at it again, keeping the best til last!  Just like 2010,  I first saw the plans for the Tourism Malaysia garden on the Amphibian designs website.  Yep as you guess, I loved the plan's for the garden.

Thorough out the build of the garden I was following the up-date's from James on twitter and then the update's stopped. So I knew the garden must of been near enough completed.  I knew I had to waited patiently for the BBC coverage to start, which can I say I could not wait. 

Then at last Chelsea week was here and the BBC started their coverage.  I'm sorry to say at first I was un-sure I liked the garden.  But as the week went on and I saw the garden from different angles.  I fall in love, especial once I saw the sunken pavilion, I was like wow! Even my mum loved this part of the garden. Which some times it can take alot to impress her!

It was my day off when it was announced David and James had won gold! I was so happy that they had won gold again!  Also I remember hearing that the plant's from the garden was going down to Paignton Zoo . Also my local news cover that the plant were going down to the Zoo.

Dorset Shepherd Hut going to Chelsea Flower Show 2012

A little while ago there was an report on my local news about Dorset Shepherd's Hut made Plankbridge going to Chelsea.  The weeks following that, the Dorset Shepherd's Hut was featured a few garden magazine's and also in Dorset Country Gardener. Which is a free magazine that I some times pick up from the local garden centres.

If your not sure what an Shepherd hut looks like here's a picture!



I got primise from Plankbridge to use one of their picture's. 
This is my fave one!  



Plankbridge will make history at Chelsea as one of their hut's will feature for the first time in a RHS approved show garden.  The Dorset inspired show garden will be one of just eight Artisan Gardens at Chelsea devoted to British craft skills.  The garden is designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith (if I remember right) have already achieved three Gold Medals at Chelsea.  Adam and Jon specialise in natural gardens, featuring wildflowers, native plants and reclaimed, traditional materials.

The Plankbridge Show Garden take its inspiration from the company's beginnings at Waterston nearPuddletown, Dorset.  Also the strong links with the scene from Thomas Hardy's novel, Far From The Madding Crowd.  Which describes the shepherd Gabriel Oak taking care of a newborn lamb in his hut.

This is one garden Im looking forward to seeing!  I hope the BBC covers the garden, only time will tell!

The First Two Work's Out Of The Year!

I think I have mention a while back, about how I wanted to do some think with the top end of the garden. But did not know what to do...

About 6months ago I first noticed the bench at the top end. That has the Flax, Horse Chestnut and Pyracanthaon on, had broke. But at the time the bench was not that bad, until I checked on the 20th February. To find the whole thing had broken in half. The old pots and tubs that was underneath was the only things keeping it up.

So on Sunday 26th February, I went outside at 10:30am til 5:30pm with one or two tea breaks.. I started off with moving the Rhododendron over to the other side of the garden. Then lifting the New Zealand Flax and dragged it to be next to the Rhododendron. Once I had moved the Horse Chestnut and the Pyracanthaon.  Then I turn round and thought I was in the middle of the jungle lol!  After having my first cuppa tea, I then went and tackle the old wooden handmade bench, that a friend made over 15years ago.  I was kind of sad to see it go. But it had to go because it had rotted, split, whatever you want to call it. Anyway I carefully moved the bench, which fell apart as I moved it. I then sorted some of the pots and tubs out that was underneath. I had a bit of a shock I found out where the snails use to go and die, in the tubs..
 RIP the eight snails I found!

After washing the four tubs out and cleaning the area. I placed three of the green tubs upside down on the floor and one on top of two of them. Then it was time to start moving the plants back.  I had fun lifting the Flax and the Pyracanthaon up but I got there in the end.. At the moment the Horse chestnut is sitting on the floor.



Then.



Now

(I know it dosen't look much now. But it will look much better later on in the year, has I have not finished in this area yet.)
It was time for another cuppa tea and a nice salad sandwich. Then back outside to tackle the next bit. Which was the Yellow Cape Fuchsia(phygelius aequalis)  or commonly known as Moonraker.  I think I have mention before on how I want to pot up the moonraker. But need to find a pot bigger enough, Well I ended up scrapping that idea. I decided on the cruel to be kind thing again.

The Moonraker is in the Then picture above the red small pot and the brown one underneath that the roots have gone thorough to the other pot. 

After finding my Grand-dads old spade, I layed the Moonraker(phygelius aequalis) down on the floor. Then I tryed to get the spade thorough between the two pots. But I did not succeed and I do not have a saw. So I went indoors to ask my mum very nicely could I borrow some think sharp. She gave me one of the old knives from the kitchen that I have used before in the garden. Once I had sawed my way thorough between the to pots. I had to brake the red pot and take the soil out of the other one. Then I re-potted up the (phygelius aequalis) Moonraker in the brown pot.

The picture below is how it looks now.

Also I needed to sort out the green tub that had the mass of roses in. But that can wait another day!

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Well actually I could not waited til I did some more outside. So on the 1st of March I went out to attack the tub with the roses in and out came grand-dads spade again.

I drag the tub out from where it was sitting and tipped it on its side.  Once the tub was on it side I then pushed the spade in at the top end and pulled the block of rose roots and soil out.  Once the block was out of the tub, it was time to spit the block of soil up.  I got half way thorough sorting the soil out. 

When my mum called me in. She had made an lettuce sandwich and a cuppa tea. So while enjoying my sandwich and my cuppa tea it was time for my fave afternoon show The Alan Titchmarsh Show . I love the show only because of Mr T or Titchmarsh, has I grew up watching Alan on Gardeners World and later on Ground force.

Once Alan's show had finished, off I went back outside to finish off sorting out the roses. I found out that two of them had died and the other one was just about suriving. The rose was flooded so I popped it in a pot and then sorted the last of the soil out. Sorting the soil out did not take me long, so I thought I better had sorted out the rubbish (like old brench) that needed to go to the trip. I knew my brother was planning to go in the next few days.

The New additions to the family/garden!

O' Christmas Tree

 Since I was a little girl I have always wanted to have a real tree at christmas. Maybe because all the chritmas movie's. You see families going out to buy the perfect Real tree.

But I never like the thought of the tree(s) being cut down. After all the tree(s) have been growing a year or more. No wait if I remember right from what I watched at christmas it takes  a (christmas) tree about 10 years to grow from seed until it is ready to be sold. 

Also the thought of after christmas having to throw it out I mean get it recycle. I noticed that my local council was offering a real Christmas tree collection service. But still I noticed tree's dumped on the side of the road.

A few year's ago it was and still is popular to have a tree in a pot. Maybe Chrismtmas tree in a pot as been about for years. But have only become more popular just recently.

About the last two years I have been planning and keep going on about getting a (christmas) tree in a pot for my garden. So the second week of December (2011) I went down to Groves in Briport to buy myself a tree.

I bought a Abies Nordmanniana or Nordman Fir the picture below is how it looks now.

The tree looks much better than it dose in this picture, honest!

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My Gold

At the start of September (2011) I did my order at Suttons for Crocus Saffron Sativus and camomile. I got the Saffron for £2.95 for 30 bulbs instead of £9.95...  I first found out that you could grow Saffron in this country after James Wong visited a UK Saffron grower in his programme Grow Your Own Drugs or Backyard Medicine (as it is known as over seas).

I had to wait til the last week of September for my bulbs and camomile seeds to arrive.

So on the 4th Oct (2011) I planted the Saffron.  After a very long wait about three weeks green shoots started to appear.  I was hoping and praying that I would get an harvest.. But I kind of knew that I might not, Self nout I think!

I ended up never getting a single flower. :(  But I did have fun stopping one of my cat's from eating it. Mistaken the saffron as grass.  So out came the green canes and string.

I know this dose not look so great now.  But I do know that the green leaves of the Saffron dies back in April.  The Saffron bulbs go dormant until Autumn/Fall when life appearance's. 

Since the picture above I noticed the green leaves have started to go brown.  So I have removed the canes plus string and popped a seed tray on top.  So the cat's can not get to the leaves.

Mother's Day Gift

Around the 27th February I started to think about Mother's Day, and what was I going get my mum.

For the last three years or more my mum has wanted a Rosa called Patricia. (Patricia is my mum's name) So for the last three years or more I have been busy trying to get the rose for her.  But I had not succeed until now!

I started off searching online for the plant like I did before in the past. But this time I found three nurseies that said they had the Rosa Patricia on their website.  So I emailed all three, to find out if the rose was in stock.  Two emailed back to say "sorry we do not have the 'Patricia' in stock. 

I was at the last straw, until I had an email back from the team at Wych Cross Nursey.  The Wych Cross Nursery had the 'Patricia' rose in stock.  So on the Tuesday 6th March I did my order for the rose. About 5mins later I had my email from Wych Cross to confirm they had my order.  The following day (7th) the nursery emailed me to say they had sent out the plant and should be with me in the next 24hrs.

So the next day (8th) I went to work like I normally do. While I was there I was hoping and praying I would be home for when the rose was deliverd.  But once I had finished and left the building, I phoned home just to say I was on my way. To be told that there was a box in the living room with my name on it from some garden centre. 

Once I had got home, I opened up the box took out the leafets. Then I popped it outside and secertly took off the name tag.  I had to take the name tag off just in case mum tryed to see what the name was. The days that followed the rose grew and my mum kept asking questions about it. I Knew she kind off knew, you can never get much past her. :-)

Sunday 18th March

The picture above was took today and  I got told I shouldn't of and it must of been a lot of money. Every year I get told I shouldn't have, but do I listen... no!