Monday 16 March 2009

A Gardening Weekend.



What a beautiful weekend it has been. The sun shone brilliantly and Sunday brought such warmth I was almost thinking a swim at the beach was in order...almost.
We spent the entire weekend with the two girls in our garden reorganising, making new beds, sowing seeds and replanting. Even a trip to the allotment was squeezed in on Sunday morning. After an early pot of coffee in bed where we gazed at the dazzling yellow of the forsythia outside our window, we packed a picnic and were at the allotment by 8.45am. Dave planted nine blackcurrant bushes - a gift from very lovely friends - and two redcurrants. Another big crown of rhubarb was added to the fruit beds and I transplanted the broad beans which are now about six inches high and making my mouth water at the thought of the feasts to come. More were sown along with peas, carrots, parsnips and a sprinkling of something surprising thanks to Isabella who got carried away. Home again by 11.30 and ready to tackle our own garden. Let me take you on a tour....



This is the little wildlife pond I built quite a few years ago now. It had an enormoush rush which we moved into the duckpond much to the disgust of the ducks who swam around it silently and with deepest suspicion. It has left the butyl liner showing on the smaller pond and so a need to sort this has now arisen and is something I am looking forward to. Soon the delicate water forget-me-nots and water hyacinths will be in bloom giving the water a hazy effect and the dragon and shimmering damselflies will visit. The margins have clumps of different iris, lobelia, spirea and this wonderful marsh marigold which is flowering madly now and lighting up an otherwise shady patch.



We follow the path around the campfire area in front of the pond (which I can't show as the work this weekend has provided the most enormous pile of stuff to be burnt), past the new lawn areas which have sprouted with a vibrant haze and on to the woodland bed - so called because it tend sto get shaded by the huge fruiting cherry tree. I dug everything out of this bed on Saturday, moved the Merryweather damson (I love that name) from where it had outgrown a spot by the writing room and popped it into this one instead. After much replanting of herbaceous plants such as golden rod, ox-eye daisies, a Ballerina rose, bearded iris and clumps of tulips this is how it looked:



and from the other side you can see our very sweet but very tatty house! The paths are lined with bricks I dug out of the garden in the first years I lived here. Gooseberry bushes and another redcurrant were also replanted and I am most pleased with the result.



At the end of the path is Davey's writing room built by his own fair hands. It looks beautiful in the summer, but this is how awful it looked on Sunday (how embarrassing).



I dug out the damson and left the gorgeously tangled old apple tree and a Victoria plum bought for me on Mother's Day by my lovely son Tom when I was expecting Isabella.



It will now be underplanted with grass as I seeded it after much digging and replanted clumps of scarlet tulips to add to it all. Next year we will add daffodils and muscari too. And just in case you wonder how I could have lived in such disgrace, here is a picture to show how lovely it usually looks.



As does the rest of the garden (click on the image for a sunshiney burst of colour)...



26 comments:

  1. Oh, groan! My garden is taunting me with wild overgrown weeds and bits of old debris... I must get out there but hate doing all the boring bits! I'm hoping that if I keep looking at the photos of your garden it will inspire me to get off my b*m and get out there!

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  2. How lovely! I am envious of your old apple and plum trees and dream of my own fruit trees, one day. (our garden is a bit too small for them). I will be going out to do some Spring clearing myself this week - I hope the sunshine holds! Have a lovely week.

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  3. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

    You have inspired me to go out and do some more in my own garden, not that I need much encouragement to enjoy this spring sunshine.

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  4. Oh to have your energy and stamina....

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  5. Pipany, you are so inspiring!

    Lovely to have your family all outside working together, knowing what beauty will develop as spring arrives.

    xo

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  6. Hello Pipany, I really enjoyed reading your gardening exploits. I'm very nosey and like to see what everyone is planting, for inspiration. You certainly didn't fail. As soon as the diggers are gone, I'm hoping to join in the fun. Your garden is beautiful.
    Bertie x

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  7. Lovely garden, Pipany. A conincidence - we planted five new currant bushes this weekend, a gift from a neighbour. They were quite twisty and gnarled so have had a vicious pruning, but I think four are black and one red, summer puddings galore in years to come.

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  8. Doesn't it lift your heart to be able to get outside and enjoy the warmth and the sunshine?

    Tracey

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  9. Your garden is beautiful and puts my sadly neglected space to shame!

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  10. How on earth do you manage to do so much AND blog about it AND make your life seem so enviable?

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  11. How industrious you have been pip. After that weekend, you'll need the week to recover. Your pictures as always are great. At the moment my garden is a bit of a building site due to the extensive building work on the extension, however, now the structural stuff is done, we really need to get out there. I'll have a word with lovely hubby when he comes in from his nightshift at the firestation. Have a lovely evening - jacqui x

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  12. Although I like to peek a look at other people's houses, I much prefer to snoop around gardens. Lovely pictures.
    P x

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  13. Oh gorgeous! I love the writing room and am highly envious of the Merryweather damson (named after a hobbit perhaps?) having left many damsons behind in our Worcestershire garden. What busy bees you were. Wasn't it a lovely weekend?

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  14. it was a bit of a gardening tidy up for us too this weekend too... still lots more to do but oh the weather has been great and i love being outside when it's a little warmer.
    Lovely to see your garden space... love the brick edging...
    have a good week Pip,
    with love
    ginny x

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  15. Gosh, so much colour in your lovely garden.
    The little writing house is lovely, would like a peep inside.
    I remember making little brick pathways in our old house.
    I also went out in the garden today for a little tidy-up, it was so nice and relaxing, I am so looing forward to a nice summer in the garden, fingers crossed.
    Carol x

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  16. Pipany, you put me to shame! We aorked in the garden but achieved not half of what you got through!

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  17. I loved this blog as you may imagine Pipany! I also like seeing the pictures in their varying states of growth. Hope it continues to be sunny for you all week.

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  18. My goodness you've been busy!
    Pond sounds delightful. Vandals got into the wildlife garden down at our little village school and threw the rocks surrounding the pond into the middle of it, ripping the liner. It's looking so derelict. I desperately want to get it up to the sort of standard yours is. I think we may have to start again...too sad.

    Things certainly rather further out in your garden down south than up here in the north - we still don't have the daffodils!

    xx

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  19. Delightful, but I should be down the allotment myself...

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  20. Such lovely pictures of your garden - they coincide with my first adventures in mine - it's SO satisfying isn't it?

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  21. Hi Pipany, thanks for the lovely message and finding me!! Thought I would stop by quickly and say 'Hello' as this is the first time i've come across you as well. I will pop back later for a better look.

    take care,

    Nina x

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  22. I daren't look outside, so thank you for sharing your gardening endeavours though they put me quite to shame!
    Lovely post Pipany.
    CKx

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  23. That sounds like the perfect way to spend the day. I can't wait for the weather to return to normal so that we can get outside and dig/tidy/plant. We are still getting snow!

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  24. Isn't it lovely to be outside again? Fees like the first spring all over again!

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  25. Hi Pip, golly, you were so busy and productive! What amazing weather we're having too, it's such a treat. Long may it last.
    Love and hugs
    Diana xx

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  26. Gorgeous, it's lovely to be back outside in the Spring air isn't it?
    Twiggy x

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