I've been toiling in my garden

[panik]

It's getting there. The impenetrable rainforest of this time last year is no more, anyway. I've slashed but not burned (it never really dries out enough to burn, tbh *g*), evicted or restrained the rampant and planted mucho fruit trees, bushes, all kinds of veggies. Today I got the perpetual spinach in at last, also cress, rocket, salad leaves, more beans, more peas, more sweet peas, marigolds, radishes, nasturtiums, lilies and stocks. The strawberries, artichokes, cukes and tomatoes are still too tiny to plant out, that'll have to wait till next time and the watercress hasn't arrived yet.

Still much to do, but I'm getting there.


My pot awaits the strawberries. That wall in the back was smothered in Russian Vine, it was a mighty struggle but I think I finally killed it. I'm putting a fig and a kiwi; maybe a peach there this year.



The pond was so badly overgrown, all clear now, smelling gorgeously minty. The toads are back already.



And the bluebells are coming out.



The Burgi Oak! This little chap grew from an acorn Richard Burgi dislodged from an Oak with his golf ball. He did that a lot. :o) The prevailing sound of the weekend was the steady 'thunk' of Richard hitting trees with his balls ;o) - That and the screams of the crowd as his balls hurtled towards them at incredible force and speed. RB is no golfer. Anyway, I grew this from one of those acorns. I thought the wee one might have pegged it, he spent the last 2 years in such a tiny pot and the winter was so harsh, but he lives! He's one tough Oakling. I've re-potted him anyway, in  oak-mould from the woods out back. I hope he'll be happy in his roomy new pot.



Pea sticks . Spinach, radish, marigold, cress and beans also lurk under here. That's my spanky new whitecurrant against the wall. The strawberries are wild-woodland ones which grow like crazy all over my garden. They're only tiny but taste amazing.



alibongo calls him 'Jim in a snit'.
 


Ferns - I have a lot of them; cold and wet is my moorland world. I usually grow a trailing fuchsia in this pot but this little chap's seeded himself and I haven't the heart to evict him. The violets are wild ones that have also seeded themselves everywhere.





Still lots to do.
 
ETA: My free BBC seeds have just arrived. More stuff to plant. Oh joy.

Comments

[frostdoll.livejournal.com]

Loevely photos! I spy some peony shots growing near the greens :)

I'm so envious, I long for a garden, just a little place for planting and digging and enjoy my flowers, instead I have an undersized balcony full of pots.

Kiwis are sloooow growers, my father is tending some in a borrowed allotment and it's taking ages to see the first flowers, do you have only one plant? Or do you know if any neighbours have another? Because the female plants need the pollen from the male flowers to produce fruits.

Sorry! I missed your comment, never got my email.

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

The kiwi I was looking at is self-fertile but I think we just don't get enough sun here anyway to make a kiwi viable sadly. I think I'm going with fan-training a William pear instead (which also needs a pollinator but lots of people have pear trees, I figure I'll be OK).

You can grow a lot on a balcony. Cucumbers, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, chilles, aubergines... Any chance of pictures of yours? :o)