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

[aerianya.livejournal.com]

Your back garden makes me very happy. The snow is mostly melted so there may be some green for us around the corner.

Your back garden makes me very happy.

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

I'm very happy my wee patch makes you happy hon. :o) Snow still? Snow this time of year's not unknown here though getting rarer these days. Frost is more our problem, it tends to strike after a warm spell when all the blossom is out, it happened last year and no one got any fruit. I've bought fleece this year, I'm taking no chances. I think we're clear now though, hence my fight to get everything off the window ledges and out where it belongs (at last)

What do you grow up there? I would imagine it's a short season, as is ours. Do you start things off indoors like we have to, or just not bother (which I totally understand (o:)

Re: Your back garden makes me very happy.

[aerianya.livejournal.com]

We can grow pretty much anything, but plants that take more that 100 days to fruit are usually started indoors or grown in a greenhouse if they can't take the occasional cool night. Our long days and volcanic soil help things along.
We try to have everything hardened off by the last weekend in May so there are outdoors all the time or planted in the ground.
The weather this year is wonderful so far, seems like we really didn't have a summer last year. In the sixties tomorrow and tonight a BBQ for middle daughter birthday. We always hold our breath for this, it has snowed on her birthday before.
I haven't stared a single seedling this year so if I want anything that doesn't come back on it's own, I'll have to make a trip to the nursery.
Such a hardship for me too.*g*