A Little Update ...

Good Morning!

As promised I'm back with a little update on what is happening in the Greenhouse! After the warmer weather we've had recently everything seems to be coming along nicely. The Hyacinths especially have burst up and you get a wonderful aroma when you enter the GH or just stand near the door. You can also spot some Grass plugs just infront of them which I got last week from work.

The tulips I planted into some pots back in November have started making an appearance too in the past few days.

Remember those seedlings I sowed a few posts ago? Well some of them have germinated and hopefully the rest won't be too far behind. 

More seedlings shooting up ...

Last week I also saved some Tomato seedlings from work that were heading for the bin, not that I have any space for them but I couldn't bear to throw them away! lol the Cornflower seeds I sowed have also started coming along nicely too.

On Monday I spread some Poppy seeds outside in the far corners as they were going spare and I thought they could brighten up some bare areas. We'l see at a later date whether this was a success! I also sowed some Nasturtium seeds in the GH.

There was also another little addition to the GH on Wednesday, these were destined for the bin at work as they leftover from pricking so of course I saved them! lol

Finally I thought I'd leave you with a little snap of the tulip and crocus that have started popping up in the tub I planted up a weekend or so ago.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Busy Little Bee ...

Good Morning!

Apologies for not being around the past few days! We've had a few days of good weather so I decided to take advantage of this and re-paint the garden fences. I certainly did not expect this to take me 3 days and 2 coats but it's almost there! The fences & shed were a mis-match of bare and faded red wood so I decided to go with a 'Dark Oak' colour.

Whilst painting I noticed that the Pulmonaria was in flower which is in the shade of next door's tree. I also found out whilst painting the fence that I share with the neighbours they are planning on getting rid of the tree this week which will allow a lot more sunlight onto the patio area if they do.

I also managed to get around to digging a new border outside the shed. I decided to do this so as the shed wasn't so much of an eyesore!

I started out by cutting out a semi-circle shape.

I then forked over the ground as it was very compacted and there were quite a few weeds. I also added the remainder of the Manure I had left over to help enrich the soil.

I finished off by adding the rose I mentioned a few posts ago in the centre.

Thanks for stopping by, I'l be back soon with an update on what is happening in the Greenhouse!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Bare-root Peonies...

Good Morning!

Today's post is all about some bare-root Peonies that I ordered a couple of months ago which arrived earlier this week. I know I probably shouldn't have but how could I resist when all you had to do was pay postage! 

These are the types I received -

Sarah Bernhardt

Shirley Temple

Karl Rosenfield

The best way to plant these is straight into the ground where they are supposed to go in autumn / early Spring. Place them the woody side down with the dormant buds (red eyes) facing upwards. It can be quite tricky to tell which end is the right way up when you first look at them! When burying them cover them completely with soil, with the dormant buds about 1-2 inches below the surface.

Peonies are not really suited for container growing but can be placed in them for a couple of weeks for example if you are moving house or are just being indecisive about where to put them (like me!). Use a soil-based compost such as John Innes no.3 and don't let it dry out. 

However it is best to plant them in the ground straight away.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

A Spring Spruce Up, Part 2!

Good Morning!

As promised I'm back again today with what else I got up to during  my Spring Spruce up! As well as embellishing the front garden a little bit I went over a few bits in the back. Such as the large pot at the side of my Greenhouse that held my Sweet Pea wigwam last Summer and some Pansies during the Winter ...

I used an assortment of Primroses, Tulips and Crocus's. 

Placing the Tulips & Crocus's in the centre and the Primroses circling them.

I also gave some pots a spruce up by replacing the tired pansies with some Primroses.

I decided to give my side border a little tidy up too. The border is rather narrow and was filled with stones when we moved in this time last year. It seemed a waste to leave it like that so I added some soil and plants in the hope that one day it'l be a bit nicer to look at! 

As you can predict I added some Primroses and a little cluster of Crocus's to the border along with clearing out some leaves and weeds. I would have added more Primroses but by this time I was running low! To finish it off I added a mulch of Composted Bark as I had half a bag going spare.

Seeing as I was on a bit of a mission I added some left-over Primroses to another border that hosted my Dahlia's last Summer. If I had known I would have been going to do this I would have bought some another pack! You will see in the photo that I do have a handful left but I decided to save them in case I have any last minute ideas.

Before I go I thought I'd share a little update on the seeds in the Greenhouse. As you can see the Dahlia, Sweet Pea & Comsos seedlings are getting stronger.

For those of you who may have noticed that the fences are different colours, I am planning on painting them all and the shed in deep oak brown when the weather improves!

 I hope I haven't bombarded you with too many photo's over the past two days. 

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

A Spring Spruce Up ...

Good Morning!

Earlier this week I had a little spending spree! I'd decided it was time to give the front of my house a little spruce up along with some pots in the back garden. The following tray is what I'd chosen for the front bed alone, 18 lovely primroses!

TIP - Before I plant anything I always like to set them out beforehand to check that I like the overall position.

Et voila! I know you may not think it looks like much but within 10 minutes the border is now bright and colourful! In case your wondering this border was full of annuals last year which is why it was currently bare.

Alongside this I also made a quick pot to go outside by back door. I used a combination of Primroses (I love this particular mix for the soft pastel colours), Crocus's, A Snowdrop and an Anemone.

I also treated myself to this Dianthus and Hellebore this week, I love the shock of lime in the Dianthus and the way the colours blend in the Hellebore.

Thanks for popping by, 

I'l be back tomorrow with some more snaps of what I've done with my purchases this week!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX