How does your garden grow?

[Invicta]

We are always fighting the Ivy from next door Bee. Their once beautiful garden ( previous owners ) was magnificent but these much younger people have just let it go, can hardly be bothered to cut the grass even.
Ken

[bjones]

We're exactly the same Ken. Our back boundary is with 3 neighbours none of whom had been willing to share the cost of the new fence we had done 4 years ago but nor do they cut back the ivy. The weight of ivy from one neighbour's garden which is 8 feet lower than ours has snapped a concrete post which is why we've taken it down. We were more concerned for the safety of their 3 kids than they were!
Scottish Power have agreed to replace the fence and to clear the boundary we share but we're still waiting to hear from Abbeyfield nursing home about the (longest) boundary we share with them. Their gardeners actually dump their rubbish up against our fence!!!
OK Moan over

[Ernie Jackson. (Bunty)]

We have lived in may, many houses and have never, ever had a bad neighbour.

But, then again, they never had a bad neighbour either.

[bjones]

We've only had one bad(crank) neighbour in many houses too Ernie. Both next door neighbours are lovely people but on one side 3 little kids keep them from giving their garden the attention it needs. The other neighbour, Abbeyfield nursing home is in big grounds. Half of our L shaped garden sticks out into their land so we have 3 boundaries with them. Had a phone call from them earlier and they're sorting things out. I think their gardeners are just lazy.

[Invicta]

Jet washing the patio this morning. The pigeons have finally eaten and crapped all the cherry stones out off our neighbours overhanging tree. K

[Silver-Haired-Hippy]

Ken!! So not the cherry on the cake you hoped for!!

Loretta

[Invicta]

Kept a few to go with the pigeon pie Loretta K
I used the old cardboard box trick to catch them

[Bonesy]

Our conservatory is now officially a greenhouse with a sofa in it.







Keith

[Invicta]

Careful those Toms don't get cooked today, Cus K

[Bonesy]

Keeping them well watered Ken.


Keith

[Invicta]

31C in the shade here Keith our outdoor Toms doing very well ( so far ) Ken

[Bonesy]

Well done cus.
We've harvested our first batch of radishes,
Rocket and little gems.
Got about 70 apples on the tree this year, last year we had just 1.


Keith

[Bonesy]

Funny comment on a fb page I am on.

It’s that time of year again for the flies to start using my kitchen as a brothel and to start bathing in my glass of red wine. Are there any plants I could use as a repellent in the kitchen? I’ve tried mint but it’s useless. I caught them making love on it.

Made me chuckle.

[Sheelagh Tequila]

Citronella and or Lavender for your fb friend Keith,, especially lavender to repell mosquitos , I didn,t know till a couple of years aga that the black spots on my windowledge was fly poo


Sheelagh Tequila

[Invicta]

Flying ants are imminent, started down here. K

[Invicta]

Funny comment on a fb page I am on.

It’s that time of year again for the flies to start using my kitchen as a brothel and to start bathing in my glass of red wine. Are there any plants I could use as a repellent in the kitchen? I’ve tried mint but it’s useless. I caught them making love on it.

Made me chuckle.

Gives the wine a little body K

[Patricia]

Those intruders sound gross!! Do you think window screens would help like they have over here?
My Impatiens/Busy Lizzies are doing Great this year - I love them because they flower continuously all summer until the first frost!!!

[ALAMO2008]

Flying ants are imminent, started down here. K

Here yesterday but the skies here full of Swallows and Housemartins Hoovering the all up high up on the wing for about 2 hrs outside our Kitchen Window like Spitfires in the sky.

[bjones]

Patricia your window cill looks beautiful.

[Patricia]

Bee - Thank you for your lovely comment!! While living in Germany for 18 months most houses had window boxes in fact
one of the conditions on renting our apartment was that we were required to water the Geraniums in our window boxes.
I decided then, that whenever I had my own home that window boxes were going to be a requirement - and Dear Lew had no
problem making and installing them for me - God Bless Him!!!! x

[Patricia]

Really like this Link, there are so many lovely photos being posted and it is neat to learn about "Tips" to enhancing your own garden.

[Ernie Jackson. (Bunty)]

As a relative learner I am really motivated by Bonesy but maybe next season. It will have to be outside as I have no conservatory and the greenhouse is too hot.

My first spud project will be great if the crop is as good as that on top.

Patricia. Your impatience are outstanding. I hoped to move to them for bedding this year but my experiment to over winter bedding begonias was a huge success so you will see here that there is no room left for any other bedding.

[bjones]

Great stuff with the "greenservatory" Keithos; must be hotter than Greece in there today. I hated my dad's greenhouse as the tomato plants always smelled like cat pee to me... that must be the reason I don't eat them.

Ernie Harry (my resident tomato specialist ) suggests you use greenhouse shading; either paint on stuff like this;
https://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/g ... 0-ml.html/
or mesh stuff like these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=greenhouse ... fcstotxm_e

[Ernie Jackson. (Bunty)]

Bee. Your advice has prompted me to check out various greenhouse screening and I will probably go for the roller blinds. Of course, now I have decided, the weather has changed and as well as wind and rain the temperature has dropped 17 degrees.
My keenness has blunted accordingly.

I have spent fortunes on plants over the years and am just learning that taking seeds and cuttings is a very interesting pastime.

My lupins are full of seeds and I have already arranged some swops to get more colours next year.. Cuttings from my favourite clematis are already done.

It makes me wonder if we could arrange a seed swopping system on the site??

[Elaine Goulding]

WOW Ernie...……… seed swopping...… no stopping you now

[bjones]

Swap Shop for seeds; great idea Ernie
Hiya Elaine; nice to see you in here, have you any pics to share?

[Elaine Goulding]

Sorry Bee, my garden is a mess at the moment. My son is coming tomorrow to help me put it back in order. The only thing I have managed is to varnish my deck at the back of the house. I have not planted anything this year. However, I have really enjoyed this thread, some beautiful gardens. What a great idea this thread was. I try to look in each day as it always cheers me up. Keep up the good work folks

[ALAMO2008]

[bjones]

Alan your garden looks to be flourishing in spite of the wind we've been having. If Ernie's Seed Swap Shop gets off the ground I bet you'll have plenty to offer.

Elaine well done varnishing your deck; how about a pic of that? I'll put a pic of my sit-outery on later.

[Glenys]

Bee, Love uour description "sit-outery"

[bjones]

Glen I call it that as it’s too long and narrow to be a patio and “terrace“ sounds a bit too posh so here’s my sit-outery. If I can’t go to my special place then a bit of it must come to me.

[Elaine Goulding]

Bee, your "sit-outery" is lovely and looks very enticing on a nice summers day.

[filsgreen]

It looks very chill, Bee.

[Silver-Haired-Hippy]

Love your sit outery Bee! I have quite a few of your 'pets' hanging about inside and outside, would love a real one but the family have refused to look after one (or two) when we go away!! Spoilsports!!!

Loretta

[bjones]

Thanks you guys. That was a couple of weeks ago when we had sunshine... remember sunshine?
That end of our "terrace" is what's left of a conservatory we had to pull down soon after we moved in. The neighbour's ivy had climbed over the fence, up the wall and taken the roof off. It faces SW so gets really hot; hence the awning.

It doubles as my nursery for the end of season plants I buy cheaply to bring on. 3 little rose bushes out there at the mo were tiny ones I've had as presents. Think they were meant as house plants but I've potted them up this year and they're taking off again.
That's one of the things I love about the garden; new life from old