Wednesday 15 July 2015

GBBD - 2 months in my new garden

I don’t really know where the last 2 months have gone, in any case they have gone very quickly! Since moving house I have tried to keep up with all the things that comes with switching address, and despite only moving 2.3 miles down the road, it is an astonishing amount of work involved. Add to that all the things this house has thrown at me since moving in – currently I have no working shower as the pump isn't working properly and I am waiting for a plumber/electrician to fix it, last week the sewer was blocked for the whole street and Thames Water had to come out in the evening and unblock it. What will be next....I just want a shower and a hair wash. Soon.
The relentless heat we have had has given way for cooler days, a much more comfortable 23-25 degrees C. I don’t mind a few more but well over 30 C makes me too lazy and I have too much to do so I am happy with this. And we have finally had some rain! Not exactly a day of rain, more like a few short drizzly showers and with what’s here called ‘spitting’ in between. Not really enough to water the plants properly, but enough to make you wet if you stay outside for long enough. But after the prolonged period of dry weather and having to water my plants every evening I take any kind of rain, no matter how short lived. The next 10 day’s weather forecast doesn’t promise us one drop of rain so it’s back to watering every evening from now on.

I have been busy in what’s going to be my Shade Garden. Trying to clear this area has been top priority, but my goodness what a job it has been – and I am not finished yet. This is from last week when I removed paving slabs that have been leaning up against the fence for ages, possibly since this side garden was made about 14 years ago. You should have seen some of the spiders that turned up when I started moving these slabs – best not have a fear of spiders when taking on work like this!

May I present you to my new garden helper! This robin has been flying around me the last 10 days, I am quite sure it is the same bird every day. It is not scared of me at all, every time I lift something or dig up something, he/she is there straight away looking if I have unearthed something edible. At times the bird is flying so close to me that all I can hear is a SWUSH! around my ears before it lands right in front of me, taking no notice of me at all.

And a few days ago I decided to try digging up the cordyline that was growing in the bed here in the Shade Garden. The only way I can dig anywhere in this garden is by using water so I hacked away a tiny trench and lay down the hose on a small trickle and let the water work it’s magic. Every hour I went to dig out what was wet and after 6 hours I got as far as you can see here. It was time to use spade, fork and brute force.

And out it came, the whole cordyline root, my goodness it was heavy!

And before I could finish taking a photo of it, the robin was there, landing right there on the root. Don’t you agree it has a rather triumphing pose?

Photo session on the root over, the robin proceeded to look for goodies I might have unearthed. Both my spade and fork got a good picking and it seems they both had edible stuff.

Final pose of the day, yes, I am sure he is posing for me. Seriously - looking right at me, not scared at all every time I lift up the camera. I don’t have a zoom lens, I am sitting less than 1m away taking these photos. And this must be a ‘he’, posing like that?!

They say people with cats should not attract birds to their gardens because the cats will chase them.

Not much risk of that in my garden. This is what my cat is doing most of the time whilst out in the garden. And if he isn’t outside sleeping he is sleeping inside instead. Chasing birds is not one of his pastimes, I guess he has learned from experience they will fly away long before he gets to them. Pretty laidback cat, not really bothered. He is allowed though, getting to that age where sleeping, eating and cuddles are the only things important in life. He will be 14 years old in November.

Back to my shade garden and tidying up. Here is a week’s worth of garden waste, ready for the council to come and collect it for their green waste composting service. Thank goodness they do this for free, I would had to pay someone to come once a week to drive the bags away for me if this service had not existed. So far I have filled 29 bags.

But not everything I find in the garden can end up as compost, the green bags are for green waste, these black bags are for rubbish collection. I have found an astonishing amount of rubbish in this garden!

All the pruning and cutting and collecting rubbish has worn out my super-strong garden gloves. I can’t believe I managed to wear away the leather. New gloves are already bought from Amazon.

Oh, and look what I found when digging out the cordyline under the ceanothus! I don’t know what it is, do you? Some sort of fungi, but what? It’s got an umbilical cord and is still attached wherever that might be, I haven’t cut it off yet. Just a shame I didn’t stumble on a load of truffles – but I am unfortunately quite sure it is not a truffle. Wrong type of tree, wrong pH for truffles and....ehm, it doesn’t look like any truffle I have seen anyway, not that I have SEEN many, but I have seen them on TV.

OK, so this was the Shade Garden a few weeks ago, and I have tidied up, cut back, dug up and even started on trimming the ceanothus’ – but that’s a long term project, it is hard work and I have to just do a bit now and then.

And here is the shade garden today. Not ready for planting yet, but looking a lot better already. The shrubs at the end are also coming out, but I don’t think I can do them myself. Getting that small cordyline out was my first shrub out of the ground, it was seriously hard work and getting the rest out will have to be by someone stronger and fitter than me.

But enough about the work, let me show you some flowers, after all it is Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and I have lots of plants in flower this month despite all of the plants being in pots and most of them not really enjoying the potted life. Turning around from The Shade Garden, The Hot Garden has been awfully hot for a couple of weeks, so hot that Rosa ‘Ingrid Bergman’ found it too hot and had to move out, she could not stand the heat and her roses turned crispy! I have placed her in the main garden where she is much happier. It has been a learning curve having a much sunnier garden than I had before.

But the daylilies are really enjoying the sun here, and ‘Sammy Russel’ and ‘Burning Daylight’ is a nice combination.

Down on the ground I have a softer colour palette, mostly in pinks. Here are some of my many daylilies – ‘David Kirchhoff’ and ‘Moonlit Masquerade’. Some of my daylilies are enormous, growing in far too small containers and desperate to get back in the ground – others are tiny and have yet to flower for the first time. My plan is to have all the pink and cream  shaded growing in the back garden in a bed in the middle of the garden, together with roses in pink shades. I am not sure where all the yellow, orange and burnt red daylilies are going yet!

This is from left top: ‘Nanuq’ and ‘Dan Mahony’, ‘Double Coffee’ and ‘Crimson Pirate’.

My angels are growing quickly, they need bigger pots – all the angle pelargoniums are a different variety and my plan is to take cuttings of them for next year. I just need a few more hours in the day!

The heuceras have got a temporary space here on the edge of the wall, I just love the different colours of the leaves and would really like many more. When they finally get planted they will all grow bigger than this.

Dicentra  formosa 'Bacchanal'  is doing well in the pot, I split it in 3 in early spring and the main plant has grown a lot this summer.

The most action is happening in my front garden at the moment – or mainly outside my front garden to be honest. Most of my 164 lilies are in flower or just about to flower. Only Lilium regale and a red Asiatic one is finished. I made an order to H. W. Hyde for lily bulbs last autumn, before I had any idea I was going to move house. When the bulbs arrived in February I planted them all in pots as I didn’t know for sure back then whether I would get the bungalow I had been offered or not. I am glad I got them all with me, some of these new lilies are really exquisite and will get just better, bigger and taller over the next few years.

‘Triumphator’ is one of the new ones, with enormously big flowers and a nice scent.

‘Friso’ is one I had from before, this is 3rd year and being a Goliath lily it can eventually become 2.5m tall.

‘Guardia’ is also new, really gorgeous flowers, with a nice, fruity scent.

‘Maytime’ and ‘Prescott’ are also new, both will grow much bigger over the next few years.

‘Lankon’ is probably the most spectacular of the new lilies, just look at the inside pattern!

But ‘Blueberry Crush’ is the one I have waited for to open. When this lily grow up to be an adult in 3-4 years’ time it will have up to 25-30 flowers on each stalk – and I have 3 bulbs. With a flower size much bigger than my hand and a heavenly, fruity lily scent I can’t ask for anything more :-)

I have other, more familiar plants from my old garden in flower too, Dahlia 'Mary Eveline' is now living in 3 large pots and the first flower has opened.

Rosa 'Susan Williams-Ellis' is out here at the front, she is bigger and better than last year. I have learned to accept that David Austin roses do take a few more years to grow into their maturity than other roses – but they are worth the wait.

On the inside of the fence is Penstemon Pensham 'Amelia Jayne' – and my first attempt to grow canna lilies. 'Magic Pink' has only produced a lot of green leaves so far but I am hoping these two plants will reward me with flowers eventually.

'Amelia Jayne' has beautiful flowers and she needs a space in the ground soon – like a lot of my plants!

Let’s take look in the back garden too, here is the central part with the most sun-hungry plants. One thing has changed here in the middle, the plumtree has gone! Well, not exactly gone, but I have cut most of it down, only the stump is left as you can see in this photo. What’s left will have to be dug out, not a job I will be able to do so I am adding it to a growing list for someone to come and help me with.

Alstroemeria 'Dandy Candy' is a real trooper, last year it flowered until Christmas. I will get a few more when this part of the garden is eventually sorted.

And here is a plant I bought last year, finally I get to see it in flower - Lewisia cotyledon. I have two, but the second has not flowered yet. I plan to make a miniature garden with my Sempervivum collection and these two will hopefully get a space there.

My boots have got some flowers temporarily, they are still filled with spring bulbs from last winter, but I have placed these Pelargonium 'Appleblossom’ in them for now, still in pots.

I am so happy I finally bought these, they are just gorgeous.

And now to some of the plants I have inherited with the new garden. To the left is a lacecap hydrangea and to the right is a Hibiscus syriacus.

I must admit I like mophead hydrangeas better, but this one has a pretty colour.

I have wanted a Hibiscus syriacus for ages but could not find a space for one in my previous garden – then I came here and found a mature one growing. What a coincidence! I am now eagerly waiting for the first flowers to open as I have no idea what colour they are or if they are single or double. Hard to tell from the buds :-)

My temporary vegetable garden is growing like mad. To the far right I have placed Rosa 'Wildeve' and it is doing amazingly well in that tiny container after having been dug up from my old garden. This is a rose that can tolerate quite a lot of shade and on the end here it is doing better than some of my other roses in much bigger containers.

The flowers on 'Wildeve' is pale pink at this stage and slightly peachy when fully opened.

Clematis 'Mon Amour'  has also ended up here, after having been moved from The Hot Garden, the rain has slightly washed out the deep blue colour but it is still doing well in the pot.

And I have tomatoes. LOTS of tomatoes. Last year my tomato growing got off to a shaky start as the plug plants didn’t arrive until July. This year I got them when I was supposed to in April and it won’t be long until I can start to harvest these cherry tomatoes.

And I am happy to report that the apple tree is doing well, the aphid problem has sorted itself out, nature took care of everything and there is hardly an aphid to see, just lots of apples. I didn’t get a June drop so I have dutifully picked off a whole bucked full of apples so all the branches I can reach has only two apples on each truss. There are many more branches with too many apples further up that I can’t reach but I am no good on ladders anymore so they will just have to stay as they are.

I got a plant delivery in the post today from Jessica at Rusty Duck, these are Saxifraga stolonifera babies and I am so grateful she sent me them, they will be a great addition to my Shade Garden once it is ready to be planted.

And finally, just have to show you my first ever Agapanthus flower, I bought two plants last autumn and they have two buds each. This is Agapanthus 'Navy Blue' two days ago and today - and it is amazing to see how the whole flower is packed inside the bud just waiting to pop out.

Sorry, this became a very long post, but there is just so much going on in my garden these days and I haven’t got time to sit down and write every other day. Instead I am making a longer summary when I post. Next time will be on the 31st July for the End of Month View, hopefully with a movie too. But I am posting photos now and then on my Facebook page so anyone who would like to keep track on what’s going on are welcome to send me a friend request on facebook.com/helene.u.taylor

Please visit our host Carol at May Dreams Gardens for many more July gardens.
Until next time, take care.


UPDATE:
Still not got the shower fixed, but the electrician called this evening – turns out this is an electrician thing not a plumber issue. He said I could still use the shower, just be careful it didn’t flood the floor so have to take a break now and then when using it so the shower tray doesn’t get too full. He will come on Thursday to change a part on my brand new pump that should have worked perfectly....Just had a shower and a hair wash, lovely after 4 days :-)

60 comments:

  1. You've been busy and your flowers have made the move in such great shape, just beautiful. I'm amazed at how much you have done so far. The garden is looking wonderful already and you've hardly anything in the ground yet. The Robin is so cute and clearly happy to have found a gardener at work.

    Just magical with all the blooms and foliage textures.

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    1. Thanks Shirley, I haven’t done much inside the house yet, just been working in the garden so far – every day I keep telling myself it is about time to hang up curtains in the living room and get some pictures up on the walls, but then my garden is calling me to get outside :-)

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  2. Wow what a work you did!! Great respect Helene.
    One day you can sit in your chair and enjoy the beauty that all that work brought you.
    Have a wonderful day.

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    1. Thanks Marijke, I am enjoying the whole process, it is a great challenge to build a new garden and I know so much more now than when I first started in my previous garden. It’s going to take a long time though, I don’t have a deadline, the plants will get planted when the garden is ready for them.

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  3. Dear Helene, there is indeed a lot going on in your new garden. You have been working so hard! I love your Rosa 'Susan Williams-Ellis', what a beauty. I also really like all your daylilies and the "real" Lilies even more. I didn't even know that there are so many different varieties out there. I wonder if they would grow in my Southern California garden...
    Wishing you tons of fun in your garden and looking already forward to your EoMV.
    Warm regards,
    Christina

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    1. Thanks Christina, there are thousands of lilies and I favour the oriental type as they all have scent. Some need ericaceous soil, some neutral, some need sun and some are happy in complete shade. I have lilies that flower from June to September so with a big collection you can really have lilies for a long time. I am sure you can grow lilies in your garden too, try to choose some that are happy in shade so they won’t get baked in your sun and heat. If I was going to suggest one to start with I would put some Lilium regale bulbs in a container and put it in complete shade, I grow some of my Lilium regale in complete shade and some in dappled so they flower at different times. They are very easy to grow, will need individual staking though and spraying against red lily beetles, but you will be rewarded with lots of seeds in the autumn and can easily grow them outdoors and get LOTS of lily babies – they come true from seed. I started with 3 bulbs and have about 180 now and have probably given away more than 100. Good luck, let me know if you want some more detailed info :-)

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  4. So many beauties despite your recent move, what an incredible gardener you are! I envy those fabulous lilies.

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    1. Thank you, I can’t get enough of lilies and they are so easy to put in between other plants. Eventually all the lilies will be planted in the ground, when the flowerbeds are sorted and ready

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  5. Litt av en jobb du har gjort! Rødstrupen var skikkelig søt, og veldig flotte bilder du har tatt av den. Sjeldent å se fugler så tett på. Det er nok en hann ja, mht. måten den poserer på :))

    'Lankon' var nydelig!

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    1. Lankon var en hyggelig overraskelse, bildet av den var ikke på langt nær så fint som blomstene jeg fikk! Jeg kjøpte mange av disse liljeløkene fra H.W. Hyde, de har utrolig mange liljer og man kan bruke mye penger på en handel der. Men jeg tror jeg må kjøpe noen fler neste vår :-)

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  6. Lovely pics of u garden ... makes my soul sing, Helen ... Love, cat.

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  7. Lovely flowers!
    I think the Robin is supervising and approving your work.
    Who knows what jobs he may have in mind for you to do next!
    You should link up to Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday meme - folks there would love to see your photos.
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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    1. Thanks Lea, I have just visited Stewart’s blog, and just by coincidence he wrote about robins too this time, thanks for the tip. Happy GBBD!

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  8. Hi, Helene!
    Really new garden, wow! You did a huge work, dear. Now look at you clever cat and sit and relax :0) This robin is so cute, I think he got used to you and your garden tools that give him many food. I love your lilies, especially ‘Lankon’ - is stunning! I have no success with lilies this summer : many of them have thrown
    their buds. I wonder it's any pest or fungus.
    I've been to London in early July but short time, visiting gardens and parks. The most I liked is Wisley garden center, is wonderful. So I had no time to come to you, sorry.
    Happy GBBD!

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    1. How lovely you got to visit Wisley, I have never been there but I have seen it on TV many times, I bet it was a great place to spend your holiday. Next time you come to London you must come and see my new garden, it will take a long time to get everything sorted but I am slowly working my way through the weeds and I am cutting down old neglected shrubs to make way for my many plants. Sorry to hear about your lilies, I assume you didn’t have red lily beetles, they are very easy to detect. Some of my lilies throw their buds too, but only those that need full sun – if the weather isn’t good enough.
      Happy GBBD to you too!

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  9. Blimey, Helene, do you have more hours in the day than the rest of us?! You are making massive inroads into your new plot. You are a woman on a mission! Beautiful plants as always - and it's lovely to see your robin. I am delighted that you have finally had a shower!

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    1. I must admit I have neglected sorting my house in favour for the garden, but it’s OK, the garden is much more fun! And I am happy to report that the shower is now fixed – hopefully for good this time.

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  10. Wow, your lilies and day lilies are awesome. And the hydrangea is so pretty. Really lovely.

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    1. Thanks Endah, I do love lilies, and at this time of year they take pride of place.

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  11. Great photos of the robin, they like to be around us when we are gardening. You have done quite a job with digging up that Cordyline and making the shade bed ready to be planted. I´m so glad that all your wonderful plants in pots are yet looking so good. Look at all that lilies, they are blooming lovely.
    It must have been so refreshing having a shower finally.....
    Regards, Janneke

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    1. Thanks Janneke, yes the shower is finally fixed :-)
      I am going to try to find someone willing to dig up the rest of the roots for me, I am not doing any more of those myself, one was enough! I am cutting everything down to ground level and then hopefully I can pay someone (not too much) to take the roots out.

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  12. Your new garden is looking good and how could it not with that cute little robin helper? You've really made a lot of progress in only two months.

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    1. Thanks Dorothy, the robin is quite a nice company, I keep looking after him every time I go outside and he comes flying in every day as if he just sit and wait for me to come out and play :-)

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  13. Wow Helene...you have been busy! Your gardens are coming along great and you have such beautiful blooms! Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. Thanks Lee, I have started on the Shade Garden and will work my way round the whole of the garden before planting much. At the moment it is a bit hard to tell what the final layout can be but the garden will tell me eventually, I am sure :-)
      Happy GBBD to you too!

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  14. You've accomplished a lot already, Helene. I hope you stop to give yourself a pat on the back on occasion. Your garden looks better than mine and my plants are (mostly) in the ground. Your lilies are fabulous! And your new assistant, Robin, is earning his keep in sheer cuteness.

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    1. Thanks for your kind words Kris, but I know how wonderful your garden looks! Robin is turning up every day so he can’t be far away, I will get some birdfeeders up in the autumn as there are many other birds here too – he will hopefully learn to share, I know they can be fiercely territorial and scare away other smaller birds.

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  15. Those are some of the most beautiful lilies I have ever seen!!

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    1. Thank you, I just love lilies and can’t get enough of them!

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  16. Gorgeous Lilies Helene, a number of ours with buds healthy looking and mature disappeared overnight. (I mean the buds, not the plants) Your shade garden area is looking seriously promising.
    The Robin surely knows who he can trust, great pictures.
    Goodness knows what that is under your Cordyline and like you, I have seen truffles on TV and once had minuscule shavings added to a dish in a restaurant.

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    1. Well, wasn’t it a shame I didn’t have truffles growing under my tree?! Could have turned into a nice little earnings if it had been….I still would have liked to know what it is, perhaps I might write to Gardeners’ World and ask.
      Sorry to hear about your lilies, did the buds disappear completely or did you find them on the ground? Squirrels LOVE lily buds, but often eat the lilies as they emerge rather than this late. I can’t tell you how many lilies I lost to those pesky little things in my previous garden, they ate the emerging lilies to the ground when they were about 4-6 inches tall, and that meant the lilies would stop growing, not produce any leaves, not get any nutrition to the bulb and subsequently not emerge next year and just die. I am so happy I haven’t seen a single squirrel here in this new garden yet, but I bet they are around. If your lily buds didn’t just drop to the ground, something must have taken them….

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  17. What a wonderful friend to have in the garden! The thing that really impresses me is how your personality shines through in whatever garden you tend. And it is a lovely personality, of course. :) Your lilies are so strong and healthy--I can't believe they look so wonderful after a big move like that. What a relief to be able to use your shower. Happy belated GBBD!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Beth :-) I guess a garden is the ultimate place to let your personal touch and taste shine through. All my gardens have always been very colourful but tidy :-)
      I am planning a separate bed for lilies and with a bigger garden comes the opportunity to fill it with more plants than I had room for in my previous garden. Looks like I will need to buy some more plants and bulbs this autumn, what a shame :-)

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  18. Great to see so many blooms already in your garden Helene. I love the rose Wildeve. Your robin is so sweet, they really are perfect garden companions!
    The saxifrage look in perfect condition after their journey, what a relief! I hope they thrive for you.

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    1. Thanks Jessica, I am sure the Saxifraga will be happy here in my Shade Garden, they will be joined by many other plants once the bed is ready for planting. Robin was back today too, looking for any treats I might unearth for him, I wonder how many photos I have of him by now!

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  19. LOVELY!! You have a flare for finding the unusual.

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  20. I am taking comfort from the fact that R. Susan Williams Ellis is doing better for you this year, I am disappointed in mine and was thinking of getting rid but will give her a reprieve for now after reading your comments.
    I think you've found a friend for life in the Robin Helene, he will be a regular. You may see his mate in spring. They are very territorial therefore safe to assume it's the same one each time. You've worked really hard to get this far Helene, keep up the good work. Super blooms too, it is a pleasure to see round your new garden and reading about how much you've achieve each month makes me very happy for you.

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    1. Angie, I almost threw ‘Susan Williams Ellis’ out last year! I was so disappointed as it was the second year and it was still very small and rather short blooming. But it has doubled in size this year despite growing in a container again, the other 2 David Austin roses I bought 3 years ago are also looking so much better this year. They just need a bit more time I guess.
      I enjoy working in the garden, sod the house for a while! I still got boxes to unpack, curtains to hang up and loads of stuff to sort out – but it can wait, I am enjoying sorting out the garden and it doesn’t feel like work in the same way as it does indoors. And the glorious weather just keep coming so better to be outside when I can – sorry, I know you have had a lot of rain, please send some down to me at night-time :-)

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  21. What a gorgeous variety of lilies! And I thought I had a lot of lilies, but my collection pales in comparison to yours. You have accomplished so much in such a short time, Helene. Having a blank slate to begin a new garden sounds so wonderful, but the reality is a lot of hard work, as you have demonstrated here. Glad you have such a sweet little garden companion--I think the robin approves of your garden plans:)

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    1. Thanks Rose, it is a bit daunting having such an amount of work in front of me, but I try to take one task at the time and not think of all the things to come. And I haven’t decided on the final design of the garden yet, I think the garden will tell me once everything is cleared where things need to go :-)

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  22. Hej Helene! Vilket otroligt jobb du gjort i trädgården. Det kommer att bli så fint. Liljorna är otroligt vackra, och de små stövlarna så söta.
    Ha det riktigt fint! Marika

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    1. Takk Marika, og velkommen til bloggen min!
      De støvlene var et lykkelig kjøp for noen år siden, jeg så dem på en webside og ‘måtte’ bare ha dem :-)

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  23. Very nice post - and the pictures of the Robin are great. Feel free to add them to next weeks WBW. Just think how good the garden will be after another 3 pairs of gloves! I was in the UK for the "heat wave" - glad to hear it's cooler.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Thanks Stewart, and welcome to my blog. My new garden gloves are already put to good use, I wear rigger gloves in the garden as they seem to last a lot longer – but I still manage to wear them out eventually!
      I usually post twice a month so if I have bird photos (or videos) posted that will fit in with your meme I will link, but it’s great if you are happy with a post from the previous week :-)

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  24. Lovely post Helene.. it's lovely to see what you've been up to in your new garden, can't believe it's been 2 months already! Your new little helper is adorable.. and definitely a little poser.. haha :o)

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    1. Thank you Julie, these 2 months have just been flying away, I have been so busy. But the next few weeks I will try to get more done in the house and the garden.

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  25. The 'Lankon' lily is amazing! You have done such an incredible amount of work in just two months. The shade garden is looking much better! I am excited to see your vision unfold in the coming months. The robin is adorable. He know a good helper when he sees one!

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    1. Thanks, I am mostly working in the Shade Garden and the rest will follow, not really sure yet of the final layout – I have such a long wish-list and so many things I want to put in.

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  26. Wow Helene...you have been busy. I reckon the next step will be paying visitors, a feature on Gardener's World, so inspiring.

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    1. Thanks Jane, I assume a letter to Gardeners’ World would probably drown in the pile of letters they get every year, I wouldn’t mind getting a visit to have some help though, not to show off the finished result!!

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  27. Glad the pump is getting fixed....and h my look at the work you have done...all those plants growing and flowering and tomatoes...wow. I love how you are laying out some of the plants especially in the shade garden...can't wait to see it finished....that robin seems to be a part of the garden!

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    1. Thanks Donna, all the plants are still in pots, I won’t be planting anything until it’s all cleared, pruned and cut down so I can see the final layout – I guess I will be moving pots around many times before it’s time to plant!

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  28. I think your robin is a glutton for attention! Cute, though. You have an amazing amount going on for a new garden. 164 lilies - wow! Impressed that you dug out that Cordyline, these days I cut shrubs down close to the soil, then paint the stub with Roundup.

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    1. I can’t get enough of lilies and would like many more, they last a very short time, but with many different types the season can be extended to many months.
      I am tempted to use Roundup too, but I am afraid it will spread to surrounding soil and I am going to plant in every bed as close as I can. Besides, these shrubs are quite big and mature, how long will it take for them to rot and vanish so I could use the space for my plants waiting to get in the ground? I guess brute force and elbow grease will be a better option, I have at least 10 more roots waiting to get dug out :-)

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  29. Glad you were able to get a shower finally. Hope that all the issues will be sorted soon with your pump. Gosh you have been busy! I love your little birdie helper. Good thing your cat is uninterested in him as he seems too trusting.
    Your lilies are gorgeous! After mine flowered they were decimated by lily beetles. I worry the impact this will have on next year's flowers.
    Your veggies are doing great despite your space restrictions. Love the little pink boots!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer, those pink boots have been admired by many readers here, they were a great find online! Surprised to hear your lilies were attacked by lily beetles AFTER they had flowered, the beetles are usually at it mostly while the lilies are in buds, nibbling on the flower buds and spreading their grubs on the leaves. I use an organic soil treatment on mine which is very effective against lily beetles, without it I could not grow lilies as it is a huge problem where I live.

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  30. What a nice blog. Glad to be here.It is peaceful.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and welcome to my blog :-)
      Hope you return some other time, I usually blog twice a month, on the 15th and on the last day of the month.

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