2021 The story of our garden this year.
Please click on the small pictures to see a larger version
Other years : 1970 onwards 2000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
January February March April May June July August September October November December
From here the notes are in chronological order
January
Friday 22nd January
Monday 15th February
Friday 19th February
Wednesday 17th March
Saturday 20th March
Wednesday 24th March
This is a new bird feeder
Sunday 28th March
Wednesday 31st March
Sunday 4th April
Tuesday 6th April
Monday 12th April
Sunday 18th April
The 'weeds' are starting to blossom
The harde I prune this plant the more it grows! Again you can see the weeds taking over
More triffids thriving, the conifer is starting to race too
Monday 19th April - Back Garden
Wednesday 21st April
Wednesday 5th May
Saturday 8th May
Sunday 23rd May
You can see the grasses are taking over together with the buttercups which look lovely. All I've been doing is look after the lawns, keeping them cut but not taking care of the edges.
At this stage the garden looked OK to the casual observer, the front is a 'spring garden'
Sunday 6th June
This basket of flowers was a parting gift from a neighbour who was moving away
The back of the house showing the Wisteria and the lovely climbing rose
The above eight photos are a clockwise tour round the back garden starting from where back of the house ones finish
We're in the front garden now. You can see the grasses, Mares Tails and Buttercups taking over
The Aquilegias, Granny Bonnets are beautiful femine flowers. The Rhododendron that I moved from the roadside bed, hopefully it will settle down here and not be dwarfed or starved of water
Saturday 12th June
A selection of wild flowers in the front garden
Firethorn next to the French window
Wisteria, not very flowery this year
The Climbing Rose on the back wall, these flowers having climbed through the Wisteria
Green Finches and a Goldfinch
Blackbird feeding, ther must be a nest nearby
The Climbing Rose on the back fence
Saturday 19th June
Sunday 27th June
Monday 28th June
Tuesday 29th June
Saturday 3rd July
Sunday 11th July
Thursday 5th August
Monday 9th August
The Alliums are beautiful this year it's heart breaking that Susie hasn't seen them
Eileen loved them so I gave her this pot and she was delighted
The planter that Susan gave me, it's doing very well even though I've neglected it
Japanese Windflower aka Japanese Anemone, it's fighting the weeds successfully and growing profuselly this year
The two Hydrangeas we got as little cuttings, in pots, from the Head Gardener at Greenway in Devon, 2016. I wasn't sure they'd survive
The Bear's Breeches, aka Acanthus Mollis against the north fence
It's sometime since we had a lovely display of Wisteria, we just get the odd flowers throughout the summer
This feeder, between the two bedroom windows, doesn't appear to be liked, this is the original filling
I have plans for this Cordyline, hope it likes them, that's me in the window
Susie's Mum bought me this statue, now it remimds me of beautiful Susie
Tuesday 10th August
Friday 13th August
Just spent an hour chopping down weeds in the front garden until it became chilly
Monday 23rd August
Japanese Windflower
The Magnolia is breaking out into bloom again
Wednesday 25th August
The Start of my 'weeding' I recut the edge of the front lawn at the back of the drive inlet and about a metre along the side nearest to us. Also weeded the edge of the drive and lawn in this area
Thursday 26th August
Continued edging the lawn
Friday 27th August
I continued along the edge of the rose bed and clipped a conifer back
Around this time John from across the road spotted me up the ladder with Trudie at the foot and he came across and offered to use his machine to cut the top of the hawthorn tree an offer we were delighted to accept
Saturday August 28th
I pushed a little into the rose bed from the lawn and started to clear the corner of the drive and front of the house
The only rose in bloom
Sunday 29th August
Worked round the drive to meet the work I'd done on the 26th
There's bluebells, crocus, daffodil, Hyacinth bulbs and snow drops to be careful of. I managed with only disturbing a few
Monday 30th August
Carried on into the interior - feel like I'm really making progress now
tricky finding somewhere to kneel and sit.
Severely cut back a bush on the edge of the garden nearest the road, you may remember it had red leaves. All the red leaves were now green and I cut them down.
At this point the most I could manage weeding was an hour net, not counting the rest every 15 minutes
For a change, i.e. not sitting, on my knees or lying
down I did something standing up - trimmed the red bush, I don't know what it's called
Tuesday 31st August
Carried on struggling with the centre of the rose bed
Wednesday 1st September
Friday 3rd September
Monday 6th September
I don't know why I photographed this, maybe for the insect but it's not sharp
The two Hydrangeas we got as little cuttings, in pots, from the Head Gardener at Greenway in Devon, 2016.
Gladiolus. This is from the pot of bulbs Alex bought us one Christmas. I moved them to here from the other side of the gardenwhere they didn't get much sun. They are very importnat now as Alex died of cancer in her 59th year on 8th August
The buddlia and the Montbretia in the corner as you come into the back garden
This plant, now on the rockery was given to us by Alison. Her uncle had given it to her and on her way home she left it for us!
Ice plant given to us by Auntie Mary when we first set up home
I don't know where this plant came from or what it is called, perhaps someone will tell me.
The flower is copied from the 17th March entry
Susie's favourite Garrya tree, aka Silk Tassel, being killed off by the Victoria Creeper - must sort it out soon before it's too late
Monday 6th September
This Gladiolus. This is from the pot of bulbs Alex bought us one Christmas. There was a clump of them but I moved them to the other side of the garden, in the sun. This one escaped.
Sisyrinchium Striatum aka Yellow Mexican Satin Flower. There are two of them and they must be self sets
Japanese Windflower aka Japanese Anemone, a lovely display this year
Phormium Tenax being choked by the Japanese Windflower and Geranium
Tuesday 7th September
More of the single Gladiolus looking beautiful
A tatty looking Goldfinch
Today's progress working along the Grannie Bonnet's bed
Monday 13th September
What happened on the 8th, 9th, 10th 11th & 12th? 8th was a long walk with Damian. 9th is a mystery. 10th I neglected garden to walk on the moss. 11th was the driving range - up late watching women's American Open final. 12th, Sunday, I think I watched motor racing etc
More weeding in the difficult patch outside the kitchen window
Trimmed the conifer next to the red leaved bus. I think I'll see if I can shape it like Susie. I cut this to put the clippings into the green bins to keep the grass from sticking to the bottom. I also hacked at the bus on the left.
Cut the lawns too
The red one belongs to the floribunda which hasn't flowered well this year, my pruning, didn't know how to do it and obviously done it wrong
The Gladiola, broken stem, birds perching?
Tuesday 14th September
I think I've finished the area under the kitchen window, morning and afternoon sessions.
In the evening I dug up the large piece of grass, I couldn't move it with my trowel. Also dug out 2 sycamore trees and two brambles
I'd locked the back gate and couldn't be bothered unlocking it so three the brush over it and smashed it. That wasn't intended to happen. Two steps forward and one backward - I didn't swear.
Wednesday 15th September
Three periods again
In the morning I removed the bird table. The Support had rotted away at the ground and it was only held up by the ivy
In the afternoon I removed all the ivy from inside the berberis bush. The berberis bush was also helping to prop the bird table up.
I decided not to replace the table because I made if for Susie so she could see the birds when she was working in the kitchen. Looking back she spent a lot of time in the kitchen and I hardly spend any now
In the evening I started to clear up round where the table had been and removing the grass which was dominating the border. I had to force myself to stop as I was falling into my old habit of working myself till I dropped leaving nothing for the next day
The gravel is next door
There's two photos taken in June but the wildness is in its infancy then
The roses enjoying their freedom
Thursday 16th September
This morning's work round the berberis and rhododendron
1430 hours: Sitting in the sun admiring my previous work and seeking inspiration to get going again:
1545 hours: Damian texted me about his mum. I was relaxing out of the sun and I sent him these two to show my achievements to date
Note my finger over the lens ha ha
1645 hours: Stopping for a rest and admiring today's work
I haven't done the lawn edges, I'll do them tomorrow when I have more energy
Pleased with today's work
Friday 17th September
What we all thought for many years was my Dad's birthday but it turns out his birth certificate says the 18th
This morning's work
All I managed to do was dig out the next part of the lawn edge, the north side.
In the afternoon I attacked the north-west corner
Just blindly hacking away. Most of the cutting today was the baby's breath, lots of small white flowers in spring. It had virtually taken over the left side of the corner. It opens out onto the footpath but most of the growth over the last three years has been towards the centre of the garden. It was mostly hidden by the red leafed bush.
As I rested between efforts I had two visitors looking for a treat
Beyond the log there is a huge hole where the ash tree used to be. It was quite concerning when I first found it but it must be the old trunk rotting away
There's a privet bush, firethorn bush, conifer and rambling rose that all need taming yet.
I think I'll be in that corner all weekend. All my green bins are full and I'm on plastic bags now but I'm going to use some weedings to fill the hole
The Rambling Rose. The original one was given to us by Auntie May when we first moved in, this is the second showing.
Rose Gaujard, a beautiful rose the first one of the second flowering after I'd cleared the bed of Buttercups and Grasses
Saturday 18th September
Worked hard in the corner today cutting back shrubs and digging out huge grasses and a tripod. I buried the base and planted a miniature Black-Eyed Susan while Susie was still alive but it was overshadowed by the shrubs and soon died. It was hard digging it out.
The Gardener, yours truly, resting between the work periods
I've got an idea what I want to do in the corner but there's still a lot of cutting back to do but that can wait.
I've got a variegated yew tree and a Cordyline in pots which I want to plant out and I'm thinking they'll look alright in the corner crude attempt photoshopping.
Later I finished cutting the lawn edges
An interesting spider
Sunday 19th September
Made a little progress today
I've found a new word game and even though I went to bed around 10:30 I got so involved I didn't switch the light off until well after 2am so I had a slow start.
I had to hoe the rose bed because the weeds are fighting back
I started on the garden next to the inlet in the drive and had just got going when it started to rain, not very hard but enough to start to get wet. I stopped for dinner Charlie Bigham fish pie and tub of rice pudding.
The rain more or less didn't really get started and the afternoon brightened up.
I put the television on and ended up watching some football.
I got going again before tea and cleared the patch in the photo.
The progress of the roses. There's lots of buds but only these two open
Vigil tonight (Television Series)
I was surprised to notice one of the orchids was flowering!
Monday 20th September
Carried on round the edge of the drive
Also cut grass
New brush
Tuesday 21st September
I announced on Facebook: This is mainly for my walking friends to show that I'm really weeding, although weeding is a euphemism for hard work, and not shirking from the walks. I'd not been on any walks in September, the weathe was so good and I was so far behind that I just concentrated on gardening
More weeding today! The first photo is this morning's work, the second photo is this afternoon's work, note not as tidy, I'm wearing out, the third photo is the day's work.
The Day Lilies look very sad, second photoI hope I haven't cut the leaves off too early. I've also cut the Montbretia back severely but I don't mind if I've killed them because there are hundreds in the garden, the Day Lilies are the only ones.
This was in the corner and the basket part was buried. Originally it had Sweet Peas in it but we couldn't make it work after the first year so I buried it with a miniature Black Eyed Susan in it but that just died. I offered the thing around but no one wanted it so it will go to the tip
Just before sunset
Wednesday 22nd September
Moved the Yew Tree and Cordyline to where I think they should be planted out. It was a struggle moving them from the back, before dinner
Afternoon's work, after golf
1641 hours, progress during the day
4th Photo - 1748 hours, work completed at the end of the day
Thursday 23rd September
Morning's work clearing path and work still to be done
Dentist inspection in the afternoon, too tired to continue
Friday 24th September
Spotted birds flying overhead, first winter migrants? Mobile so not very good photo, too far away. They had gone by the time I thought of getting my camera, same with the buzzards.
Finished weeding path and started on corner
Saturday 25th September
I Lifted the Cordyline out of the pot, it was as easy as that, and planted it out. I couldn't move the Yew, solid in the pot, so as it was raining I gave up and watched the golf on television.
I took the roses because they are beautiful but their stems seem too weak to hold some of them up
The little bush is full of buds
It was a lovely afternoon but by then I was absorbed in the golf and too tired anyway, not sleeping too well
Sunday 26th September
Planted out the yew this morning. Used my machete to cut round the side of the pot and it came ou easily
and cleaned out the drive drain although I think I'll have to get my arm down inside to clear out the bend
Nothing else done partly because of motor racing and golf on television also probably too tired with watching golf for two nights to 1am
Tuesday 28th September
Admiring my work, I'm going to start on the back now even though north-west corner isn't finished. I've been so lucky with the weather so far otherwise I wouldn't have got so much done.
Friday 1st October
The weeds are taking over again so I attempted to hoe. It was too wet really but I did my best. I think I'm going to have get down on my knees and pluck each individual grass out, hoeing just seems to settle them elsewhere but I've done my best between showers but it's not all bad.
The roses are fighting back
The back garden. I had a go a few weeks ago. I cut the grass down and pulled some nettles up
Sunday 3rd October
I love our roses but sadly some of them look like they are about to die away
Monday 4th October
Before and after today's work
Wednesday 6th October
Did a bit more weeding in the back
The little bush rose seems to have got a new lease of life
A rose in the front garden
Another Orchid bursting into flower in the Library
Friday 8th October
Afternoon: The golf wasn't too bad but too tired to do more weeding. I'll start again tomorrow.
Half an hour and I'm exhausted. This was a wild flower patch but never really worthwhile. I want to clear this then I can move a plant near Susie's rose to give the rose breathing space
Autumn is the only time the Virginia Creeper looks nice. The statuette needs a little TLC, it was a present from Susie's Mum
The foxgloves appear to prefer a crack in the path rather than the garden
Just managed to cut the grass. The only gardening I've done since Susie died has been cutting the lawns and the manage to make the garden look nice when all around is a wilderness
Saturday 9th October
When I started yesterday I just didn't know where to start so I though what would my friend encourage me to do?
I've almost completed removing the weeds, grass and nettle roots from this space. It took three one half hour stints this morning. I photographed each half hour but I've downloaded the photos onto my computer and I can't find them so I had to start again but I can't go back. I think the first two photos are the first and second half hours. You can work out which is the third by imposing the first two on the third photo
The 'mess' in the corner needs careful attention because there's a clematis root somewhere amongst it. Actually the rest of the plant looks dead.
The special rose being drowned by the plants around it which I'm going to remove. I want to plant the spikey plant in the area I've cleared. You may be able to spot a lovely red bud. I guess watering and feeding the rose encouraged the other plants to grow.
Sunday 10th October
The climbing rose against the back fence that has been hidden by the uncotrolled growth of the camelias
The climbimng rose between the bedroom windows
Monday 11th October
This morning I went to the driving range and had 50 balls and was very disappointed. I couldn't go home feeling like that so I had another 50 and my determination paid off. I managed some good full shots that would easily clear the pits and ravines and reach the fairway.
I've cleared round the special rose. You can see it's got two buds. I've removed the dead wood in the second photo.
I've moved the plant that was drowning it to the newly weeded bed. I've no idea what it is? It could be Sisyrinchium striatum 'Aunt May', according to the internet - I had an idea it was a cisirinkum, but fortunately Google got round my spelling.
I've hoed the front garden, I'm going to have to get down on my knees to pick out the single shoots of grass, I'm too tired now.
Thursday 21st October
A rose from the bush that produced the first rose after I cleared the weeds
The little floribunda, the last of the two Susie received for her 80th birthday
I didn't take a before photo because I was ashamed of it. It's the base of the bird feeders.
This photo shows where I've cut back the shrub, don't know what it is, and a twelve foot holly tree. Last time I looked it was only 6 feet.
The third picture shows the empty bin full of today's cuttings
A pleasing afternoon's work well a net 2 hours 10 minutes
Something I started a few days ago, can't remember when but I've only just photographed it. It's a passage along the back fence one of my designs that hasn't paid off yet.
In the first photo you can see the climbing rose against the back fence which I'm trying to bring to the front
Friday 22nd October
Sunday 24th October
Thursday 28th October
Tuesday 31st October
Sunday 7th November
It's very sad that Susie couldn't see these orchids, she loved them and they've never flowered so profusely
Tuesday 16th November
At last I've freed the Garia tree of the Ivy and Virginia Creeper. I've also cut back dark leaved bush
Wednesday 17th November
The first Primula
Friday 19th November
Still plenty of leaves to fall but the cherry has shed all its
Monday 22nd November
A shot of the moon in the morning, not really as dark, just darkened it to see the moonscape
Lots of rain and storms over the next days
Friday 17th December
