themagnoliatreeblog

I think I would describe myself as having a cup half full, I try not to let problems get me down and hope there is a ‘plan B’ waiting to take over if ‘plan A’ doesn’t work out well. This gives ‘plan B’ plenty of exercise because ‘plan A’ is so unreliable. Perhaps that’s the reason I like a bit of whimsy in my garden. As you can see, this is an uninspiring garden on it’s own and sadly the winter has taken it’s toll on anything I added with the thought of brightening it up whilst I waited for the flowers to grow. At the same time, I was also trying to create a space for growing produce in containers so it was very much a work in progress.

The pond was leaking and it was more like a muddy puddle. The top fell off my totem bird bath. The green man on the wall is ageing grey due to the bronzing wearing off and the wind spinner is caught on the branches of the Photinia shrub. 

It took a little longer for the pond to get it’s new liner after having to wait until the tadpoles hatched and the little froglets were big enough not to be harmed with transferring them from the pond to a tub. Not that there was much in the pond to empty. It’s a tiny pond with a big water lily taking up much of it, so once that was removed, there wasn’t much water to scoop out.

I don’t particularly like a ‘twee’ garden, I prefer a more rustic look  but it still needs some plants to be kept under control. I’ve had to remove the Celendine although it is a lovely bright yellow Spring flower, it is very invasive and it was popping up everywhere. I removed the moss from George the Dragon and the bricks round the edge of the pond, at least it was a start. The totem bird bath was glued together and placed elsewhere.

The frog wind swing and almost every other bit of whimsy in the garden can’t really be seen now for within a few weeks, the garden had metamorphosed into a jungle. 

Over the summer the fern against the wall has taken over, and has pushed the Crocosmia Lucifer over. The Hosta had been given a garlic wash to keep slugs and snails away but heavy rains washed it off and the Hosta is now unrecognisable with it’s skeleton leaves. When the new liner was put down for the pond, the Hosta should have been dug out so the lining could be laid properly, but it wasn’t and now when it rains, the pond still leaks so now everything will need to be cleared away before we can get near the Hosta to dig it out. This time it not ‘plan B’, this is starting over again – and more. Meanwhile it’s the pink Cranesbill Geranium that’s taking over everywhere so that too will need to be reduced in size.

Soon everything will have died down, the garden will look forlorn again and it will all be down to whimsy again to add a little bit interest whilst the plants retire for the winter.

In one of our local towns, someone’s garden was filled with artificial flowers, it was so colourful all year round, it became a tourist attraction. Now there is an idea to ponder but I doubt it, plastic flowers and plastic gnomes? Perish the thought.

Why not visit my other blog Grannysattic