My Garden

Getting there and interesting finds!!

Last post 02-10-2009 8:22 PM by patiopal. 3 replies.

• 11/09/2009 10:24 PM

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact raised bed was denuded of the first two feet of soil and vegetation. a heck of a lot of glass was found, but also oyster shells, old coins, all english. the last two has me wondering, do we have a swash buckling oyster eating englishman here in this garden in times past? I do live on the coast but i would not have thought a raised bed in social housing would have produced oyster shells! the english money was just a few pence pieces, so i didnt make my millions. this area was once a farm, then an orchard and finally land for social housing. tis might explain the uncanny friendliness of the natives - that is, the wee birds! of the feathered kind. i was seriously worried that for some reasons the starlings and sparrows were picking on me by dropping by for more than their fair share of food and leaving behind more than their fair share of droppings! but in past three days i have had two robbins, seen a wren, a dunnock and a blue tit and great tit have visited. I think maybe cos it has dropped a few degrees in temperature. Now, gardening matters. Had a visit from a garden designer of some note. Being very sick really and getting tired easily i couldnt seem to er, get rid of her! I was shattered by the time she left, and left with not a great deal to really say, bar one or two minor tips. I just bawled when she left. I felt my beginnings of dropped pots, silly little gnomes which i bought simply because it is my first garden and i did go buy a gnome for fun were critised. She told me before anything could be done everything had to be cleared, eg pots off ground and she demonstrated with a pot with a cutting just given to me! I am sure she was very well meaning but I think, well i think i will do my own designing! I want some water features eg. well do you want soft sound or harsh sound,huh? then barrel ponds with a lily or two, "stagnant water can cause..." I could add a fish or two.." "fish cause.." and such. see, i will design my own garden!!!1 so's the woes of a beginner and a loser! patio pal

• 12/09/2009 10:14 AM

  In reply to

  miranda Location: Oxfordshire Joined on: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 2,976

  Reply | Contact That's interesting, patiopal. I wonder where the oyster shells came from? The pennies you would expect, I've dug up a great many of them over the years. Those and sections of clay pipe stem - our last garden was full of them and my partner's stepdad even found an almost entire pipe in his garden (which he very kindly gave to me).  Good to hear that the birds have found you at last and hope they give you much pleasure. They do leave a few deposits but they are easily cleaned away and it's worth it for having the birds to watch. Have you got a dish of water out for them? That is guaranteed to bring them in.  It sounds like you were somewhat overwhelmed by the designer. Get hold of some magazines and cut out pictures of things you'd like then you can start to figure out what you can do to make your garden as you'd like to see it. You could try the library for ideas as well. Designing your own garden can be a headache, but in the process you'll come up with a lot of ideas and will learn a great deal along the way. And doing it yourself, your garden will be very much your space.

• 13/09/2009 10:29 PM

  In reply to

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact designer a nightmare! Buddha got an arch made of trellis and a splayed trellis on top and bound together. the contoniasta goes neatly over the top and bud sits on a heavy table and slats around him. he looks so good!!! laughing madly. Decided to just paint the concrete a very soft warm terracotta/pink for the mo, and sort out if i can afford an 'extra room' of a conservatory lean to. I am not going to rush this now. Around Bud will be all sorts of ferns, grasses and russet colours, and of course the honeysuckle cuttings a friend gave me. a mirror at the back would be nice. The water feature is in planning stage and its looking good as is a pot belly planter water feature which is on the ground and links in with bud's tum. same colour too, terracotta. The one i have seen is VERY expensive, anyone know where i can get one cheaply. would like a large saucer shaped terracotta planter under that too to hold stones. all is looking good at present and am awful pleased! xpatio pal

• 02/10/2009 08:22 PM

  In reply to

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact this is a fishing/harbour town, this area was once farm land and maybe some of the men supplimented income by fishing, hence the oyster shells, although i just dont think oyster fishing was prominent around here. there was a sort of affluent house around here and this small hoose is part of that house's land. well, tis a while since posting. I got a whole lot of ranches from twins garden and i have painted them dark blue and purple, they shall be in the raised bed for perches for the birds, and placed in a line against the light 'nearly sage' ackdrop of the painted pebbledash wall. the water feature came today, a chipped display model at a local store but it is not unattractive and i am sure i can do stuff with it for defo/ also got mature manure today from my sisters riding establishment too so pleased about that. lovely planters too from B&Q as well. this might be more of a sculptural garden than anything but it is very exciting indeed. Friend in her last exam with rhs says its great! so i am pleased at developments. xxfor now, just wish my knowledge of plants was better.