My Small Suburban Garden

My Small Suburban Garden

Saturday 27 December 2014

Wot, No Snow...?


With half the country under a white blanket of the cold stuff, my small suburban garden remains unaffected. The sub-zero temperatures have managed to kill off the begonias but I'm not at all bothered. I did toy with the idea of digging them up and over-wintering them again but to be honest they're 80% leaf and they don't attract the bees and butterflies very well. Next spring I shall plant mostly wild-flower seeds in the hope that my bee hotels will once again become popular.


The geraniums, as ever, never cease to amaze and are still in flower. The white jasmine clearly thinks it's spring again as it's in bud (quite mad really). The buddleia has also grown new leaves and my lovely new fuchsia is also showing signs of new flowers.



This time of year, the garden is far from looking its best and all around are soggy brown leaves and dead stems, but the magnolia has also decided to join in with the springtime theme and has produced some furry little buds on it's branches. Will it all end in tears? Only time will tell...

Sunday 16 November 2014

Damp and Dreary...


Although it's mid-November, the temperatures remain remarkably mild, which has extended the flowering season somewhat. The geraniums continue to bloom in abundance, although I've had to snip off a few mouldy flower heads due to all this dampness.


The jasmine is clearly confused as it begins to blossom once more, and there's even a stray alyssum flowering in between the paving slabs. There's some honeysuckle still out and the chives and parsley are both present and correct.

The buddleia, which I cut back a few weeks ago, has new leaves and the mint, which I also chopped down, is thriving. I suspect that within a couple of weeks we'll see the first of the frosts, and that will mean digging up the begonias to protect them over the winter, but for now I shall enjoy their big, beautiful flowers for a while longer...

Sunday 12 October 2014

Autumn Arrives...



My small suburban garden is looking rather worse for wear after recent high winds and heavy rain. The begonias took a real battering, poor things, and there were terracotta tubs upturned, spilling soil on the concrete slabs. Soggy, brown leaves are in evidence, as if we needed any further proof that autumn has indeed arrived. The jasmine is playing host to numerous spider webs, which look quite pretty in the early morning sunlight.


A lovely fuchsia, given to me by a dear friend in July for my birthday, is currently in it's third bloom, adding a fabulous splash of colour beside my back door. The geraniums are still going strong and there's signs of primulas poking through the soil at the far end of the garden.


The chives and parsley are now in seed, and the rosemary, mint and thyme are all looking a bit worse for wear. I really do need to keep a close eye on the weather forecast now as the begonias won't tolerate sub-zero temperatures and if I want a gorgeous display next year I'll need to dig up the tubers and keep them warm and dry until the spring.

Sunday 28 September 2014

Bye Bye Buddleia...


I only intended to trim off the dead flowers from the buddleia, but then I figured I'd be chopping it all down for the winter within the next few weeks so I got it all done sooner rather than later! There were hardly any new blooms on it anyway, and any passing butterflies can feast themselves on mint and chive flowers instead.



The begonias are looking splendid, as are the pink geraniums. The magnolia has bright orange berries which add a bit of colour to the far end of the garden. A few primulas are beginning to poke through the soil, as if any proof were needed that it really is autumn now...


Sunday 31 August 2014

Was That It?!...



We're just a few hours away from September and I have to say I feel rather cheated out of a decent summer this year. Although there's been several butterflies, numbers are down on previous years, and bees have been almost completely invisible. Apparently snails are thriving - or so it seems by the destruction of the leaves on my cherry tree despite my best efforts at removing the little pests.



You can't go far wrong with geraniums, and mine are no exception. The begonias have done unexpectedly well too, but other plants have been well below par. The buddleia is a disappointment as is the red jasmine (both should've attracted the bees but both lacked significant blooms).



The mint was a good idea as it's now filled the wall planters after I replaced the lacklustre lobelias. It's also beginning to flower, which is good. The chives are putting on a great display as always.

There's rumours of an 'Indian Summer' but I won't be holding my breath...

Thursday 7 August 2014

Dragonfly Days...



I love hazy summer mornings lazing around in the garden. At the moment, the butterflies are still enjoying the buddleia, although bees remain conspicuous by their absence this year. I've just started to see a few Southern Hawker dragonflies making an appearance.


The begonias are now almost all in flower and although the majority of those which survived the winter in the shed are red, at least 1 white and 1 yellow are now in flower.


I was lucky enough to be given a fuchsia (Tom Thumb) as a birthday gift and it's now in bud for the second time, which is fantastic as I've never owned one before. The pink geraniums are also flowering and looking lovely.


The chives have begun to bud and a few are about to flower, so very soon there will be pretty white flowers along an otherwise bland wall. The mint in the wall planters (which replaced the failing lobelias) are thriving. Long may it last...

Sunday 27 July 2014

Hot & Sweaty...



The humidity seems to have drained all the energy from the garden, as well as me. Sweat seems to pour from my skin simply by sitting still and the plants look quite sorry for themselves, despite copious amounts of expensive tap water applied daily.


I'd used a fair amount of Miracle Gro on the buddlias but even though there's more blooms than last summer they're still not attracting the quantity of butterflies and bees of previous years. While I've seen lots of peacocks, red admirals and tortoiseshells, as well as a few gatekeepers, I've only spotted one comma and one painted lady so far. Even whites are few and far between!


The chives are beginning to bud, and the mint I used to replace the dying lobelias in my wall planters seem to have taken ok, but my three bee hotels remain worryingly devoid of any guests this year. At least the new pink geraniums in the planters look reasonably healthy and the begonias are mostly starting to flower...


Friday 18 July 2014

Hot, Hot, Hot...


It seems that today is scheduled to be the hottest day of the year so far, which is welcome news indeed after all the damp, grey days we’ve encountered so far. Disappointed with my planters, I threw the remains of the marigolds and Californian poppies into the compost bin and replaced them with dark & light pink geraniums. Much nicer.


The lobelias were an epic fail too, so the planters on the wall are now filled with mint, and three of my terracotta tubs have also been re-planted with herbs (1 mint and 2 rosemary). The begonias have been surprisingly successful.


Despite the fabulous buddleias there’s a distinct lack of butterflies so far. I’ve seen a few peacocks, a couple of tortoiseshells and a large white. Bees are thin on the ground also. Only time will tell whether they turn up or not…



Friday 4 July 2014

Summer Sunshine...



After several weeks of warm but wet weather, the past two days have been utterly gorgeous - long may it last! The damp conditions haven't been good for the marigolds, which now look a little 'mouldy', and the lobelias don't appear to have enjoyed it much either and despite slug pellets the snails have munched their way through about a quarter of them. The ones in planters on the wall seem to have done better than those in the borders.



However, the buddleias are on the verge of blooming which should bring the butterflies into the garden again with any luck. Haven't actually seen that many so far this year. The geraniums which managed to survive the winter are in flower, and add a splash of red to the garden. The Californian Poppies have been the start this summer, and will provide plenty of seeds to ensure a good display next summer.



The parsley has now gone to seed, the jasmine is no longer flowering and the birds have eaten all of my wild cherries, but the begonias which I was almost sure hadn't survived the winter are all looking very promising. Predictably, the ornamental poppies didn't last long.

My bee hotels remain devoid of guests, which is a concern as by now the tubes should be home to baby bees which will hatch out next spring. Hmm.... 

Thursday 12 June 2014

Red and Yellow and Pink and Green...



I really love this time of year, when the garden is beginning to fill with colourful blooms. I have a couple of ornamental poppies in the border which are always a pleasure to see. The tescos lobelias are doing remarkably well and really do look nice in the tubs. Two of last years red geraniums have survived outdoors last winter, proving how mild it actually was.



The jasmine has started going off a bit but the planters are stunning with marigolds, californian poppies, alyssum and lobelias. I'm still hugely impressed at quite how much self-seeded from last summer, saving me a small fortune on bedding plants.



The begonias that I over-wintered in my shed  are starting to show promise, although it'll be a while yet before I find out what colours they'll be. Nine of the original twelve appear to have survived, which is more than I ever imagined. I'd like to see the orange and yellow ones but I suspect I'll end up with reds and whites. We shall see...

Sunday 25 May 2014

Drink Up Me Hearties, Yo Ho...



This Bank Holiday weekend has so far seen a fair amount of the wet stuff, with more forecast for the coming days. Despite this, I've still had to water a few of my planters as the wind has a tendency to dry things out almost instantly.



The lobelias appear to enjoy a good drink (don't we all!!) and a few of them are starting to flower. Both the white and the red jasmine are playing host to hundreds of bees, which is always good to see, and the plants that self-seeded from the wild-flower mix I bought last spring are coming along nicely.



The bright orange Californian Poppies are the current starts of the show and there's also some white alyssum in the tubs for a bit of contrast. Two of the 4 geraniums that survived the winter are doing well (the remaining two are looking very unwell at this point) and the begonias are getting stronger by the day.



Although the rain is good for the garden, and saves me having to use expensive tap water, it'd be nice to think that June will bring forth a bit more sunshine. I guess that time will tell...

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Make Your Mind Up...!

I thought that April was the month for showers, not May! One minute there's blue sky and sunshine, the next the sky is black and either rain or hail (or both) fall out of the clouds.



On a positive note, all this rain has done wonders for my Small Suburban Garden. The white jasmine looks astonishing with so many blooms and even the red jasmine has decided to flower - which the bees are thoroughly enjoying.



The cheap lobelias I bought from Tescos last week are looking relatively healthy in the tubs and borders, and the parsley has almost doubled in size over the past 2 weeks. I appear to have 4 geraniums and 3 begonias that have survived from last summer, which is good, and the magnolia has surprised me by starting to flower again.



The wildflower mix in the back garden continues to thrive, and with any luck I shall see a few flowers within the next week or so...

Sunday 4 May 2014

Bee Babies...

It seems that the Bank Holiday weekend sunshine has encouraged the last of my baby bees out from their nests, which is a huge relief. I never know for certain how they've fared over the winter until I can see the holes in the muddy entrances to the tubes.



I have to say, I have never, ever seen so many flowers on my white jasmine. It's quite astonishing (and smells divine). The red jasmine is lagging behind somewhat but should be in flower by June (fingers crossed).



The Miracle-Gro wild flower mix that is so impressive in the front garden right now is also lagging behind, although I'm extremely pleased to see that most of last years flowers have self-seeded. I'm also thrilled that a few of the 11 begonias I believed had failed to make it through the winter in my shed. There's shoots appearing for 4 of them, however, only time will tell what the final figure will be...

Saturday 3 May 2014

The Gift That Keeps On Giving...




Last spring / summer I waxed lyrical about Miracle Gro Wildflower Mix, and it really was something special. However, I have now discovered that due to self-seeding, many of the beautiful flowers I enjoyed last year are growing once again, with absolutely no help from me!


Although the planters in the South-facing back garden have only just started to sprout foliage, with the promise of flowers to follow, my North-facing front garden (especially my window boxes) have been in bloom for the past few weeks. I am very much enjoying the view from my kitchen window as I spot alyssum, stocks and wallflowers along with Californian poppies.



The tiny patch of 'waste-land' by my front door was glorious a year ago, and that too is filling up nicely with all manner of wild flowers. Long may it continue...!

Monday 21 April 2014

Easter Bank Holiday Monday...




After a damp and dismal Easter Sunday, the sun has come out and along with it are my baby bees! I've never actually seem them emerging from my bee hotel before so it was quite a thrill to watch them taking their first tentative steps outside my old baked bean tin this morning.

Although we did have rain yesterday the ground remains parched, so I reluctantly used the watering can to freshen things up a bit. The white jasmine has never, ever had so many buds and I look forward to seeing it in full bloom soon.

The wildflower mix that I waxed lyrical about last year has self-seeded and already there's alyssum and Californian Poppies growing in the troughs. Hopefully my small suburban garden will now begin to flourish...

Tuesday 1 April 2014

No April Fool...



It really has been gorgeous weather today. The white jasmine looks like it'll blossom within a week or so and the smallest of my two magnolia has finally flowered. The red jasmine remains stubbornly without buds. I hope it's just a late starter this year as the bees go mad for it.

The wild cherry blossom is all but gone, however, for the first time I've actually got blossom on my newest cherry tree (bought two years ago from Tesco). I even have several plants growing from where I planted my Wild Flower mix last spring. Clearly some of the plants self-seeded which is excellent news.

The bees show no signs of emerging from their hotel, which is slightly worrying as I felt certain this lovely sunshine would be ideal for them to hatch out. I expect they'll do it in their own time.

I've harvested my parsley and chives and they were delicious with my salad at lunchtime. Hopefully that was the first of many home grown meals...

Thursday 27 March 2014

Hello Spring...



I always look forward to seeing the cherry blossom on my tree, and now, despite the cloudy sky and forecast of wind and rain for later, it’s finally bloomed and I can say without fear of contradiction that spring has officially arrived in my small suburban garden.

The buddleia are in leaf, the magnolia has been out for a couple of weeks and the white jasmine looks on the verge of flowering. The red jasmine is lagging somewhat behind and I hope that it soon bucks up it’s ideas as the bees adore it.

Talking of bees, mine are still safely tucked up in their bee hotel by the water butt, however, I guess it won’t be long before they start breaking free through their little mud front doors.

My gorgeous daughters gave me some seeds at xmas (nemophila, lobelia, sweet peas, morning glory, buzy lizzie and gazania) so I’ve sprinkled these around the borders and tubs. I know that these are meant to be lovingly cultivated into seedlings and then carefully placed outdoors but I simply don’t have the time or the patience.

I’ve also now planted out the begonia tubers which I dug up in the autumn, although they felt a bit soggy and the newspaper I’d hoped would keep them dry was quite damp. I suspect that none of them will grow, but time will tell…


MARCH 22, 2014 

Boing, Boing, Boing...




That’s the sound of spring! Well, it is in my head anyway.

It’s the warmest day of 2014 so far and it’s fabulous. The magnolia is in bloom, which always gladdens the heart, and I’ve seen more ladybirds in the space of ten minutes than I did in the whole of 2013.

The mini daffs are looking very pretty, as are the pale yellow primulas. I even saw a couple of butterflies fluttering overhead. Unfortunately they were gone too quickly for me to identify them but it’s a very good sign to see them about.

There’s much to do in the next month or so; the shed door needs sanding and painting with preserver, the fence needs another coat of preserver and there’s decisions to be made regarding this years bedding plants.

But for now, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and I couldn’t be happier. Long may it last…


MARCH 9, 2014