How does your garden grow?

Over on Crafts by Carolyn we have been talking "gardens!" To be more specific...SLATE and it was mentioned about our borders. I ended up looking back to some of the work we did in the garden back in 2011 (I think) not long after we put the fencing up. The top border was almost completely stripped back and nearly all we had was a few potted shrubs.

Below is a picture of the same border today and as you can see it has filled out quite a bit. Look at the change in the Dogwood, this really looked pretty last winter, the first year it's stems turned a beautiful shade of red. Fingers crossed for this winter too.

It's still be no means finished, but is a garden ever finished? I MUST take an up to date picture of our box tree......LOL my feeble attempt at topiary.

As I hung my washing out this morning I noticed these fungi growing alongside by palm and it is amazing how I see things in nature now I have started to Zentangle. I took some photographs a few weeks ago when we went away for our Anniversary. Hopefully I can share then soon, alongside my interpretation of them!!! LOL

Not sure what we are going to do with these, it's the best year we have had with them and Chris is now considering wine making!

Other borders are not quite so established as we have lost a few big plants leaving us with chunks of border to fill. We lost a lovely big Mahonia a few years ago so we decided to replace it, hopefully it will fill the gap, especially when some of the surrounding plants loose their leaves. 

This year we turned the old Belfast sink into a little herb garden and I have got some white gravel to help retain moisture as it's in quite a sunny spot. Once again, it's a work in progress, I stood our lavender in as a filler and I have left the chives and the mint in their own pots so that they don't take over. Next year I may take them out and replace with a few other herbs. Unfortunately little Brucie Boy has very recently started to take interest in it so I may need to move the chives sooner than planned.

Today I am needing to do a bit more concrete laying as it would be lovely to get it all finished while the weather holds out. I am getting quite obsesses about my pebble border, I feel I want to get the hoover out to clean it up and then varnish it so the colours in the stones can be seen better.

Here is a close up, again, by no means perfect but it's fun (and back-breaking) work and Brucie Boy can't dig it up like he does the slate that we still have around the edge of the patio.

(PS. I have wet the pebbles to show some of the colours better.)

Right, waffle over. Chris is already out in the garden and waiting to mix up the cement for me. I am going to put the kettle on first though.

Adele

xXx