This Is the Centrepiece feature of my Front garden in 2005. Each year I plant it differently, with one or two varieties of Plants. I also have a Basket suspended on a pole, which sets it off in the middle of the feature. Usually in that, I use Trailing Surfina Petunias, which last year were "Burgundy" in colour, with "White" Lobelia and a "Genii" Fushia, to finish off the effect, a bit like a Water fountain. At the base were the F2 Petunias, with mixed Geraniums towards the pole in the Centre.

This should all last till Mid-October with regular feeding. I use "Miracle-grow" Plant feed, added to water and strirred. Fed once a week in mid-summer. It just makes the flowering season last just that bit longer, till the Frosts arrive!

This is a picture of my Front garden last July.

After all the seed sowing and planting out, it's nice to see the rewards of your labours, later in Summer. The Summer of 2005 was kind to many bedding plants, as we did'nt get a lot of rain, so plants like Petunias did'nt get damaged by heavy rain, which does ruin the petals, unless they are of the F1 type, which resists bad weather conditions. I use the F2 Variety of Petunias, mainly because they last longer as plants and they seem to be available in more colour shades too. They are also cheaper!

I like to include various varieties of summer bedding, to achieve a stunning display.

African Marigolds, French Marigolds, Statice, Dahlias, Shasta daisies, Rudbeckias, Petunias, Asters, Argyranthemums (A Tall Daisy type plant) , Pansies & Gazanias. Were all featured as part of my Front garden planting scheme last summer. Together with the Rockery too.

So now it's all set to start again, with the seed sowing very soon!

This is a tray of young Geranuim plants, which were bought as "Plug Plants", in other words, Plants that were delivered as small plantlets by post, in protective packaging. You just need to gently remove each one and pot them up singly.
The photo on the right , shows them after re-planting was done. Best not to overwater these young plants, as they tend to get a fungal disease, called "Botritis", which causes the stems to rot off at the base of the stem. The plants them die.
So just keep the plants moist enough and don't let them stand in water. Later as they grow, an Organic feed is recommended, like a dilutable Seaweed feed. Geraniums can be planted outdoors in early June, after danger of frosts has passed. Standing them outdoors in daytime till they harden off, but take them indoors at night.

At this time of year I order a few Plug Plants from a Gardening Catalogue. It often proves worthwhile and saves a lot of worry over Germination too. Things like Impatiens(Busy Lizzies) are very hard and slow to Germinate without the right conditions, so Its cheaper to buy them as Plug Plants and no wasted seeds.
Also Geraniums too are best done this way and again , are cheaper than buying the plants later from a Garden Centre. The photo on the left, shows these plug plants after they were transplanted Into trays. They will then grow on, until planting outside in late May or early June.
Other Than the plants named above, I usually grow the rest of my Flowers from seeds. Other than plants like Fushias, which again are best grown on from Plug Plants or from a nursery as young plants. I shall begin starting my seed sowing in February/March and the Greenhouse will be Insulated by Polythene(Bubble wrap), inside the glass. To stop Frost damage.
Also maybe a small Paraffin heater on nights that are due to be very Frosty Indeed.

This is a photo of the wooden sections of the Arbour , before it was painted & assembled. I made it in easy sections and then treated the wood first with Wood Preserver (Clear) and then used a proper Wood paint, available in different shades of colours. Two or Three coats were needed, as it soaks in, on unplaned wood. The Trellis sections were the most fiddly to paint. But the finished Arbour was well worth the time & effort.
Care must be taken when using the Wood Preserver, as it is harmful to Skin , so rubber gloves are best worn and keep well away from your eyes too. Best done in well ventilated areas too, due to fumes.

This is a photo of my Completed "Arbour" project.

Quite easy to make and i'm no expert joiner!! I bought two panels of 2ft x 6ft Trellis and four 7ft fence posts to make the sides. The roof was Fence boarding made in two sections, then bolted together. The back was just wood cladding fitted together, then painted in wood paint.

All was assembled with bolts & screws. I actually got the measurements , by copying a similar model at a local garden centre!....taking along a piece of paper a pen and a tape measure. Mine was actually stronger than theirs.

But I think it suits the Cottage Garden area and is a very nice place to sit and admire the garden in Summertime.

The path to the Arbour is Stone chippings on a landscaping membrane, supplied at garden centres on a roll. It prevents weeds from growing through it. But water can still soak away.

As soon as Spring arrives and the soil is a bit warmer & drier, you can start working on the borders or making a garden project.

Last year I made a cottage garden, which was Interesting to do, adding various perennial plants. Such as Lavenders, Phlox, Lupins,Asters,Clematis and Honeysuckle climbers. A few of those plants are scented, so its nice to enjoy sitting there in Summer.

I also constructed an Arbour, which is an seat with a canopy over it, with trellis sides, for a climber or two. You can see that in the next posting on this page. To start a Cottage garden, you need to dig over the soil first and add some compost or Organic fertilizer. Then hoe the area till the soil is very fine. Plants that you buy need to be bought with their heights in mind!.

So you would want the tallest at the rear of the border. Then plant with the smallest at the front. Things like Phlox can grow to about 2-3ft tall, so they need to be towards the back.

Lavenders & Lupins near the front. The Climbers or Bush Shrubs, next to the Trellis fencing.

Allow plenty of space (2-3ft) between each plant, allowing for growth.

Water in each plant and firm the soil around the roots as you plant each one, to the level of the pot it was in. Some plants will need a cane or some support as it grows, to stop wind damage snapping them off. Remove dead flower heads too, as this will encourage new Flowers to form and old flowers left on will only form seed heads that weaken the plants growth.

The First things to do in the Greenhouse at this time of year, is to Disinfect the interior!
There are Insects and aphids that can stay in a Greenhouse over Winter, which end up infecting plants & seedlings as they germinate & grow. So use a Spray that is recommended for this work.
Don't forget to wear a mask!! Otherwise your eyes and mouth are liable to get splashed.

Afterwards you can start sowing seeds. But make sure the trays & pots are also clean, as they carry disease too. Any Multi-purpose compost is fine to use for seed sowing.
The Greenhouse will need Insulating against very cold weather, until around April, when the plants are growing well enough. I use Paraffin in a heater to keep the Greenhouse just warm enough. As well as the Polythene insulation too.
Late January you can begin sowing seeds like Lobelia & Geraniums. Though Geraniums need an early germination, with heat to get them started. So the trays need a cover or Cling film over the tray. Seeds only need to be just below the surface too, then watered well.
As long as the pots or trays are kept moist and warm, they will germinate in a few days time.
But don't over water! This can make the compost too wet and the seeds will rot away.
I often sprinkle a layer of perlite or silver sand over the trays after sowing, to stop green algae spreading on the surface. To cure this, water the trays/pots with a Fungicide, diluted with water. Many seeds can be sown from January to March/April.....suitable for Summer flowering. On warmer days its best to open windows in your Greenhouse too, for air circulation.

Welcome! I've started this Blog, dedicated to my Garden and the work I do in it. Hopefully it might inspire others like yourselves to enjoy your garden too and to try adding a splash of colour into your lives! I'll add more photos as i go along and this time I started with my Greenhouse, that i had last year. Soon i'll be starting my seed sowing in there , around March 2006. I do many types of Flowers , for planting out in late May or early June, dependant on thr weather. Avoiding late Frosts here in the UK.
I hope to pass on any Gardening tips and please add comments or ask any questions....that I will hopefully be able to answer! So why not make 2006 your attempt at Gardening too! TimX