Weekend project: Replacing a shrub

After a period of several months hoping that this shrub would produce some new shoots, I finally accepted that it was dead. It saddened me as it is the first thing that has died which already belonged in the garden long before we moved in. As I broke it up, every single twig snapped easily and it was evident that it was dead. Digging it up was not easy, but I persevered and managed to get most of the root ball out.

When I looked at the space left, the shrub had taken quite a lot. Luckily I had recently bought some plants - no surprise there. I had also kept a choisya in the pot since I bought it from a small nursery in Gatley because I wasn't quite sure where to put it. I suppose I had an inkling that I would be doing some digging soon. I really like the end result and I hope the garden bugs do too. I had added a dahlia and a salvia to keep the choisya company. They seem to be getting on well for now.

I now have room at the front to plant smaller plants, or veg should I so feel inclined.  

The story behind getting a choisya is a typical Nat one. I had been listening to Elizabeth is missing on audiobook -you should read it, it's great- and the main character is reprimanded by digging up the choisya. I thought the sound of the plant was interesting and thought nothing of it.A week later, we went to a small nursery in Gatley where I bought some alpines. I went over to look at the shrubs and there I see a choisya. I decided to see it as a sign that I had to take her home with me. It strikes me as a she.

Styal 27.06.2015

As a couple in their lat 20s without children, we do not fall into the 2 categories people associate National Trust members: young families and pensioners. However, as introverts, we are exhausted after a trip to Manchester and I particularly get rather overwhelmed by the seas of people I need to navigate. Thus, visiting places such as Styal have become part of our weekend outings. The ones we visit the most are Lyme Park, Dunham Massey and Styal Quarry Mill. Tatton will happen this summer too, we think.

In any case, we couldn't remember if we had been to Quarry Mill in June before as we were blown away by the blooms this weekend. We took our good camera and had a wander around the gardens. There was a wedding going on and as always we discussed the possibility of having our wedding there some day. We are both introverts who feel uncomfortable being the centre of attention, so if and when we decide to tie the knot it will be a low key event; but Styal is so pretty we always think it would be a great place to have a picnic with people we love.

I concentrated at first on plants that like shade as we do have some bushes that have nothing underneath. I'm not that big on hostas, but seeing them in their "natural habitat" yesterday made me look at them in a different light.

 We then wanted to see if they had started with the reconstruction of The Curvilinear Glasshouse. They were collecting money for it from the public and I think they managed to reach their goal. They grow cut flowers and veg in this part of the gardens.

The bees were doing their thing.

The veg patch was looking interesting.

There is also a greenhouse, where they keep sempervivums and tropical plants.

 We then went through a sheltered trail and spent too much time taking photos of foxgloves.

 I love the façade of this little cottage on the grounds. M y in-laws also have climbing roses,which I will show at a later time.

Of course I couldn't leave the place without getting some plants for our garden.  I got 3 plants, very conservative of me.

I got a salvia plant, which is currently in bloom as has lovely tiny purple flowers. The dark foliage is a Dahlia Bishop of Canterbury which hasn't flowered yet. The yellow flowers didn't have a tag, but I think they may also be dahlias. They look like Sarah Raven's Summertime, don't you think?

Growth and seedlings everywhere

It's lovely to see seedlings coming up, isn't it? Went to check on the little things after several days of cold wet weather.

The sweet peas are doing well! They were stunted for a couple of weeks, but I tied them to the frame and now they seem to be finding their way up. 

Similarly, the strawberries look healthy. I think I need to start thinking about laying some hay and find some sort of netting for the plants that I have further up the garden. Don't want those pesky birds to steal any! I already get them bird food. 

Got some dahlia tubers from Sarah Raven. The varieties are Gerry Hoek and Jowey Mirella. I was tempted to get a third one, but thought I would see how I go with these two and maybe invest in another next year. 

This is what my flower patch looks like at the moment. I have some strawberries growing, which will hopefully get some protection from the birds when the flowers grow taller. I also have some heather, but it's not working too well for me... Not sure what I am doing wrong there. Stalker Cat likes to rub her face in it...

I divided the plot into lines and sowed a mix of seeds in there. They are all starting to come up now, but I am actually thinking whether it would be best if I had just let them fall wherever and raked over. I might just do that for next time.

In the greenhouse I have some seedlings growing as well. I have some courgettes that are my fallback should the direct sowing fail. I'll let these grow a little more and then I'll have a look in the garden, see where I can plant them out. I might actually use the "wild part" at the back of the garden! We'll see. 

I also sowed 3 sunflower seeds that have just started sprouting. I sowed three directly, but it's a no-show at the moment. You can see 2 huge seedlings in the small terracotta pots, the 3rd one is about to break the soil level, I checked today!

The other two pots contain kale and some recovering winter pansies.  

The rudbeckias are looking good! the dianthus are also getting stronger after a leggy start. Will be potting them on shortly, to fewer seedlings per bigger pot. I am giving some to a friend in a couple of week. 

I'm so happy with these 4 pepper plants!They are looking nice and healthy and can't wait to start seeing little peppers growing! Peppers are easily the vegetable we eat most of. It's ironic because I hated pepper as a child, I didn't want to go anywhere near it. However, the boyfriend is a fan of pepper, and is one of the few veg he will eat so I caved and I am so glad I did! So tasty.

I couldn't end the blog entry without a word of warning. I underestimated the weather and assumed people exaggerated when they said we could still have frosts late April. I had these poor geraniums outside when the frost hit and this is the result. It does not all look like that, but I was sad to see the white specks :( that'll teach me to listen to other people. Happy gardening!