Oops I done it again

We went to Lidl for shopping so we don't have to go out over the coming bank holiday weekend, and this acer fell into our trolly. I did not know I needed another one, it is beautiful, the leaves are different to my others, I lied to hubby stating I had just the spot for it, at £9.80 it did not break the bank.

Here by the steps to the greenhouse is my trio of acers, there are three different colours here, I trim it all the time to keep the steps clear. These are my favourite,  I love the different shades of green.

This acer is the star in our garden, purchased in 2008 for just 99p, it looked like a dead twig, but I knew it would grow back, I  gave it some acer feed this month, I will need to cut the front back later this year, so I'm hoping it thrives through the summer.

 George is not wanting to wear his school uniform, the school is very understanding, on the last day before half term, he decided to wear his top from his pj's, school shorts, mummy's hat and tassels from curtains, his teacher said he looked cool. Molly also has her own individual style as shown before.

This is our westher forecast for the coming week.

It's half term, so we are expecting little people to visit, we have stocked up on their favourite snacks and ice pops, probably have a BBQ or two as the weather is playing nicely. 

Hubby has to finish sorting his area of the garage, like me he does not like things just shoved into spaces. I have veg beds to sort, digging out the final cabbages, making the bed ready for two tomato plants, I have soaked my peas and they are now on wet kitchen towel, those which sprout will go straight into the ground, my runner beans are sown, a bit late which is OK. I am picking lettuce leaves, the cucumbers are getting to a nice size and I have tiny fruit on the tomatoes.  My flower beds are all looking good, I have a few gaps to fill on the side bed, and room for home grown bedding plants in the square bed. I do need to purchase some french marigolds, my seeds all failed.

A garden year 2025

 Hellebores gave early colour, these were my blooms in January, I adore the dark red almost black bloom, so many different shades.

Spring bulbs in pots were a success in February, I have loads of vintage clay pots, the cyclamen were still blooming. 

March and my triple acer was in full leaf, it's in a shady spot and looked glorious, plus my azalea below, so many things in bud. 

It's April and there were so many different flowers in bloom, loads of colours for late spring. 

The first picking of fruits, strawberries, it's May and summer was on its way, it was to become the best year for berries, with bumper strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. 

My first successful year with sweet peas, sown way back in beginning of the year, plenty to pick here in June, again I had a bumper crop, picking blooms most days. 

July is begonia time, I adore these blooms, they produced flowers until the frost arrived, most are grown in pots off the ground. 

 

These fleabane daisies had bloomed for months and look really good, they will stay green the whole year, August the garden is full of so many different flowers. 

Zinnias and asters are the stars in September, so many different styles and colours, plus my favourite begonia, full of orange blooms.

I always think of primroses as a spring flower but every October they bloom in our garden, I have them in 6 different spots. 

I grow veg all year round in the two raised beds and loads of bags and buckets, November had all the over winter veg looking good.

In December you can see the skeleton of the garden, bare trees, and shrubs, our fake grass gives the impression of everything tidy, this is the time when I am thinking of any changes.

Just 12 views from my garden year last year, I choose mainly flowers for their beauty, I did grow plenty of fruit and veg, I hope for another great harvest year, can you feel the sunshine on this wet grey day.

I love every part of our garden, any tasks are made easy by the layout, not too much stretching and bending, most of the flower beds have shrubs for structure and perennials filling with colour. The fruit beds are sorted and require little work other than cutting back and collecting harvest. The veg beds and bags keep me busy, if I am not working in them I am planning what will follow, no space is left empty for long. My herbs are all grown in pots, I don't have so many ornamental pots, as they break (most are terracotta), I don't replace them. 

I hope you enjoyed my little look back at my garden in 2025. There were many more photo's I could have added but I did not want this post too long. Just a break from all this cold weather, with loads of colour, now time to think of seeds, firstly sweet-peas.

Changing colours

The leaves have started to fall around our garden, the magnolia tree leaves go very dry on the tree before they fall, these will need shredding once they drop before going into my mulch bins. The red acer leaves are also curling a sure sign they are about to drop. Behind the fence our neighbours virginia creeper are beautiful colours, it's not a plant I would want in our garden, we are always cutting back roots along the fence. 

I moved my forsythia a while ago, I am really hoping this is just the leaves dying back and not the end of the plant, this is a perfect spot for it, I will have to wait until the spring, I have already put a deep layer of mulch around it's base.

My trio of acers leaves are curling, the red one always sheds first, it's sad to see these colours fade, but on the flip side it's always wonderful to see them come back into leaf each spring.

I adore primroses, they remind me of a great childhood growing up in rural Somerset, the hedgerows were always full of them, I have clumps around the back section of my gardens, I regularly split them. 

The season has really changed here in the last week, the cooler air and no rain is a good signal, these photo's were taken on Saturday before the rains came, my pots were dry again, it's been almost 3 weeks since we had any rain fall, it's still a dry year here. The rain finally came on Sunday much later than stated, it was very wet on Monday, a grey dull overcast day, I'm happy to see the rain, I was beginning to think I would need to water my pots again. Monday was diabolical and its fuel to be extremely wet tomorrow,  so day of housework. 

The heating has finally be turned on, still often when the radiators should be warm, they are not, the house is keeping the heat in, all the work in previous years is now paying off, nothing beats a warm house. Neither of us like the house too hot, I am enjoying wearing my jumpers and socks again, it's comfortable for me, hubby just never feels the cold, I'm not such a cold bod as I used to be.  

Days at home don't bother me, normally I have loads to do, I'm still very undecisive what to be crafting, I was pleased to have made my Christmas cakes, I really must find something to do, I'm spending too much time playing 'arrows' on my tablet.

Blooming September

 In between the rain, I popped outside, it's very wet, luckily our garden drains well and has no deep puddles, don't let the blue skies fool you, before I had finished taking these photos it started to rain again. This side bed full of blooms, sadly the rain and wind took all the roses, I really need to do some deadheading, I have staked a few of the bigger blooms. 

The acer is turning colour, soon the leaves will drop which is a shame as it's been beautiful all summer, it does have a lovely shape so the bare branches do add to the winter garden.

I am pleased how this fence line is looking, I have never been a fan of growing plants up a fence, the olive tree is happy in the corner, it has olives growing, they never mature, but it's good to know the tree is healthy. I do not miss my metal table and chairs here, it got very busy, this looks much nicer. 

There are loads of blooms bringing colour into the garden, this begonia will soon be popped back into the greenhouse for the winter, it's a long flowering plant and so easy to keep, I do nothing with it once it's inside until next spring when I start to water it again. The Zinnias and Asters are in full colour.

Flowers at the back, the fuchsia which drops over the back of the pond has done well, I do have to dead head often to stop them falling into the pond, I have sweet willaim's behind and primroses in the tub.  The big tub next to my shed again has been full of flowers, another begonia, the fuchsia was moved earlier this year, I also have a hellebore for winter colour, another pot I just leave. 

These will give winter colour, the fleabane daises will stay green all year, if it's mild they will bloom, I cut them back in the spring to keep them from getting too big, this bed has been a delight. I have cyclamen and violas in pots around the patio nearest to the house. 

Soon it will be time to pack the furniture away for winter, it will stay outside undercover, the chair frames will tuck under the bench frame, and will fit along the wall, we will raise them off the ground slightly and cover them. The cushions will be popped into the back of the attic (loft). The parasol will go into the garage, I'm not keen on this time of year, I feel we are loosing so much. 

The season has changed so quickly this year, my shorts and sandals are succeeded by socks, boots and jeans, fleeces are worn, nights are cooler and much darker. I don't embrace autumn, spring and summer are my season's the garden is my place, I still can watch the garden, often watching the small birds at the feeders, but nothing beats being outside.

Inside out

 Way back in 2009 I first showed my red Acer on my blog here, I had purchased it the previous year as a tiny plant for 99p, the leaves had fallen off and the shop wanted to get rid of it. As it grew hubby made a lovely wooden container for it in 2019, I added to the base to give Japanese vibes. It was planted into the ground in 2021, at hubby's suggestion, I was not sure, I want to pass it on and replace it with a smaller one, in a small garden to have a second tree was not the best use of space. I do love it in the ground, it's in a perfect spot. It needs a trim at the base, and along the flower bed side, I snip at it as and when it needs it.

I did replace the acer with a triple acer, purchased in 2021, which sits along the wall of the garage, I pass them every time I go to my greenhouse, composter or water but. These I trim every year, I really don't want them to grow too large, they fill this space with colour, they only get sunshine in the mornings, and they are sheltered from the wind. I love the three shades together, they brighten this spot.

I have been given the most perfect gate to my veg plot, it's real life was a fire guard, I could have got a gate to match my fence, but it was a bit wide and would be obstacle and I could see me catching my clothes as I walked through. George understands if the gate is closed he can't through, and stays away, I don't close it when Molly is here, she knows the veg section is not a play area. 

When in town last week ,we popped to Pound Savers for a few Easter bits, I always look around the garden section, I picked up 2 packs of summer bulbs, just a pound per pack, which had 1 bulb in. I popped them straight into the ground, I was going to get two plants, using bulbs has worked out much cheaper, I've not grown them before.

We had been considering purchasing a dwarf apple tree, which would go with our other fruits, we even found a spot for it, but realistically we don't need one, I eat Braeburns, which can be used for cooking, so we always have them here. If we were successful in growing our own apples, we would then have to find storage space.

We had some rain on Saturday night, and again last night, I would have liked more, I think any rain in the coming days will miss our area, we might get just a couple of light showers.

Monday hubby decided it was time to decorate our bedroom and en-suite, we have been putting it off for months, he is starting in our shower room. I keep out of his way, he is a master of perfection, and I'm not required, he controls it all. On a trip to B&Q I got 4 bags of top soil, I had asked locally if anyone had any top soil I could have, just one reply which stated it was full of gravel, so I declined. I'm hoping to sort my 5 new growing bags in the coming days. 

Flower colours

 I spent £5 on these tulips, I rarely get cut flowers, I never cut flowers from my garden, these are colourful and brighten our sitting room. My two pots of tulips are starting to bloom, can't wait, I chose some bright colours this year. 

A few of my other flowers around the garden.

The big acer came to life in these warm sunny days, soon all the leaves will fill out. My trio kept at the back of the garden, 2 are coming back to full leaf, the red leaf is a bit behind.

The garden is already looking good, we sit outside most days, both hubby and I can find a few bits to do, before enjoying the sunny weather. Our magnolia tree is still barren, we haven't had many blooms, leaves are beginning to form, hopefully soon it will look less bare, we are not surprised, as it has been cut back hard before.

I love to see so many different colours in my flower beds, it does feel as if the growing season has arrived, but I'm wary as night time temperatures are still a bit low, my greenhouse is still full. I potted up my spare strawberry plants into a nice tall pot, I have put them in a sunny spot, these should give us a slightly earlier harvest. I have ordered some small bags to pop over the fruit as they form, rather than making a net frame for the strawberry tower, it should make harvesting much easier.

Monday after doing the downstairs housework, which was overdue, I spent the afternoon in the garden, Lilly was close by all day. On Sunday she got stuck in our nice neighbours garden, Pauline had a cuddle before handing her back, Lilly is climbing our magnolia tree all the time, a couple times she has landed awkward, I'm hoping she will learn a lesson and stop climbing, she is still not happy using the cat flap, so we are keeping her in over night.

Tuesday was a cloudy day, not so warm, I spent a good hour in the greenhouse, I also dug up two roots from flowering plants in my garden to make new plants, I have loads of new plants coming along. We popped to Lidl for a small shop, mainly salad, fresh fruit and veg, our bill just over £70, are prices ever going to settle down, everything has gone crazy. 

Grey days,

I have done my walk around the garden, it's too wet to do anything outside, this acer is looking good, it has alot of wind damage, but still the autumnal colours are shinning, this small tree gives us so much. 

My trio of acers have already started to lose their leaves, still enough colour to enjoy, this little spot works hard almost all of the year, the azalea below stays green all year. 

I don't often show this corner, I have a rose growing in the gap between the fence and the garage, in front is my pomegranate plant, it's leaves are turning colour and soon will drop, this was grown from a pip many years ago. I've never had a fruit, which is OK as I love the plant.

My begonias in the greenhouse are blooming again, I adore this plant, the ones in the black pot by my shed are still blooming, which they will do until the frost gets to them.  

I popped my pepper plant into the plastic greenhouse inside my big glass greenhouse, and in the past week more peppers are growing, I am hoping I get these to a size worth harvesting, I also have some herbs growing well.

I do love to see the trees without leaves, I love their shape, the trunks different colours and textures, our Magnolia becomes a perch for tiny birds going to the feeders, the different heights gives interest all through the cooler months. Now it's all about collecting the leaves to make my own mulch, I have used mine made last year on my veg beds.

I think I may have post holiday blues, or grey as the sky every day, we haven't done much, the laundry is done, we did a big shop at Lidl, the heating is now on everyday. The rain is back, not heavy but enough to keep me out of the garden, I do have a few jobs to do, I hope to get a dry morning sometime soon. On the positive side, I did not put on any weight when away, we averaged over 10,000 steps everyday, something we fail to do when home. 

We did not bring much back from Spain, just a few treats which we can't get here, I was taken to the biggest fabric shop I have ever seen, packed with materials over two huge floors, and again to the round square, where there are haberdashery stalls packed with everything you could wish for. 

Another week

 If I was asked about tulips, I would have said, I'm not fond of them, they rot in our heavy clay soil, last year I got a few packs for different tubs and I have really enjoyed their colour this spring, these in my cider jar have still to open, I have forgot what colour they are, a nice surprise to come. So maybe later this year more will be purchased to add colour to the garden next spring. 

I adore the colours in this trio of acers, I trim them each year so they don't get huge, I love them in this big tub, it's a perfect spot in the garden for them. They can be seen from the house and add colour here at the back of the garden. My bird bath alpine plants have started to come back, tiny flowers soon. The azalea below is also about to bloom.

This is my success story, purchased as a twig many years ago for 99p, it sat in a pot where my trio live, when it outgrew the pot, we decided to give it a space in the garden, not an easy choice in a small garden. We love it here, again I am learning and I have trimmed it last year, it's nicer kept smaller. 

Spring is showing itself in the flowers in bloom, I love snakes-head fritillary, these in this pot will be placed in the ground soon, bluebells are just starting to flower and the lovely camassia, another blue flower, I do also have some white flowers, finally a bleeding heart, I forgot where I had planted it, it's beside the hellebore, it's doing OK, so I'm not going to move it. 

It's been a strange week, most days I've been to our local hospital, so daughter gets to have a lunch, do some shopping, even get a shower, the children's ward caters for their parents as well. I can see loads of improvement in George, his chest sounds much better, and hopefully the medication will sort the virus which he has as well as the chest infection. 

Thursday we had dentists, I needed a bit of work, we both booked hygienist and had to pay 50% up front, not a cheap morning, even with our NHS practice. I have some huge decisions to make, the damage to my gums caused by chemo back in 2010, when  all my teeth became loose, is now pressing me to decide the way forward, I'm pleased with myself as I was told in 2011 my teeth would not last, implants at over £7,000, is not an option not only the cost, but also my the gum damage, makes the option not viable, for now I can manage, but soon.

Friday George came home, he still has alot of healing to do, I had not planed to visit but daughter called, it was lovely to see Will and Molly, I did finally manage a good night's sleep, I had been worried for George and not sleeping. It was a dry and sunny day, I did get an hour outside in the garden, just sweeping and sorting, the seeds are not doing as well as I wanted in the greenhouse. 

No plans for the weekend, it's promised windy, dry and warm, no sun, I would be happy with dry, normally at this time of year I am starting to wear sandals, but no chance yet, still in warm clothes. I hate to wish the days away, but some warm dry sunny days would be super nice. 

Another week

On my desk these three pots of succulents are all doing well, the back triple pot have been grown in the greenhouse, I'm hoping they survive in here. The front two were tiny when I got them over two years ago, they have just been watered, so looking plump.

I have shown this Albuca sprialis frizzle sizzle many times, again plenty of new growth, I do love to have plants on my desk, it's a sunny spot. Behind is my new poppy, it's huge and catches the light, it's leaded glass and made locally. 

My thanksgiving cactus is getting busy again, loads of buds, I had a few flowers not so long ago, so I'm really happy to see it's about to bloom again, this sits on my bathroom window sill, a sunny spot, but not necessary a warm spot.  

Our beautiful acer, everyday the colour improves, I don't think it has ever looked this good, normally by now the tree should be bare, the warm wet autumn has ment its kept it leaves, and the colour is the best ever.

Wednesday was very wet, it rained all morning until mid afternoon, I worked for the morning in the craft shop, it's market day in the village, I think the weather kept all the people at home, Sarah got loads of paperwork done, which is the point of me working. Later I did more of my blanket squares, I am enjoying knitting them, but I must pick up my green cardigan again. Hubby did another trip to the tip, he had the wood which made up the smaller planter by our back door, he does love to see everywhere clean and tidy. 

Thursday a day at home, much needed housework was done, a neighbour popped in for coffee and a chat, and then knitting, I do live an exciting life, not! but I'm happy. Hubby made a delicious lemon drizzle cake, which will last us ages.

Christmas cakes have had their first drink of brandy, the house smelt of brandy, so I had to light a candle, can't have people thinking I am a morning drinker. George's book arrived and we are very pleased with it, he has a couple of other small items, all ready for his birthday soon. Everything is ticking along nicely, I had my annual blood test for my pre-diabetic check up, will have results next week.  

Thank you for all my birthday wishes, I am truly blessed with a loving family and great friends, and never forgetting my darling hubby, who after 39 years together, still makes me laugh and surprises me, and never runs away when I say 'I have and idea'.

Autumn colours

Strawberries in November, I'd like to say this is unusual, but it happens most years, they won't get much bigger or ripen, but it's always nice to see flowers. My tower is in it's temporary home beside the garage at the end of the path, it's in our way, but once everything is sorted, it will go to it's final home, sad fact is as yet I have no idea where to put it, best spot is next to the fence where we have had rats come into our garden, so not there. 

I always think the blueberry bushes are stunning at this time of year, the leaves always give so much colour, there are two plants in here, they fruit one early and one later, giving us a longer season, and no glut. I have cut back a third of the plant, all old wood, the berries grow an second years growth. 

I love this trio of acers, they work well here, each plant has a different colour leaf, they are inter wound together, and makes a wonderful display, this spot suits them very well, sunshine up to mid afternoon, and total shade from the wind. Next spring I will trim them back in hope I can keep them in this spot for longer, they all grow at about the same rate. 

This small tree is amazing, it's years old, it was a twig when I purchased it, now it's almost to the top of the 6 foot fence, I love the way it has branches and leaves to the very bottom, this photo does not show all the true shades of red and green, when the breeze moves the leaves it's breathtaking. This marks the end of our garden and the start of the paving along the boundary fence, we love seeing this area from the sitting room. 

The garden is looking good for November, I'm picking up leaves most days, nothing much else to do. The veg beds are doing good, I cut back the gladiola leaves from the flower bed in front, so now we can see through to the veg beds, I am loving the view from the house. Most of my beds are too small for summer and winter plants, but I'm happy to see the garden in it's sleep mode. 

Friday we popped to Dunelm, we needed a new kitchen bin, hated the cheap ones, others were very expensive, so hubby agreed to look online, we got a nice small suitcase for me, we have two weekends away soon. Went into Home bargains and found a perfect kitchen bin at a price we liked, also got the last bits off my Christmas list. I passed by all the decorations, some are beautiful, but not needed.

Saturday, hubby was home alone, so loads of laundry was done, the day was bright and breezy, and sudden heavy storms, hubby made the first batch of mince pies, a real treat. I went to our local craft shop to work, just 9am to 4pm, longer than I will normally work as Liz was off. I loved interacting with the ladies in the shop, swapping idea's and generally being helpful, the time passed very quickly. Later watching Strictly whilst knitting more of my sock.

Sunday I got up a bit later, had a lazy start to the day, it was sunny and breezy, so late morning I went outside, I needed to support my broad beans, the heavy rain was beating them down, I have popped in extra supports in hope they say upright. I also dug out the tiny bed by our back door, the fuchsia's are still in bloom, but I did need to get them into the huge tub, all the spare soil from the bed I put on the side bed. It was cold outside, but nice to have sunshine, I have now finished all the jobs ready for the paving to be done later this month.