Blog

2017

Garden walls completed, driveway tarmacked and our gates fitted. This left us to focus on planting up our front garden and courtyard with a limited budget.

We decided to try to grow as much of our garden as possible. So we could focus the budget on greenhouses, aeroponics, polytunnels, seeds, bulbs, seed tents and lights.

Filling the borders using aeroponics, seed sowing and division taking cuttings from a limited supply of purchased donor plants. The large aeroponics unit meant were able to supplement this with other cuttings from friends and family.

July 2017

The new greenhouse went up to compliment our second hand polytunnel. This provided us with additional room to grow on annuals from seed into Spring 2018.

Spring 2018

Builders rubble cleared in the centre border, and half of the side border. Top soil delivered. Meaning we could fill them with propagated cuttings, donor plants, bulbs and annuals from seed.

Annual seeds were purchased from a wholesale seed site. Enabling us to keep costs down and we were able to start them off early in the heated greenhouse for planting out after any risk of frost.

A hanging basket eucalyptus bought in 2017 and grown on in the greenhouse was bought for less than £1.

Donated primulas divided a small housewarming present conifer helped add some variety to the new border..

A few purchased crocosmia bulbs and a six hardy chrysanthemum plants. The crocosmia would provide summer colour with the chrysanthemums providing green and body during the summer with colour and cut flowers in September and October.

Some pyracantha grown from cuttings the previous year, some hollyhocks we grew from seed in the spring which will not flower until 2019 and a few succulents which had been taken from parent plants I had overwintered in the greenhouse.

The rest of the border was planted up with African Marigolds, French Marigolds, Dahlias, Snap Dragons, Salvias, Pansies, Lavender and Cineraria.  These had all been grown from seed or purchased as a small plug during the spring.

Summer 2018

Our triumphs were our lavatera, rose and pyracantha cuttings we had taken the previous year. The lavatera flowering from June and the pyracantha provided berries for birds in the winter and colour.

Winter 2018

The result was a fabulous display of colour with the hardy chrysanthemums lasting into very early December.

Next year we plan to make some changes including moving the chrysanthemums further back in the border and plant more African and French marigolds together.

Spring 2019

In spring 2019 I made sure the front border was clear of any weeds and annual plants before applying a thick mulch from our home made compost. The remaining half of the side border was also cleared of any remaining rubble, weeded and mulched ready for planting.

Front Border

Side Border

Clear of any final rubble and mulched ready for spring planting.

Summer 2019

Front Border

Pyracantha aeroponic cuttings doing well in the background. With the Stewarta Pseudo Camellia cutting growing well in the foreground after being propagated using aeroponics.

Side Border

This hebe was a small cutting towards the end of 2017 and planted in 2018. By summer 2019 it was growing and flowering well.

Crocosmia bulbs planted in spring 2019 growing well alongside cineraria, hardy chrysanthemums, a stewarta pseudo-camellia cutting propagated using aeroponics. Camellia cuttings, buddleia cuttings, sunflowers from seed along with a small selection of small perennial plants bought from a local college open day.

Several coleus plants grown from seed are in the process of being planted in the border.

Autumn 2019

Front Border

September and the hardy chrysanthemums and cosmos are still providing a regular supply of cut flowers.

Wrong plants, wrong place. A rose cutting planted to the left of the border was a climber and was creeping across the border. The plan is for this to be moved to a better suited place. One of the lavatera cuttings suffered some damage earlier this year resulting in breakage. This will be pruned back if possible.

Side Border

Camelia cuttings, hardy chrysanthemum divided from its parent, cineraria grown from seed and buddleia taken from a cutting and propagated using aeroponics.

Cosmos grown from seed using grow lights and grown on in the greenhouse before planting out in May. Still flowering strongly into October.

Spring 2020

In spring 2020 I ensured the borders were clear of any weeds and leaf debris. I then added a layer of compost from our own compost bays to the beds prior to prepare the beds for this seasons planting.

Front Border

Side Border

Courtyard

Summer 2020

Front Border

Side Border

Courtyard