Saturday 28 January 2023

Thinking about Dahlias and Ferns


 I've been thinking and dreaming and getting excited about creating a Dahlia bed .

Dreaming about having a crazy riot of colour !

I have had the Kilmarnock Willow cut down to create a nice big space for it . Only thing I have to do is get rid of the stump and all the Ivy that has been creeping about underneath it . I had hoped that the tree surgeons would have taken it out for me .... but I guess they ran out of time . So I will have to sort it out myself , or else it will come back with a vengeance .

The young Monkey Puzzle Tree will now have space to do it's awesome thing .


This was the first one of four that I grew from seed and it is looking proper sexy !


I pulled out two wheel barrow loads of brambles and Ivy roots and tore out  a rubbish sheet of weed membrane . I have covered the willow tree stump with it for the time being as I couldn't face working on this area anymore for today .



 Two wheel barrow loads of back breaking , arm wrenching weeds and the pink wheelbarrow full of willow shoots we cut down the other day . 
Tomorrow we will have a bonfire  .


Seeing the Camellias beginning to bloom gave me another burst of energy .


...and I tidied up the other side of that bed behind the Chamaerops humilis  and removing some of it's leaves . 


Chamaerops humilis grows as a clump and I just like to keep it in a bit of order , to reveal it's lovely trunks and also so that I can see the old lawn roller .


In the pictures above , you can see the Agave americana variegata ,the Sweet pea tub and this Agave ferox are still under some protection . I have been trying to find a really big new cloche for this one . The old cloche was falling to bits and causing more harm than good .


I peered in to my Fern Garden  (the miserable dark damp space behind the garage ) .

The ferocious winter gales had finally smashed down the gate .

It is in here that I mainly grow ferns , not only because I love them , but also in memory of my grandfather who loved them and had a fine collection of them , so I am told .

In the heat of the summer it is a lovely cool place for me to sit and sew or read a book  .We used to have a bench in there .

It really is at it's most beautiful , in the Spring , as the new crosiers begin to unfurl .

So with that in mind , I begin to clear more Ivy , brambles and wretched stinging nettles . 


With the wheel barrows full all three , and me with no strength left in me to empty them , I left another three piles of weeds . 

I might get back to it tomorrow , if I,m not aching too much . AND

I'll try and take some better pictures of inside my secret fern garden . 

 I love you . See you tomorrow x

3 comments:

  1. Work well done, any clearing of bramble and ivy done at this time of year, will benefit your garden. I struggle with vine and ivy coming in from next door, I just pull or dig it out as soon as I see it.

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    1. Hi Poppy 💐Same here ! This morning my hands are tingling from stinging nettle stings ! We are taking our little grand daughter to the Falmouth Maritime Museum this morning . Pirates . I think my husband is more excited about it than anybody ! I just hope the museum isn't too busy . This afternoon we will attempt to light a bonfire .

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  2. Can you det someone to grind out the tree stump

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