My garden makes me so happy

[HumphreyCobbler]

I wanted a garden all my adult life, and for the last three years I have had one.

To begin with I was worried it wouldn't be as much fun as I thought it would be, but I soon discovered it was even better.

It was an overgrown, tangled mess when we moved in and slowly we have transformed it. I am still a beginner, but I already know so much more than I did.

Today I came home to find a massive pile of well rotted horseshit waiting for me. It was brilliant.

I don't really know what the point of this post is, I just wanted to share

hello everyone

blissful day today. Weeded the onions, planted out loads of stuff, tied up the sweet peas. Came inside and found a slug in a jam jar on the kitchen table, DS's new pet . DH is still outside netting the strawberries.

Proud mummy moment last night while eating toad-in-the-hole, peas and carrots, my 22 month old lovely lovely boy turned round, pointed out of the window and said "bedgies?" (veggies). I take that as a compliment.

Ate radishes straight out of the ground this evening. DH thought they were too peppery (strange as he loves chilli spicy things) but DS and I ate a little handful each. Bedgies .

Now I just need to teach him the word organic and we're off to Waitrose!

I have a Dodopad Garden Journal which I highly recommend if you need a present idea to give someone who usually buys you something crap. Like a total saddo, I really enjoy reading back over past entries.

Tomorrow is hosta moving day. I'm afraid when the weather is like this, we go to the beach rather than do gardening

Such a lovely day today. Had family round and talked to them while I planted stuff out. DH made new border by the back door for a rosemary hedge.

I really enjoyed the weather - it finally felt like summer.

Just back from a half-term trip, complete with yet more plants (bargains from open gardens) and a huge hanging basket won in a raffle. Had lots of rain on hols but none here, to judge by the dust-like conditions in the flower beds.

Good morning all, nearly the weekend again! Although I think a few of you are off for half term at the moment?

I worked at home yesterday morning which was very productive on both counts Seriously, sitting on my deck I got about a whole day's normal work output done in two hours (which was good as the day went to pieces when I went to the office for the afternoon).

I did a proper cane cage around my tomatoes and blueberries and a cage around my dwarf nectarine/peach trees, and did a high cut (the first) of our lawn (laid from seed on 28 April according to my garden diary). Then in the evening I planted out a couple more of my grown-from-Suttons-miniplant nicotiana (which having realised are toxic, oops, am now planting at the back of borders!) and three rows of seeds between my established shallots - a sort of catch crop or follow on crop. Red Pak Choi and Sweet Rocket which I got at the Jekka's Herb Farm stall at Chelsea, and Radish 'French Breakfast 3' which was a freebie from the British Heart Foundation garden at Chelsea.

Also discussed plans for front with DH - presently we have a square of weedy grass about a parking space size (yes, that's a future project) bounded by the house, two concrete paths and the pavement. I dug a circle in the middle of it and planted Jerusalem artichokes a few weeks ago (only two of five see to have emerged though). Now I want to plant my 'good but invasive' plants there - Comfrey, nettles, borage, Yarrow, poppies - things which I'll cut for green manures or compost tea. I said it's a bit of a digging job and he volunteered he'd happily do digging. yay! This weekend we will be hanging a garden gate and a bathroom door, and patching the new lawn with topsoil/sand in the dips and more seed in the bare patches.

gosh Lexi, you certainly have a lot on

re-planted a lot of the sweetcorn I put out yesterday as I realised it was too close together . DH finished the bed by the back door. We have decided to put a rosemary hedge there. The lovely man at the local nursery said that we would be better off taking cuttings from someone with a plant that grows at the same altitude as our garden, as they are more likely to survive the winter. He pointed out that the ones he sells come from Italy . So we will bung some annuals in for now and then in the autumn put the cuttings straight in the bed with a cold frame over the top.

Ate our first bowl of stawberries for dinner. Sheer bliss.

Salad for dinner with our own lettuce and raddish picked minutes earlier. Lettuce were 'spares' from MIL as not something I've grown before but they have really taken off and even though I'm not a great lettuce eater, it was very nice & especially crunchy.

Also admiring new celeriac gained from a clandestine plant swap with Lex. They survived a day in my car boot without any detrimental effect which is testament to their healthiness!

Planning day in garden tomorrow to try and finish the front bed so I can get planting. I'm thinking that pimms may help it along

DH is stagey-miffed that you didn't mention his starring role in the hostage exchange, Pkam....!

I lurve my pumpkin, thank you too, will plant tomorrow. My friend at work says "you do know how much space they take up don't you..." but I am putting it in amongst the garlic which will be harvested in a month or so.

God I love this.

It's addictive, isn't it?

Are you really driving around the country swapping plants?

::Imagines shady goings-on in a car park off the M1::

::Wonders how her aquilegia Gloire de MN are getting on in NotaMopsa's garden::

Spent the day morning spraying glyphosate on our Giant Hogweed invasion. Then off for a bike ride, followed by barbecue in the garden. Idyllic weather with sons rolling on the grass and everyone in a good mood.

Unfortunately Maud the plant obsession has indeed evolved into driving around the country meeting unknown DHs in lay-bys (although the 'actual' lay by chosen didn't really exist which I think Lex did purposefully just to add to the fun!). Lex's DH asked whether there was some secret 'words' that needed to be said to validate the exchange. Probably did look very shady to any casual observer.

Apologies for not mentioning your DH's role earlier Lex - he seemed very accomplished at meeting strange plant obsessed women; should you be worried?

This is worthy of a John le Carre novel!

oh bugger was there no lay-by?! Was I thinking of the filter lane to go on the town bypass? Ah well, somehow you both made it work.

Have finished building the new bed! Well, DH did while I moved the last tonne of soil. Unfortunately didn't quite have enough so the last 5m is a little lower than the rest and will need topping up with something . Also am now the very proud owner of a fig tree! Hopefully get it all planted out tomorrow.

Also cut the lawn this evening. Quite tired now. Time for a beer.

Lex - we were very resourceful in finding an alternative location on a back street....

Anyway, back on topic...!

Today I planted out the last nicotiana - six in the front garden beside the path to the door. Bought a tray of french marigolds and DH dug a border diagonally across the front "lawn", so they're in now. Next one will be comfrey and yarrow, but we probably won't get that done tomorrow. Am soaking the roots of three Astilbe 'Mighty Pip' that I got as bare roots and three Iberis 'Snowball' plants which are still only tiny but have started flowering.

First cut of my salad leaves, more fabulous little radishes and herbs for lunch (with BBQ'd mackerel). Garden gate is on, needs another coat of preserver and the latch/lock. Tomorrow I go shopping for a swimming cossie though, because we are going on holiday a week Wednesday and I plan to hit the pool a lot. Have got a garden-sitter all sorted (well, that's the main thing, yes?!).

x-post... he never said anything about that!!

I am greatly amused by the lay-by intrigue. There is one up the road from us, you can come and hand out plants there if you fancy it.

We have two baby geese for the orchard, and this time they ARE girls. (We wondered why the last lot didn't lay any eggs...) Our other geese have got too bolshy and attacked the DC, so they have gone to a new home with the goose breeder up the road where they will get lots of sex be very happy.

The new ones are all fluffy and tame! We are not planning to eat them so have given them to DC as pets. Although DH had to hurriedly rig up a pen as we realised they are small enough for the cat to catch atm.

Why didn't anybody tell me how evil borage is?

Oh, is it, Jareth? I'm about to plant some for the sake of my Pimms.

I was going to plant borage too. Should I reconsider?

It's enormous, it has hairs on the leaves that go into your skin and apparently it self seeds everywhere and you'll never get rid of it.

When I say enormous, I mean that when I get rid of it ill have loads of space for a pumpkin plant

Is the problem that it spreads, in which case I'll do the submerged pot, mint thing? I'm less worried by self-seeding, as I'm a pretty dab hand with a hoe.

Doesn't seem to spread initially, it was just a tiny herb pot. The stem is more like a trunk. Think itd be ok in a pot though. My mum tells me that the one she had 5 years ago is still making an appearance through the lawn