Last year in February I set out all the garden improvements that were going to be made and reported back in September with the results of my labours, or in some cases the non-result of my inactivity. This year I will offer a similar undertaking, mostly concerning last years unfinished jobs.
I will
1) Convert the bit of garden next to the summer house and behind the swing chair from last years rubbish dump to an area of aesthetically pleasing land, perhaps using some chiminea components as flower pots.
2) Grow more raspberries.
3) Cultivate the front lawn so that in summer it is green rather than yellow.
4) Repair the summer house and stain the new doors we put on last year.
That’s it, a short list I know but now the teak has gone and the rattan is here there’s no maintenance to be done and I can concentrate on what I enjoy best, BBQ’s, drinks outside in the warm evenings, playing football with the kids and general good outdoor living.
I will report back in September with what I hope is a 100% pass rate.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Plants & Furniture
Looking out of the window today I see fine weather, bright sunshine in a blue sky and 10 degrees C, very respectable for this time of year. I also see problems and work, respectively at the front and back of the house.
The problem I allude to is what I think are two dying Clematis Armandi (see former blog) and if not dying then they certainly don’t seem to look very healthy. Now I know I write this blog about the goings on in my garden and if you read through them then you will see that I enjoy all different aspects of gardens and gardening but that does not mean that I have green fingers. I think the problem started with bindweed and Verdone weedkiller. Bindweed was growing heavily around the clematis so on a very still day I zapped it with the Verdone. It’s gone and whilst I didn’t think I got any on the clematis that seems like it’s going too. An optimistic neighbour of mine reckons that the clematis will survive, I’ll give it until the end of March and then if it remains more brown than green it’s going and a replacement will be planted.
The work I allude to is the annual ritual of trying to make the teak furniture look shiny and new. I bought the current set off of eBay about 3 and a half years ago (before I dealt in garden furniture myself) and frankly I don’t think it’s very good. No matter how much I treat it, it is more a grey in colour than ‘teak’ by the end of the season, and that’s before the winter, the duration of which it lives in the relative warmth and dry of the summer house. Now I am very excited about Garden Games & Leisure’s latest import, due to land in the UK in 2 weeks time. It is a fantastic range of extremely good looking and extremely high quality Rattan Wicker furniture, and it’s weatherproof. So the actual work I’ll be doing is either finding a home or disposing of the teak and setting up a shiny new set of my choice.
The problem I allude to is what I think are two dying Clematis Armandi (see former blog) and if not dying then they certainly don’t seem to look very healthy. Now I know I write this blog about the goings on in my garden and if you read through them then you will see that I enjoy all different aspects of gardens and gardening but that does not mean that I have green fingers. I think the problem started with bindweed and Verdone weedkiller. Bindweed was growing heavily around the clematis so on a very still day I zapped it with the Verdone. It’s gone and whilst I didn’t think I got any on the clematis that seems like it’s going too. An optimistic neighbour of mine reckons that the clematis will survive, I’ll give it until the end of March and then if it remains more brown than green it’s going and a replacement will be planted.
The work I allude to is the annual ritual of trying to make the teak furniture look shiny and new. I bought the current set off of eBay about 3 and a half years ago (before I dealt in garden furniture myself) and frankly I don’t think it’s very good. No matter how much I treat it, it is more a grey in colour than ‘teak’ by the end of the season, and that’s before the winter, the duration of which it lives in the relative warmth and dry of the summer house. Now I am very excited about Garden Games & Leisure’s latest import, due to land in the UK in 2 weeks time. It is a fantastic range of extremely good looking and extremely high quality Rattan Wicker furniture, and it’s weatherproof. So the actual work I’ll be doing is either finding a home or disposing of the teak and setting up a shiny new set of my choice.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
End Dec 2010
If you looked out of my upstairs spare room window you would get a great overview of my garden (and some of the neighbours); you would also get, at the time of writing, a sense of the misery of winter in its dampest and greyest form – not the sparkling cold but sunny landscape in the distance, or even like a couple of weeks ago a fresh blanket of snow, this is fog and damp and grey with seriously impaired visibility. A day like today does, however, make the advent of a cold and sunny winter day all the more appealing as at least you can escape the cabin fever and get outside without the fear of turning the lawn into a mud-bath. Grass grows at 10 Degrees C and that certainly seems a long way off right now but with the harshest start to winter in living memory preceded by what can only be described as a half hearted attempt at summer any sign of the end of winter would be welcome – oh dear, it’s not even January yet!
Friday, 22 October 2010
Climbers
I bought my house at what I reckon was a bargain price. This is just as well when you consider that the very week that we moved in was the same week that the Northern Rock collapse, the trigger that ushered in this age of economic woe, occurred.
And when I say a bargain price, I mean a good 25 or 30 grand cheaper than anything comparable in the area, and I think I know why.
It’s all very well being in the perfect location at the very end of a quiet Cul de Sac with enough space for 5 cars at the front and having a spacious 4 bed detached house with the potential to extend, but when it comes to selling you have to get people through the door.
If you imagine a picture of the front of a square red brick house with a red garage door and not a lot else then I believe you are conjuring up an image of urban banality, not the stuff that dreams are made of. This I believe was the vendors and their agents mistake as when we saw the details we didn’t think ‘wow, we’ve got to see that’ but more ‘we are in the area anyway so let’s cross it off our list of enquiries’.
Having made the trip we found everything we were looking for, it was perfect and, at that price, a bargain. Once we were in and the urgent stuff was done I then considered the front exterior of the house and looked around our pretty neighbourhood and noticed that none of the other properties suffered from the same look of domestic blandness and so considered why. All the other properties had at least one of three redeeming features, they were either constructed from a much more aesthetically pleasing grey brick, they were rendered of half rendered or they had a leafy covering of some climbing plant to soften their features.
It wasn’t the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. I was unwilling to demolish the property and start again with a different coloured brick and therefore weighed up the other two. So it was dropping a few grand and future hours of painting on rendering or going down the garden centre to sample their different Clematis, Wisteria, Virginia Creeper and suchlike.
Our criteria was based on the following; it must be evergreen, non-venomous, not Ivy and must grow rapidly to at least 10 metres. We found a couple of half dead Clematis Armandii so got 2 for the price of one. The picture you see below is after one full years growth, it certainly is a rapid climber.
In next doors flowerbed is a massive and very mature Wisteria. I ascertained that rather than the view of my plain red bricked side wall they would prefer to see their Wisteria trained over the fence and up a couple of trellises. The picture below is the growth from April to October.
.JPG)
Now the project is well under way I can be proud that I have achieved two things. Firstly, and by necessity, I have overcome my fear of ladders, or rather climbing ladders, and secondly, in years to come I could offer our estate agent of choice a picture that may initially sell the house.
I bought my house at what I reckon was a bargain price. This is just as well when you consider that the very week that we moved in was the same week that the Northern Rock collapse, the trigger that ushered in this age of economic woe, occurred.
And when I say a bargain price, I mean a good 25 or 30 grand cheaper than anything comparable in the area, and I think I know why.
It’s all very well being in the perfect location at the very end of a quiet Cul de Sac with enough space for 5 cars at the front and having a spacious 4 bed detached house with the potential to extend, but when it comes to selling you have to get people through the door.
If you imagine a picture of the front of a square red brick house with a red garage door and not a lot else then I believe you are conjuring up an image of urban banality, not the stuff that dreams are made of. This I believe was the vendors and their agents mistake as when we saw the details we didn’t think ‘wow, we’ve got to see that’ but more ‘we are in the area anyway so let’s cross it off our list of enquiries’.
Having made the trip we found everything we were looking for, it was perfect and, at that price, a bargain. Once we were in and the urgent stuff was done I then considered the front exterior of the house and looked around our pretty neighbourhood and noticed that none of the other properties suffered from the same look of domestic blandness and so considered why. All the other properties had at least one of three redeeming features, they were either constructed from a much more aesthetically pleasing grey brick, they were rendered of half rendered or they had a leafy covering of some climbing plant to soften their features.
It wasn’t the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. I was unwilling to demolish the property and start again with a different coloured brick and therefore weighed up the other two. So it was dropping a few grand and future hours of painting on rendering or going down the garden centre to sample their different Clematis, Wisteria, Virginia Creeper and suchlike.
Our criteria was based on the following; it must be evergreen, non-venomous, not Ivy and must grow rapidly to at least 10 metres. We found a couple of half dead Clematis Armandii so got 2 for the price of one. The picture you see below is after one full years growth, it certainly is a rapid climber.
In next doors flowerbed is a massive and very mature Wisteria. I ascertained that rather than the view of my plain red bricked side wall they would prefer to see their Wisteria trained over the fence and up a couple of trellises. The picture below is the growth from April to October.
.JPG)
Now the project is well under way I can be proud that I have achieved two things. Firstly, and by necessity, I have overcome my fear of ladders, or rather climbing ladders, and secondly, in years to come I could offer our estate agent of choice a picture that may initially sell the house.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Garden Plan 2010 Results
Back in February I set out a plan of all the improvements we wanted to do in our garden with the promise that I’d report back in September to let you know how I got on. Well I have the results and whilst 5 out of 9 is not good there is the addition of the BBQ Corner (see last blog) that might be taken into account so in reality the score should read a slightly less dismal 6 out of 10.
Here’s what happened
1) The redundant bit of land next to the summer house is no longer redundant. It is now a dumping ground and definitely not what we had in mind. Something for next year I think – nil point (French)
2) Three raspberry canes were planted. The first shoot that came through was mistaken for a stinging nettle and pulled out, then re-inserted in the earth with the mutterings of ‘why didn’t they say they looked like stinging nettles’. It didn’t grow very much and was soon overtaken by its neighbour however very oddly it remains the only one to actually bear any fruit. One of the others failed and the other is, as I said, tall but fruitless and we look forward to a better crop next year – one point (English)
3) There isn’t, wasn’t nor ever had been a clematis growing along the fence by the climbing frame – a very definite nil point.
4) The creosote was purchased along with the spray gun round about late March. Then it rained and by the time the sun came out, one of the fence panels had become so weakened by the children that live behind, in their efforts to communicate with ours, that our neighbour and us decided to replace all the panels for the strong feather edged variety - all fences are jointly owned where we live. The new ones were pre-treated giving me an easy but slightly expensive one point.
5) The 2 extra bits of wood delivered with the climbing frame have not evolved into a balance beam and remain as 2 bits of wood – nil point.
6) The sandpit has been assembled but is re-born as a ball pool as we already have a Hexagonal Sandpit – one point.
7) There can be no proof that power hosing took place as the shine has now gone so you’ll just have to take my word for it – one point.
8) Red cushions for the chairs and red throws for the summerhouse furniture were purchased as planned – one point.
Back in February I set out a plan of all the improvements we wanted to do in our garden with the promise that I’d report back in September to let you know how I got on. Well I have the results and whilst 5 out of 9 is not good there is the addition of the BBQ Corner (see last blog) that might be taken into account so in reality the score should read a slightly less dismal 6 out of 10.
Here’s what happened
1) The redundant bit of land next to the summer house is no longer redundant. It is now a dumping ground and definitely not what we had in mind. Something for next year I think – nil point (French)
2) Three raspberry canes were planted. The first shoot that came through was mistaken for a stinging nettle and pulled out, then re-inserted in the earth with the mutterings of ‘why didn’t they say they looked like stinging nettles’. It didn’t grow very much and was soon overtaken by its neighbour however very oddly it remains the only one to actually bear any fruit. One of the others failed and the other is, as I said, tall but fruitless and we look forward to a better crop next year – one point (English)
3) There isn’t, wasn’t nor ever had been a clematis growing along the fence by the climbing frame – a very definite nil point.
4) The creosote was purchased along with the spray gun round about late March. Then it rained and by the time the sun came out, one of the fence panels had become so weakened by the children that live behind, in their efforts to communicate with ours, that our neighbour and us decided to replace all the panels for the strong feather edged variety - all fences are jointly owned where we live. The new ones were pre-treated giving me an easy but slightly expensive one point.
5) The 2 extra bits of wood delivered with the climbing frame have not evolved into a balance beam and remain as 2 bits of wood – nil point.
6) The sandpit has been assembled but is re-born as a ball pool as we already have a Hexagonal Sandpit – one point.
7) There can be no proof that power hosing took place as the shine has now gone so you’ll just have to take my word for it – one point.
8) Red cushions for the chairs and red throws for the summerhouse furniture were purchased as planned – one point.
9) The garage door remains red, not a nice red but a light and sun-bleached red and desperately needs doing next year – nil point.
I hope next summer is better on the garden projects front, i'll be back with the Summer 2011 plan in February.
Monday, 16 August 2010
BBQ Corner
I've always preferred using Charcoal BBQ's over gas. Probably something to do with the preparation time, the need to allow the coals to heat up properly permits me a guilt free glass of wine or two as there is nothing else I can be doing but watching carefully over the coals, ensuring safety and judging the perfect time to start cooking.
This year however I also set up one of our very own SilverSteel Stainless Steel Gas barbecues more because of the rotisserie function and also because for the England Algeria game (less said the better) we were catering for 22 people and I thought we could do with the extra cooking space.
Baring in mind we already have a small charcoal Tripod BBQ and a much larger Outback Charcoal BBQ the space needed for these and the the even bigger SilverSteel BBQ led to a bit of a problem.
By our garage, at the back of it, we had a pretty dysfunctional patio area that never gets the sun and leads to a concrete shed base that we use for herbs and vegetables. Along the left hand side of the said dysfunctional patio area was a log roll border with pebbles and an old disused stone frog water feature, or more accurately speaking, a waste of space. The right hand said of this bit of patio leads to the garden and the functional patio area. The allotted space for the massive SilverSteel was always in front of the log roll.
So to work and it only took an hour to get the pebbles and log roll up and smooth over the earth that was left behind. Another hour and a half or and we had the 6 white paving slabs and border gravel that we needed to make the area look nice. The SilverSteel is now 2 foot nearer the fence and because it is so high the left hand shelf of the Outback slots under the right hand shelf of the SilverSteel.
What we are left with is a BBQ corner with the benefit of charcoal and gas and I don't think we could have catered for 22 hungry people effectively unless we had both on the go because for all the virtues of charcoal the gas gave me instant searing and adjustable heat, so when at half time, and some were in need of a pick me up sausage but the coal started to fail, we had something to be happy about.
Monday, 26 July 2010
5 Top Tips for Barbecuers
Nothing quite beats a good barbecue in the Summer. Whilst cooking on a barbecue is usually straightforward, the finer points of the event can make all the difference and ensure you'll become a top host in the eyes of your guests.
Make use of the five tips below to get the most from your barbecue this year:
- Flies can be a real nuisance at a barbecue. For a simple yet effective way to keep flies at bay, light Citronella candles and place them near to where you are eating. The smell acts as a natural fly and mosquito repellent, while filling the air with an attractive scent.
- The British summer is renowned for being unpredictable, so set up your barbecue and eating area accordingly. Have to hand windbreaks or umbrellas for windy days, and suitable lighting and heating for night time do's (or poor Summer days). Patio heaters are widely available, or go for something more attractive and natural such as a Chiminea.
- Try toasting on a barbecue, it's not as difficult as it sounds! Put on a few slices of bread only when the barbecue is giving off low heat. Place on top a few slices of tomato, cheese and onion for a tasty treat. Perfect as a light barbecue meal or vegetarian alternative.
- A must have accessory for your barbecue is a basic spray bottle filled with water. It's all too easy for a barbecue to get carried away when fat and grease begin to cook, so spraying small amounts of water can dampen the flames and prevent food from becoming unevenly cooked or burnt.
- Lastly, don't let your dad (typically the self-styled barbecue expert) do the cooking unless you enjoy your meat extra well done i.e. burnt to a crisp!
Photo credit, chew-the-fat.com
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