Quote of the day

"It's better than going to a National Trust garden" said by Melanie as we wandered through the Gardeners' Gardens this afternoon. The final phase of this year's inaugural Open Gardens in Sandgate was for us all to meet up at one garden and wander our way gently through the village, calling in on all the other gardens which, of course, we gardeners didn't get to see on the Big Day. And what a treat for us in every one. So many secret places, such hidden gems, quirky adornments, fascinating collections, planters, tiles, pots and everywhere we went the most glorious plants. A couple of weeks further into the year and almost every garden was bedecked with the most wonderful array of roses of every kind, colour and scent. So maybe the lesson for another year is to wait a bit before holding the garden day. That's for another year though (and I hear many suggestions for improvements, lengthening the event, incorporating other things etc) and it can all wait. Just for now it's good to reflect on the success we had, the £488 that was raised for the Chichester Hall and the great community spirit that prevailed on the day. Plus, we've still got lots of the growing season left to enjoy - at our leisure!!!!!!!! To emphasise that point today's images are of the first agapanthus, purple (very stylish) bean and some great poppies amidst the stipa. Happy gardening.

Sunny days

What a difference a bit of consistent sunshine makes. Everything in the garden is suddenly blooming; roses, dahlias, aliums, hardy geraniums, penstemons, honeysuckle, hebes, peonies, marigolds, antirhinums and even some sweet peas! I cut the first three blooms this morning to give to my friend as part of a home grown tuzzy muzzy and by this evening there are half a dozen more flowers almost out to replace them. Such a heady scent there's nothing to beat them and they will always be my very most favourite flower. There are still a few gaps in the garden but overall the impression is one of lushness and plenty. I treated the garden, well me really, to a new penstemon this week 'Just Jayne' who sits just beautifully in front of a self sown magenta poppy and compliments it perfectly with her magenta bells. The aliums are still doing really well too this year and I have a mental note to self to plant even more next year - no work involved in them!

The veg beds are coming along and our autumn sown onion sets are nearly harvest ready; their tops have turned over spontaneously so just a little while longer to fully ripen and then I can plait myself an onion garland hopefully. Not enough to take to my bike with, but there's always next year....

Pressure's off

but the work goes on. A gentle potter in the garden this morning, nothing strenuous at all, just a bit of tying up and potting on. The wind has battered a few things and it would be nice if it abated, but there are wonderful cerise pink poppies just beginning to flower now and the newly planted pink cistus I put in the border on the way to the pink bench is flowering very well. I was a bit concerned it wouldn't have enough sun, but as yet this doesn't seem to be a problem.

Something has eaten a few of the sweet peas, a great shame, but there are enough plants still on each wigwam to give a good show I think. I am looking foward to picking my first bunch but it'll be a while, as will eating the first courgettes - they don't seem to be growing at all. David will be pleased!

Great Success!

The sun shone, the visitors came, and it seems we've raised some much needed funds for the hall too. Thank you to everyone who visited our garden, we're very glad you seemed to enjoy yourselves. No-one tripped, no-one fell down the steps, and everyone seemed surprised and pleased with what they saw. I haven't heard how the other gardens got on, but I'm sure they are as pleased as we are with the turnout. We couldn't have asked for better weather, so a big thank you to whoever organised that. Here are a couple of pictures: the lady in blue was our first visitor and kindly allowed me to photograph her, the other group was later in the afternoon but I was talking too much to take anymore pics. Am going to have a little rest from gardening for a couple of days but then it'll be back to work and I'll keep blogging to show you what's going on in the beds and borders!

1 p.m. in the garden

Just 35 minutes now to the off, can't do anything more, thank goodness! Enjoy everyone.

Sunday, 7 a.m. in the garden

A little overcast so noone will be going to the beach today, instead they can come and enjoy the gardens! These pictures were taken at 7 a.m. this morning, which is just about the earliest I've been in the garden for a very long time! It was very peaceful and calm and everything's more or less upright and where it should be. Just the final path sweeping to do and then enjoy.

Final tweaks

Everything is set fair now for a good event tomorrow afternoon. If anyone reading this hasn't yet got a ticket for the Sandgate Open Gardens event and wants one, you need to go to the Chichester Hall in Sandgate High Street which will be open from 1.45 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. Each ticket has a map inside showing the locations of the gardens, all of which are within the village of Sandgate. Most, especially ours, are uphill so good walking shoes are a must. There are lots of seats around the gardens, and along the way to them, so take your time.

We're looking forward to meeting and greeting friends old and new at this inaugural event and beg your understanding that this is the first time, at least for us, that we've opened the garden to the public. It's our garden, not run by the RHS or National Trust, and visitors will have but a snapshot of its life, but we hope that it will be enjoyable for us all.

Not long now

Haven't been up to see how the garden is yet today, but here are some pics from yesterday after the grass was cut. There's not much more I can do now before the Big Day other than to hope we have some visitors!

How many kinds of sweet flowers grow....

in an English country garden? Well, lots, and it's not in the country but by the sea. Still all looking good for a great day on Sunday - she says with baited breath and everything crossed. Just looking at the five day forecast it was for heavy rain today, so, will the big round yellow sun that's still on for Sunday actually shine? Only time with tell and since none of us can influence the weather in any way it's too boring to go on about so I won't mention it again.

I have dahlias, lupins, alliums, geraniums, iris, hebe, papaver, chocolate cosmos, nigella, roses all in flower at the moment, together with the remains of forget-me-nots, aquilegias and honesty. So, not a bad bit of colour and lots more to come, and hopefully a lot of that will be from the shirts and dresses of all our visitors on Sunday.

Is it too soon to hope?

Just looked at the updated 5 day forecast and there's a big round yellow sun for Sunday!!!!!! Yeah!!!

5 Days and ever watchful

of the changes in the weather. Today was really really warm in the garden once the rain had stopped and I've spent a very productive afternoon on hands and knees clearing the bits from the crazy path that have grown back in just over a week. So why do things you want to grow not grow as quickly as things you don't want? Hah!

I did a bit of reaching too and the long border (pretentiously so named after the one at Great Dixter!) is looking much tidier as a result. The tulips have all finished now and with them and the forget-me-nots cleared out the other plants look much better. There are gaps, but they will be filled eventually although perhaps not by Sunday, this will be, after all, just a glimpse at this and all the other gardens not the full story. You'd need a film for that hmmmmmmmmmm, maybe that's the next project?

Where's the High gone?

It's disappeared from the weather map! Still can't do anything about it and the plants will look lovely all covered in raindrops.

Am absurdly pleased to have two followers of this blog and I'm only married to one of them! Thanks Helen.

A good day's work

Well, the weather was much much better than forecast so we made the most of it and were busy busy in the garden yesterday. Much pressure hosing, weeding, sweeping and general titvating has left the garden near the house looking bright and cheerful. The back of the pond - always a dodgy area - was again knee high in couch grass and, once again, I teetered on the tastefully placed but everso slippy cobbles that surround the back edge and pulled out as much as I could without actually falling in. All the while, that poem from on the boys Ladybird books kept buzzing round in my head 'when Daddy fell into the pond.....' only of course I substituted 'mummy'. Still, I live to weed another day without being muddied or having trampled any of the three remaining goldfish to death. Must put on the 'to do' list that that area needs a complete overhaul, take out the useless membrane that's suppose to stop weeds growing (does anything stop couch grass?) and replace with concrete or something similar. Or maybe we just hope the goldfish move on and then we can fill in the wretched pond which is more trouble than it's worth.

I'm eagerly watching the 'High' on the BBC's weather map. Fingers crossed.

Just a week to go

Seven days now until the big opening. Too hot to do much today so left it until the afternoon before doing any work and began with the lovely cooling job of pressure hosing the decking. What a marvellous machine, and what a difference, all bright and light again now and, hopefully, less likelihood of anyone slipping on green slime should the rain come down next Sunday. I have to say that the forecast doesn't look too bright, at least for the part of the week that the BBC are forecasting for at present. Still, they often get it wrong and we often escape in this little corner.

I'm using up the woolly pellets well having now tucked in mange toute, sweetcorn as well as all the various bean plants. The replacement runner beans show no sign of nibbling so I'm thinking the pellets are the answer. Plus they make themselves into a mulch so should cut down on both weeds and watering too.

I shall be busy in the garden for at least part of everyday this week whatever the weather - just hope people turn up after all this effort.

Two Days without lifting a spade

which is great but I feel the need to get out there tomorrow and start on the final countdown to garden opening day. After visiting The Salutation gardens in Sandwich on Tuesday I searched online for their seemingly amazing slug repellent wool pellets and ordered a 20 ltr bag which arrived this afternoon so I'm hoping that the speed of the delivery will be matched by the effectiveness of the product. If the perfect little lettuces at The Salutation are anything to go by it should be money well spent and now that I have that, and the beer traps, I'm thinking this will be the weekend to plant out all the seedling veg crops currently taking up bench space in the greenhouses.

The tomatoes that I planted in their ring pots about three weeks ago are growing very well, and there are even a few little flowers to herald the first fruits. Plus we have one, burgundy coloured, big dahlia in bloom in the back border. So much for everything being late this year.