The photo above is of the apple blossom on the dwarf tree which was in our garden when we moved here, I took it a couple of weeks ago.
And this is the tree now, if you look closely you can see some teeny apples on it, there’s a good crop coming actually but I’m not sure how long this tree will survive as the idiots who planted it staked it and had two tree ties around the trunk, top and bottom. Unfortunately they didn’t bother to loosen them as the tree grew with the result that the trunk bark has split between the two ties, I live in hope of it healing itself somehow, now that I have removed the ties completely.
I’ve had requests for some more photos of my new garden as it’s being made. I’ve cut island beds into the grass, it looks a bit municipal park-ish at the moment but in the end the planted areas will probably almost join up. Although our house is newish I’m still going with the cottage garden style as I love plants and like to squeeze in as many as possible.
The grass is taking every opportunity it can to die anyway.
The borders are very rough and ready, I’ve just been in a hurry to get things growing and I’ll tidy the edges eventually. I didn’t take photos of all the borders as a lot of the plants were in shade.
As you can see I’ve made a division in the grass at the end of the utility/kitchen area and I’ve planted a wee Christmas tree, hebe, santolina and a couple of heucheras, but you can’t really see them in the shadow. Eventually it’ll be like two separate gardens. Please note my newly erected rotary clothes drier or whirly as I usually call them, it’s wonky of course, it seems to be a family tradition! There’s also a rectangular plastic tub, bought from IKEA and I intend to make a pond from it – copying Stefanie of So Many Books. I don’t want a big pond in this garden, just somewhere for the birds to hang out and have some fun. You can see a raised veggie bed in the distance too, there’s going to be a bigger one joining that one soon.
Jack has been busy constructing the bench/pergola which we bought recently. I didn’t do much except hold bits of it firm while it was being screwed together. This would have been an impossible job without an electric drill and electric screwdriver as there were no pre-drilled holes.
But we’re happy with the end result, we just have to get some slabs and slate to put underneath it as I don’t want the wood standing directly on the grass. Then I can plant the clematis plants and the honeysuckle which have been waiting to climb their way up the trellis. I might want to have some cushions on it if I’m going to be sitting reading for any length of time.
What was I reading I hear you say. Well I’m re-reading Jamaica Inn and it’s in an omnibus edition with Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel and Frenchman’s Creek, which is why it is such an awkward size. I’m doing a readalong with Joan of Planet Joan and I’m sure that when we’re finished and blog about it others will be very welcome to stick their tuppence worth in too!