Nice smells and a few deaths

I have had a productive weekend in the garden, helped along by my parents and the builder next door who would pipe up when we had a rest about slacking off and people who like hard work, but only when they are watching it. Finally it is beginning to feel like a garden as a shape begins to emerge. I’m also trying to stick to one of the mantras of my youth about having to tidy up as you go along, which is actually rather sensible, as it wasn’t fun clearing up rubble I had dug up weeks ago.

I’m continuing to buy loads of plants and got rather carried away putting in an order to Peter Nyssen a fabulous nursery. Garden offers seem to be everywhere and I was tempted to show my support for Kate and Wills and bulk buy a ‘Royal Wedding special’ which seems to just be a lot of red, white and blue pansies. Sadly I feel I will have to abandon plans to dig up the front lawn and do a Royal carpet bedding scheme, I am a little busy with the new territories.....

Spring seems finally almost here and I was able to potter around the garden for the first time, and whilst things are coming up there are a few deaths. Smelling the Polyanthus took me right back to last year, and being surrounded by the smells of daffodils and wallflowers. It’s also very uplifting to be outside so much in the sun hearing the birds.

NGS opening does loom more and more, I got my invite to the upcoming launch, I’ve also had my 4^th offer of help in the kitchen and cake baking. I think I will be as fat as a whale by the opening as Steven was practicing his baking this weekend, I’ve had 4 slices of his lovely Victoria Sponge in 24hrs, and there is still half a cake left. This is threatening to undo my other ambition of suddenly becoming rather buff from all the hard work, although my arms are now as thick as tree trunks (all be Sycamore saplings)

I like jigsaws and this is the brick path in leading to a (hopefully) imposing plinth which will have a Ganesh on it. At the moment there is this Islamic table i found abandoned on the road and hope to turn in to a Balianese spirit house. There are/will be big bamboos beyond (P.vivax and spectabilis)

A bare garden with a semi mushed and wrapped Agave. For the second year running all my Echiums are dead :( however i recently read what Chritopher Lloyd said about them which is how their foliage was probably better than their flowers however i would like to have some flower again soon!

I did wrap my bananas this year with my ingenius system of old compost bags, leaves, horticultural fleece and old drainpipes, but sadly this one just fell over and is completely mushed...

 A growing pile of whole bricks we have dug up. I think they look rather stately, so perhaps could turn the garden into a sculputre garden?



The growing pile of rubble, when it gets to be 10ft high i will charge £1 to climb to the top



I have started a new collection of unearthed headless garden ornaments. So far there is a headless duck and rabbit