SuburbanGaze

Something we've always known is good to see confirmed in print.  Loads of research has been done in the area of health/mindfulness/horticulture.  For me gardening (like running) focusses my mind and my thoughts, enriching my life and that of my partner and strengthening our relationship due to the shared interest.

Varying successes with the bird feeders, the Coal Tit loves the RSPB window feeder though.

Autumn has landed and beauty can still be found outside. Bergenia along the pond Amelanchier Lamarckii  That Acer did turn bright red as promised

We have apples again and much more than last year, still no closer to discovering the type.  Bring on the Apple Pie and Apple Crumble.

The wildlife pond is beginning to look like it has always been in the garden.  More work needs to be done on softening the edges and choosing the right plants to create a lush area and one that will protect the frogs from predators.   Buffy enjoying the Cosmos Various Carex & Gunnera manicata  Brunnera & Hosta

Monty has inspired me to get outside and collect seeds from the poppies, I've collected this little lot.   Cue arty photograph... Beautiful dried seed-heads

The 3 trees at the back of the garden which we were unable to identify when we moved in have finally borne fruit - and lots of it.   We have a Plum Tree, the plums are big and juicy plus two Damson Trees. But what to do with a glut of fruit? Make Plum and/or Damson Vodka  or course!   Plum vodka, should be ready in 12 months! So many plums that we gave some away to out neighbours to make jam Damsons & Damson Vodka

Its all change as we add some style and well needed instant privacy with these 6 foot fence panels from Wickes  we are also using a new locking mechanism Fence Lock to attach the panels to the posts.  This should make the panels more resistant to wind than standard metal fixings and they are rust-proof being made from a strong recycled wood material.   Buffy enjoying being up-high

The Rockery at the top end of the garden has been dismantled and the stones recycled around the Wildlife Pond.  We have also placed a Gunnera manicata next to the pond to try out places that we are considering for its permanent relocation and to add shade to the pond.  We have also been buying bags of pebbles each time we have visited various garden centres and are using these to landscape the pond margins and borders.  We have planted a border adjacent to the pond with a wildflower seed mix and some poppies...so many poppies - they are spectacular and take me back to my childhood growing up in a small village surrounded by fields and cottage gardens. 

I appear to have been gifted my Dad's love of Cosmos and Dahlias - they are so beautiful and relatively low-maintenance. I have been advised to lift the tubers (for the Dahlias) at the end of the flowering season and store in a damp/frost-free environment under a layer of compost until they are ready to pot and plant out again next spring.

We have uncovered and cleared a large rectangle area in front of the Air Raid Shelter which may have been the concrete base for an outbuilding at some point in the distant past - so much concrete, we have also removed some of the wire fence between the two gardens as we mentally prepare for fencing panels to replace it.  We have also placed the roots from the conifers at the back of the garden in this skip. Our third skip!

Our painted flower pot collection is growing as we find new plants that attract our attention and that we want to enjoy in our garden. Lovely sunny day

The wildlife pond is attracting well, wildlife - we have a Frog. How wonderful that we are doing something right! 

Some lovely sights outside today, a Bullfinch and then a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  I heard a loud tapping on the trunk of the Crab Apple in the middle of the lawn then saw it briefly eating out of our  Winterbourne House   bird feeder .   We are very lucky to have caught it on film because it flew off quickly and was only there for a brief moment.

Earlier this year we had the massive conifers on the left-hand border taken down professionally (expensive but worth it) and we were left with these stumps which we have slowly been digging out of the ground...it's been a huge effort! I'm almost 6 foot in height so just imagine... Now to break down those stumps...but thats for another day/week/year.

This has been our second trip to Gardeners' World Live in Birmingham (we also visited last year).  The trick is to arrive early before the 9am opening and get in that queue with the other early-risers.   W hen the gates open dash around the entire show in under 90 minutes.  Then get out before the hordes of people arrive - it gets extremely busy towards 11am  Then you have the rest of the day free to have lunch somewhere and enjoy your garden. This year we weren't as clueless as the previous year, its amazing what you can pick-up in such a relatively short space of time reading online sources, visiting gardens and garden centres, reading books and magazine articles.  Personally I have begun to live and breathe all things horticulture - I just love creating things and watching them grow. We made sure that we purchased a collapsable garden cart for our purchases.  Zaluzianskya ovata You have the opport...

Thanks to Ikea we have procured some solar powered garden lighting items in the form of this apple and pear - we love them.  

We have been paying a bit of attention to our somewhat neglected front garden again.  We have chucking some bark down to suppress the weeds.  We have also planted a small Sambucus nigra (Elder) and some bright flowering perennials which will hopefully spread to fill the space. That Hellebore to the right looked lovely in bloom over the Winter

A beautiful hanging basket gift from my parents.  My Dad makes loads of these each year and hangs them from the fence posts all down the garden and gives one to each sibling.  They always have a magnificent looking one hanging by the front door.  This is an art we've never attempted, maybe in the future we can give it a go.  

We may have mentioned before that we like garden tat.  We aren't guilty for the Peacock (it was a gift from my future parents-in-law).  However, we are guilty of adding the Owl family (how can you resist those cute faces).