More progress in the garden...

Things are progressing nicely in the back garden since I last gave you an update :-)

Do you remember what a mess this raised bed was in?  Well, here it is after much flexing of muscles by both Adrian and myself to get out some very stubborn plants and shrubs!

And this is how it's looking at the moment ~ virtually empty LOL  I am not planning on putting anything in it until I have got the fence panels stained, which will depend on both the weather and how energetic I feel!  To be honest, I don't mind if it stays empty until the spring.  I am thinking of planting it up with heuchera and ferns.

I moved everything out of the little space between the raised bed and the house, and put them elsewhere in the garden.  I like this arrangement much better.  The low round container is standing on a disused water-butt stand, and the other pots are on an old table which I painted black.  I have put creeping jenny and sweet woodruff in the outer section of the low container, and will probably plant an evergreen fern in the centre.  The tall terracotta pot has mint planted in it, and the pair of smaller pots now have daffodils and crocus in them.

I do love this terracotta wall pot ~ it even looks good empty.  I thought I would see if some houseleeks will be okay here.  It's rather shaded, especially during the winter, so they may not be happy living here.  It's just rather difficult to know what to put in the pot, as it dries out quickly, which is why I thought of sempervivums.

I have rearranged this little spot between the patio door and kitchen window.  All the empty pots will eventually be planted up but as yet I haven't decided whether to use them for seasonal bedding or perennial plants.  Since the photo was taken I have filled the two pots near the garden hose with layers of spring bulbs ~ tulips, daffodils and crocus.  When they finish flowering next year I will transplant them to the garden borders.

I dug the sage out of the brick raised bed.  It was terribly "leggy" but had flowered beautifully.  I suppose most folk would have just discarded it, but I decided to cut it right back and put it in a pot in a sunnier position.  It's looking a wee bit sad at the moment but there are lots of new little leaves coming through, so perhaps it will survive the trauma it's been through!  The two hostas won't be staying here permanently as I think it will be too hot and sunny in the summer.  I may put them over in the corner with the mint, once the daffodils in the two smaller pots have finished flowering next spring.

This sedum is looking lovely already ~ I have two more clumps about the same size in one of the garden borders.  You can see the pots I have moved from elsewhere in the background of the photo.

I moved the bay tree from the more open position it was standing in previously; I think it will prefer the shelter of the shed.  This raised bed originally had two clumps of crocosmia in it, which I have now relocated.  At the moment, I am using it as a temporary home for plants waiting to be put in the garden.  The rosemary has had a good trim ~ it seems very happy living here, judging by the growth it keeps putting on!

Not many plants waiting to be relocated now :-)

Two of the raised beds have now been planted up.  I was able to split some of the plants from the pots to give me more little clumps.  It get lots of sun here so I'm sure that the baby houseleeks will like their new home in the terracotta pot.  The highest and lowest beds are yet to be planted but I am happy to wait until the spring.

I used two pots of houseleeks to fill this basket and the two terracotta containers in the photos above.  It's amazing how quickly the plants multiply!

This border is starting to fill out now.

I'm hoping to get the rest of the log-roll stained before winter.  The wood is pressure-treated but I just prefer the darker colour.  Now that this part of the border has been weeded and tidied up, I can see the gaps where plants are needed.  I may well get that done over the course of the autumn.  Since the photo was taken, I have hung another basket of houseleeks from the bracket on the fence post.

I tried to get Matty to look at the camera but he was far more interested in the sound of his food being dished up in the kitchen!