Gardens - all this talk lets see pictures

[yola]

Fantastic allotment DM - bags n bags of space there!

Emma - I love the 'squareness' of your garden, plus the 'bit at the end' looks very proper gardener-like with all the cold frames, barrow and the shed!!!

[dinahsmum]

And now - garden pics.
It needs to be tidied - all my garden-time is at the allotment at the mo. But a couple of hours should improve things.

Excuse the heavy shadow on this one

Daffs - it's spring! I like the paler ones

and the blueberries are doing well

[Kazz]

Well excellent pictures, Emma you have such fantastic space, I agree a proper plantswomans garden

and DM your allotment looks ready to burst forth in the coming weeks. Your garden like mine is littered with Staffie toys. Dead or punctured footballs etc.

Mags yours is waiting to burst into bloom - do you grow anything up your fence I bet sweet peas would adore it

I do like your gardens ladies - envious here - almost.


Karen

[EmmaG]

Thanks Kazz and DM The borders normally fill out quite nicely over the summer and I will take some more photos later in the year. We have some big plans for the garden next year, although OH wants to get a quote from a landscape gardener for a new lawn, I hate to know how much that will cost, but our lawn is VERY uneven.

[Donna]

Lovely photos all!!! Very jealous of all your larger gardens. Mine is a postage stamp!!!

[Kazz]

Originally Posted by Donna

Lovely photos all!!! Very jealous of all your larger gardens. Mine is a postage stamp!!!

Mines a postage stamp too Donna

[yola]

DM - can I just ask about the gravel in your garden? I quite like the stuff and would like to have some in between the pavers when we do the garden later this summer. Does it (a) spread everywhere and (b) get used as a cat toilet coz these are the 2 arguments hubby's putting forth against it.

I was thinking of using the slightly larger pebbles rather than the very fine gravel which could overcome the above a and b.

Donna - my garden is not much more than a postage stamp. That's really the only reason why I would consider moving; coz with 2 little ones it's really not going to big enough as soon as No.2 starts seriously moving around

[Donna]

Originally Posted by yola

DM - can I just ask about the gravel in your garden? I quite like the stuff and would like to have some in between the pavers when we do the garden later this summer. Does it (a) spread everywhere and (b) get used as a cat toilet coz these are the 2 arguments hubby's putting forth against it.

I was thinking of using the slightly larger pebbles rather than the very fine gravel which could overcome the above a and b.

Donna - my garden is not much more than a postage stamp. That's really the only reason why I would consider moving; coz with 2 little ones it's really not going to big enough as soon as No.2 starts seriously moving around

I would like to know about gravel too!!!

Was gonna ask you serious gardeners about it, but kept forgetting to post
I have a HORRID concrete path running from the French doors in my dining room down the length of the kitchen out into the garden - bit of a concrete corridor really.

Was going to get a few nice slabs and dot them about and fill round them with gravel, but was not too convinced I wouldnt be using the pooper scooper every two mins on it!

[dinahsmum]

Originally Posted by yola

DM - can I just ask about the gravel in your garden? I quite like the stuff and would like to have some in between the pavers when we do the garden later this summer. Does it (a) spread everywhere and (b) get used as a cat toilet coz these are the 2 arguments hubby's putting forth against it.

can guarantee that the gravel (shingle?) is not a cat's toilet. You need to get quite large - I'm trying to think of something for a size comparator ........say a grape
It moves when Dinah does handbrake turns but wouldn't shift normally. A yard brrom soon puts it back into place.

I love it. Beats a lawn - mowing/mud - hands down. I pull out my deck chair and relax with a glass of Sauvignon whilst listening to other people's mowers!

[Kazz]

I took my lawn up last year and replaced it with wider borders and gravel inset with slabs and I can also agree with the size grape sized is about right and mine is never used as a cats toilet honest. Also soooo easy to keep tidy a broom and its back in place I put weed proof membrane under mine and rarely do any weeds surface, those that do are easily removed I also plant into the gravel scrape back the gravel, cut two lines shape of an X through the membrane dig a hole plant the plant then put back the membrane and pull back the gravel happiness. Softens it up a little more.
I spray it occasionaly too with the hose, just love the colour of the gravel wet and must say although I sometimes miss my grass I think I ACTUALLY miss the "idea" of grass rather than the grass.
I don't miss the work involved in cutting keeping weed free, also such a small area hard to keep looking reasonable and to be honest the gravel is so much more user friendly. So the gravel suits me just fine.