All change!

After much nagging, Mr.M has finally removed the rather lumpy green mess some may have called a lawn! This has lead on to lifting all the plants in our (thankfully) small ornamental garden, which meant clearing the veg area to hold the plants. One job needs many more to get it done! Have yet to lift all the plants but we will get there eventually. Then there is the issue of the broken fencing to tackle. One thing at a time.

I am hoping the new lawn will be laid very soon. Three cats and a dogs mucky prints in the house is not pretty! Unfortunately the weather has taken a damp turn, its all about the rain down here so won't make laying turf easy

This Autumn has gone from beautiful unseasonal sunshine to miserable grey almost overnight. Already, work has had to be postponed. Some gardeners will work through any weather, but this can cause damage to lawns and soil structure and you tend to work more slowly. It is so hard to judge whether it is worth getting tools sorted, driving to site with one of my helpers, when the weather is this unpredictable. Thanks to various weather forcasts, decisions can be better made but living next to Dartmoor means it can change so quickly. Always be prepared with wellies!

Heres a few pics I have recently taken while out and about.....

I have had this Pinus Mugo in a pot for so many years. I guess it should be repotted but it seems happy enough being a little bit neglected.

Spotted these Aeoniums while on holiday in Cornwall. Bought a fab small specimen which I then gave to a friend as her garden is much more suitable. Tha was her xmas pressie!!

This bright Pyracantha was growing in our garden when we moved in. The blackbirds will be along soon to help themselves to these plump berries.

Still flowering, still more buds to come on this pretty, hardy fuchsia. I helped myself to a cutting from my local park. Did nothing other than stick it in a jar with water and watched it root. Then potted it on till big enough to plant in a large pot. If you are new to propagation, go for fuchsias, nothing technical here!

This is my favourite plant in my garden, a very bright hardy Chrysanthemum Mrs Jessie Cooper. Wow, does this bring colour to a dull day! Also fab as a cut flower. Love it!

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', found in my friends/clients garden. Also known as the Smoke Bush due to its fluffy plumes of flowers. Beautiful Autumnal colours.

Love them or hate them, Cortaderia sellowana or Pampas Grass, really are showy plants. The cream panicles of flowers stand proud against the (now gone) blue sky.