Progress in the garden :)

 I am really excited at the moment as finally, finally we see some progress in the garden redesign :)

 
Compostman has got the JCB going again (he is SUCH a star) and has been busy.

This is a bindweed and geum infested bed which has been dug out with very little effort on our part, because we used the JCB instead of a spade. I sort of think I ought to feel bad about using fossil fuels to dig this, when I should be using my own muscle power and a spade and wheelbarrow - but my aching back is telling me to shut up, so I will.

One thing all this outdoor stuff has shown me is that I need to get a pair of decent wellingtons. It rained a lot  when we were doing this work and I waded through some water and found my wellies leak. I hate wet feet! I am also suffering a lot from cold feet and my broken foot hurts more if it gets cold and wet, so I am thinking of getting a pair of Muck boots, ideal for cold feet sufferers like me. The one that appeals is the Arctic Sport, which should really help to keep my feet warm and dry.

Any one else got a pair of these? What are they like?

I salvaged lots of bulbs and plants during the digging out of this bed and I have put them in pots and will see if any bindweed was transplanted with them. If none comes up then next year they can be moved into the new beds, which we will be creating in the next few weeks. I also have a lot of plants which I have been given over the last few months as well as bulbs and have been taking a lot of cuttings, so the polytunnel is pretty full at the moment.

This is all such fun! Its like the build up day at Hampton Court Flower Show, here at the moment!

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This is a bed full of mint which is absolutely covered in bees, flies, butterflies, hornets and wasps all buzzing around it. Delightful to watch :)

Which reminds me of  another thing I spotted when looking at the  Internet Gardener website. A lovely and unusual  hexagonal interlocking terracotta herb planter  I love the shape and design of this and after our momentous experience this summer with the Tree Bumblebees in the bird nest box,  will be buying it to plant up on the NEW PATIO ( yes, really!) which will be dug and done in the next few weeks :) You can see what it looks like if you go to my Pinterest "Dream Gardens " board.

In a few more weeks I will have the patio I have longed for, for so many years :)  And I can put Olive trees in terracotta pots on it and have some nice garden furniture to sit on. And admire the view.

 But first we have to build it :) Work starts this week :)

More insect attracting plants

Today I sorted out some lovely plants sent a couple of days ago by Gardening Express for me to add to my new bee and insect attracting beds.

If you haven't come across Gardening Express before, this is what they say about themselves.

Gardening Express was established in the late 1990's by Chris Bonnett, whilst still a teenager, after he decided it would be a fantastic idea to combine his passion of the great outdoors and plants with the Internet. Following past experience of plants purchased from other mail order companies, it was quickly decided that there was room for much improvement in the market; they never seemed to grow and we knew we could do much better, and so, Gardening Express was born.

I first encountered them via someone who had used them in a display garden and  I like the Gardening Express website. As as they say on their website 

As testimony to our quality, we've been successful enough to be selected as a supplier for high profile designers, that exhibit at such events as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Celebrities, PR companies and film set designers all trust us to supply the plants they need - we're only ever a phone call away for those special requests, or a tweet to @GardeningExpres if you’re in with the Social networking trend.

I like this bit especially!

Everything we sell is guaranteed - we don't send out anything we would not be delighted to receive ourselves. Most of our plants are supplied pot grown, and we tell you exactly how large or small they are. We were fed up of ordering expensive plants and being sent spindly twigs with no soil. Our specially designed packaging ensures everything arrives with you in pristine condition.

We believe in the price you see is the price you pay, unlike other companies that sting you with hidden charges, all our prices include delivery to your door for all orders over £175. With our price promise, and 5 year Hardy Plant Guarantee, you have the peace of mind that you could not buy better plants anywhere else.

They very kindly offered to let me chose a few plants to try out and write about from their very good selection of herbaceous perennials and I decided on 

Alchemilla mollis - Lady's Mantle. 

Verbena Bonariensis. 

Verbena Rigida - Low Growing Perennial Purple Verbena.  

Achillea filipendul.'Cloth of Gold' - Yarrow.  

Geranium sanguineum.

The plants arrived by courier, well packaged in cardboard

 

Each plant pot was wrapped in a plastic bag ( to preserve moisture?) which I did not like so much, but I can recycle the packaging so that was OK. The  cardboard will be added to the compost bins or wormeries.

The plants are HUGE! And in good condition, considering they are herbaceous perennials which are now coming to the end of their flowering period. I was also most impressed that the pots contained multiple plants, not the usual one - so in theory I could split them and get several plants from one pot :) I like that in plants :)

At the moment I am in the process of digging out another new flower bed, so I think these will stay in the "nursery" area and be taken care of in pots for a little while, until I decide exactly where I want to plant them.

 

I am MOST impressed with both the customer service and the plants from Gardening Express, I have had a few plants from them in the past, apart from these latest ones, and I would definitely order  plants from them again

 
When I work out what to plant in my new, year round insect attracting bed I will HAVE to consider how to include some of this mint (without it taking over!)

This herb box outside our kitchen window is absolutely alive with hoverflies, bees, butterflies, wasps and flies. You would not believe how buzzing with life it is :)