Part gardening, part recovery post!

[aretha]

Tomorrow may be the last day for sun, our forecast if for rain on Tuesday and definitely getting cooler, but by then the garden will need a little more water, so that is fine!:cat-kittyandsmiley:What we don't want is any frost!!

 

[aretha]

Finished off in the garden, and someone asked about photos of my garden so here are a couple. Haven't got any of the garden we will be invading soon, but needless to say it looks nothing like this one, our own piece of paradise. However, give it a year or so and I guarantee we will knock the new one into shape too. Its a challenge I am looking forward to, and please God my new knee allows me to do it.

How about your photos Jo, would love to see some of your handiwork.:wubroses:

 

[Jaycey]

Wow Aretha - lovely garden!

 

[Josephine]

Oh my goodness! All those pots and baskets! I've never had any luck with pots and baskets because I am so awful at remembering to water them! I will do some photos when some stuff has come up and it looks less like a building site! I had a look for some from previous years but can't seem to find them! Found this of my front garden and that's my nephew building me a planter in the driveway.

 

[DebR]

Ladies, would you please come to the states and provided some much needed help? Your garden's are absolutely lovely!!!!

 

[davrunner]

WOW!!! What a great thread. I've been away from the site and come back to this... Wonderful, I have also been doing some planting, but limited due to back and knee issues, but I won't let that stop me.
I'll take pictures of my wall of clematis vines I put up to separate the rose garden from the rest of the back yard, after 3 years of sparse flowers the wall is almost in full bloom.
It seems that every bird for miles has found my backyard feeder and I'm going through 40lbs of seed every 2 weeks.
I'll post my knee and back saga on my regular thread.
Thank you Josephine and Aretha, that helped perk me up today.

 

[PhoenixS]

I LOVE gardening. I also have a family of groundhogs and a herd of deer that would love to munch on everything you planted!!!

I spent this whole weekend out in the yard digging in the dirt and transplanting (fully grown) shrubs. Too early for me to plant anything that cannot survive a frost yet, but still have pansies for color. The peas went in, but I lose the harvest to the birds or bunnies anyway. Yes, the garden is enclosed by a fence, that does not stop them.

Just love dirt. Tons of earthworms to play with. I actually had 2 years worth of garden debris to get rid of, as the garden didn't get any attention last year..

Knee did OK, but back, arms, and hips were displeased. Too bad for them.
Good therapy for the mind.

 

[darncat]

Jo, thanks for starting this thread! All the stories and pics give me some hope that things DO get better. Aretha, your garden is beautiful! Daverunner, one of my first ventures up on a stool was to tie up my clematis on my front porch!
Last year I was in so much pain that my garden wasn't much of one. This year it's been such a pleasure to be outside, but I can tell I'm probably overdoing it...my hubby caught me at watering a maidenhair fern on a shelf above the toilet because he said he could see my footprint on the lid...:th_heehee:

 

[davrunner]

darncat, that's two of my favorite plants, clematis and ferns. I have somewhere around 10 different varieties of clematis growing and at least that many varieties of ferns. I have a section of my shade garden devoted to ferns with a minature japanese maple in the center.

 

[aretha]

Jo, really looking forward to seeing beds of colour from all the plants you have planted, it will look a picture later in the year I have no doubt.

Thanks everyone for all the lovely comments, and it breaks my heart to be leaving my beloved garden, but finances demand we must move to be able to retire with a nestegg to supplement our meagre pensions, but a lot of my garden will go with me to our new bungalow, as I have almost a removal lorry full of plants to go with us!! God help the removal men! I only pray that the youngsters (around 40ish) coming into our house love gardening as much as we do, but I have no doubts that my next door neighbours will be very keen to keep reminding them of that fact!!:th_heehee:

Will post more piccies later in the year when we get settled in our new house, and have worked out exactly how we want the garden to be, probably more easy maintenance, have some great projects lined up for my hubby (who is a builder) for a sunken patio garden with pergola over, etc. Thats after a rear extension, and a loft conversion too. We ARE retiring, but he couldn't bear to do nothing, and there is about 6 months work ahead of him on these projects before he can hang up his tools!:yes 4:

Good job it was ME with the knee problem or we would never attempt to do all we plan to. Fingers and toes crossed that my left knee holds up for a while, and gets no worse, before I have to have it done. Too much to do first!

 

[Bees Knees]

Thanks again! I added more flowers today(day off work) and cleaned out the birdbath. We do not have much sun but do have lots of trees and birds. I am stable enough(5 months post) that I do not worry about uneven ground! It is a joy to be able to be in the yard. I love when I read this board and try things I have not done since my surgery! It gives me great ideas of things I can do!

 

[NaNaKnees]

Jo and Aretha, what lovely gardens you both have! Not being much of a gardener myself, I can't imagine all the work that takes to maintain.

Since my knees and back have been bad for so many years, my hubby helps my put in the garden - a very little one! He has severe asthma and is allergic to almost every tree, weed and grass known to man, so we have to be very limited in his outdoor exposure. We even have to hire someone to do our lawn maintenance.

That doesn't stop me from loving gardens though. My parents always had a gorgeous rose garden and Mom loved nothing more than her flowers!

Thanks for sharing the pics. I am so happy for you ladies and so glad your knees are allowing you to keep up with gardening. Aretha, don't worry, i just know your new garden will be fantastic. Both your yards really look like a piece of paradise! Take care.
Maggie

 

[aretha]

Thanks Maggie, I am just painting some small tin buckets that I managed to find on Ebay, as a friend of mine, another gardener last year made them into herb containers and hung them on a line with pegs (have attached photo) she won a competition for the design of them. I am copying it as I plant lots of herbs, but cannot guarantee that neighbours cats, and our visiting dog friends haven't urinated on them in the garden, so have always been loathe to use them, but they do look pretty in the garden. This way you can virtually guarantee that they will be as fresh as a daisy, do not have to bend down to cut them - yay, and they look bright and cheerful wherever you decide to hang them. Am planting another two up to give my 2 daughter-in-laws for easter with parsley, thyme, basil and chives in, and pushing some foil covered easter eggs into some compost in a larger one, in an attempt to kid my 4 year old grandaughter that they have grown in the bucket!! She is pretty smart, so I probably won't be able to kid her, but she will laugh and it will be worth it just to see her little face light up!:wink1:

Anyone else reading this thread, please let us know of your gardening successes - or failures. Gardening is certainly uplifting, it is for me anyway.
Take care all, and I wish everyone a great summer this year too.

 

[jerseychick]

I worked in my perennial garden this weekend. Cleaned out the leaves and tilled the ground. My cherry tree is about bloom and I can't wait till the rest of the grasses and plants take off. I will post some pictures as soon as it is in bloom.

 

[Jamie]

Fabulous photos, ladies!!! I'm "green" with envy!!! We have had some good days here in Kansas City, but now we're getting another cold snap and maybe even a frost!!! When will it end????

 

[Josephine]

Aretha, don't mourn about leaving your garden. God will look after it! Think of having a whole new garden to plan and arrange! There are times I'd give anything to clear out my present garden and start afresh - I made so many mistakes when I started in 2000 - total gardening newbie I was. Planted a buddleia, a cotoneaster, a ceanothus and a vibernum in a corner about 4 foot square! I mean - who could possibly know they would grow so big! :DOH:

:hysterical:

Oh, by the way - I have another forum you might enjoy - it's called broken link removed: https://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/. Very friendly (just like this one!) and stock full of useful information, advice and friendly banter. Why don't you come and join us?

{And just in case anyone else is thinking of posting links to other forums, I have full permission from this forum's administrator to post this one! :th_heehee:}

 

[aretha]

Thanks for the invite Josephine, I would love to show my face on that forum too. Will take a look and as soon as things settle down a little, its a frantic time at present packing up, etc. but I think its a fantastic idea to swap tales and ideas. I get so much joy and pleasure from my garden as you can imagine.:ThankYou:

 

[darncat]

It's too bad all the *bonesmarties* can't get together to work in each other's gardens! I could add a few more doorsteps to leave tomatos on!
Davrunner, I could use your help dividing my japanese painted ferns that grow under my red japanese maple!!:biggrin:

 

[PhoenixS]

You guys are way ahead of us here in New England, as most of my perennials are just peeking out of the ground. I'll post some pics of my yard which is always a work in progress, as soon as things bloom, around here, late May early June, although my garden hits its stride for good in August.
Moved some more shrubs yesterday before they break dormancy. I couldn't even dream of doing this before my knee surgery, so I guess things are better. Yeah, still recovery happening too slow for me. I wouldn't have believed anybody if they told me at 1 year I'd still be working through issues, but here I am.

BIG breakthrough at the Massage on Monday. She twisted my lower leg, which has been bery painful since the surgery, and we all heard a big CLUNK, I felt it, but it wasn't painful. It was so loud tha the PT she works with ran into the room!
She told me she just snapped my tib/fib back into alignment and has been wanting to do that for the last 6 months!
My lower leg and knee were really sore yesterday and today, it doesn't hurt AT ALL!!
Now we can get some of my patellar issues cleared up, and I'll be on my way!
Didnt want to hijack the thread, but it will help me in the yard tons, as I kneel and crawl around on my hands and knees all day!
Sandy

 

[Josephine]

Wow! That was a good move.