Ivy out, bedding plants in

When we moved in our new home, there was a large ivy growing in the back garden. Initially I decided to keep it, as it is good for wildlife and also I often use ivy in flower arranging. But when I'm cooking inside it makes it hard to keep an eye on my little man. So down it had to come..

Much better don't you think? Makes the garden look bigger and seem more open. 

However many pots I seem to plant up I still seem to have a never ending supply of plants! So I decided I could use a load to fill the space left by the ivy. 

Little Boy got out his trowel and helped dig the bed over. For some reason this garden is full of stones, we got two pots full just out of this small area. 

Looks nice and tidy now doesn't it, but I can't wait for it to be full of colour! I've planted calendulas, dahlias, gazanias and lobelia. 

 

Out the front of the house should look good too. Little Boy got his tool kit out and helped Daddy put up the flower troughs under the window (well he banged in the plugs but the thought was there!). I've added some water retaining gel as these troughs don't actually hold a lot of compost and they dry out quickly. Apparently they should only need watering once a week, which sounds hard to believe, but that would save a lot of time watering. 

They are jam packed full of plants, and should look gorgeous when they are established. 

Big Girl's contribution to the weekend was to sit on the bench and do some drawing. Not at all useful on the home improvement front, but at least she was outside getting some fresh air. 

Bank Holiday this weekend - hope it's sunny weather and you have a great time whatever you are doing. 

Xxxx