Sort out the Garden

Have now taken down the arbour and trellis as well as another trellis and tree whoop whoop

since last entry have had a bonfire, bought a proper bin thing for burning rubbish and had two more burning sessions yeah!
Have cut back so much we had room for a swing! Still a long way to go but for the moment at least there’s room for the kids to play

I went out today, moved the old toys and crap off the ‘grass’ and strimmed what grass is left after the kids have wrecked it in the muddy weather! Decided that I can’t work out what is good and bad in the flower bed so am going to simply dig it ALL up and start again – or maybe not, maybe I’ll grass that bit too…
Also attacked the overhanging trees.
Only thing now is the biiiiiig pile of branches to dispose of…

But I have got it up to scratch now with daily watering, pruning and weeding once in a while, putting down ant powder and slug pellets. I planted up 12 containers and added 20 flowers into the borders and this really helped. Petunias are good – with sun and water they spread far with lots of bright flowers = easy maintenance.

Sorting out even just a part of your garden is worth doing as having a nice place to look at/sit in/retreat to whilst he weather is good makes a difference. And there’s a certain amount of pride to be had in admiring your green fingers.

The trees will be coming down this week. DH had a go at the fence but the fence post won and the fence is still lying by the side of the house waiting. Greenhouse has had all the broken glass removed and the frame has been moved ready for the tree chopping.

While we were away on our honeymoon, my husband arranged for his friend (who used to be a landscaper) to come and sort out the garden. So I got home to a beautifully planted, completely tidy garden. Best wedding present ever!

The cold has finally come in with snow and icy winds and I’m very glad that I’d finished chopping the majority of the wood in the garden.

The logs are heaped in three piles by the house and are already being tossed into our fireplaces. They came in most useful a couple of weeks ago. A big fire in a junk yard next-door to where I work took out the main power cables for Poole and Bournemouth and we had a fairly long power cut that left us without heating or light for an evening.

We ended up lighting fires and candles, cracking open some nice wine and playing boardgames till the early hours.

It was inevitable really. Having climbed the large cherry tree and cut off five or six large branches with a hand saw, some chopping and cutting would ensue.

The first tool I chose for the job – the Black & Decker Scorpion electric saw – endured two branches of defoliating before falling to bits.

So, off to the the DIY store I went, planning to buy a replacement Scorpion. Then I noticed the garden tools section and within about two minutes went from looking at 50 quid electric toys to this…

McCulloch Mac 438 petrol driven 14 inch chainsaw.

I had no idea how much fun these things could be. It’s like an extreme sport, dangerous and adrenalin pumping. Obviously real-man, phallic-symbol stuff, but all stereotypes have their basis in reality.

From the moment you open the packaging and fill up the petrol tank, you know you’re dealing with a proper grown-up tool.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone with a lust for life – and who can read and follow the frightening instruction book.

Ha! The fence didn’t get done, the trees are still blowing in the breeze and there’s still no gate. The grass is tall and very wet.

We have a conservatory, which is for some reason at the end of the garden! The plan is to attach it to the back of the house – novel idea huh?

Once that is complete, we can build a summerhouse in its place to house the collection of costumes that currently inhabit the loft (making way for a loft conversion).

The garden needs some sorting before we can do this, so the first job is a bit of tree surgery, chopping branches off the huge cherry tree that’s been throwing ours and next door’s garden into darkness.

I’ve spent two days climbing, sawing and then defoliating the branches into sensible sized logs. We’ll be well stocked up for firewood next year once it’s all dried out.

Unfortunately the crappy little electric saw I was using gave up the ghost before the job was complete. The largest branch is lying over half the garden squashing the plants and compost heap it happened to fall onto.

I’m thinking a chainsaw might be a better tool, although I’ll still need a power saw for the smaller parts of the job.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has left the image of the chainsaw irrevocably altered and I’ve been (possibly correctly) nervous of the things since I was a kid. Mind you there’s a fair bit of excitement involved in such a powerful tool. Should be a fun shopping trip at the weekend then :)