Plants are in!

Wow, what a busy few weeks it's been here! Once the builders had finished, I got out there, turned all that soil over and really dug in some good compost to get the ground ready. All the plants I had bought that were sitting over the road, were carried over and laid out according to my plans. Then I spent a good few, wonderful, exciting hours tenderly and happily planting each one into their new and eternal home.

Well, it turns out that 'eternal' actually meant 'temporary' for some! You know I told you that the back only got some sun? It doesn't. It's in total shade all day. So, up came all the ones that need full sun and they were moved to the side border. I now probably have far too many in the side now, but as cottage gardens are supposed to be full and bursting, it might be ok. I got all the books back out and got back on the internet again to choose some shade loving plants. I'm really gutted as I had a real picture in my head of what that area would look like, but it's just not going to work out that way. 

Plants I have in the shaded back bed;

Alchemilla Mollis x 2

Antirrhinum mixed x 24

Aquilegia vulgaris Winky Blue & White

Astilbe Pink x 2

Astilbe Red

Clematis Carnaby x 2

Delphinium Astolat

Delphinium Cherry Blossom x 2

Digitalis purpurea F1 Dalmation Rose x 2

Digitalis purpurea F1 Dalmation Peach

Dicentrea Spectabilis

Erysimum Muurbloem

Fuchsia Mrs Popple

Gypsophila Pacifica Pink

Hosta Brim Cup

Hosta Frances William

Hosta Twilight

Salvia Caradonna

I've also put in a few old floppy bluebell and white bluebell plants in the hope they take root and come up next year. Here's how all that looks: 

At the side, I now have (deep breath);

Allium Sphaerocephalon x 6

Aquilegia Biedermeier Group

Aquilegia Nora Barlow

Aquilegia Woodside Gold

Aster Little Pink Beauty x 2

Aster Snowsprite

Aubrieta Deep Purple

Aubrieta Magenta

Aubrieta Light Blue

Chives

Digitalis Camelot Rose

Digitalis Foxy

Digitalis purpurea Apricot

Diascia Aurora Apricot

Echinops Ritro x 3

Helenium Moorheim Beauty x 3

Hydrangea hortensis King George

Knautia Melton Pastels x 2

Nemesia Aromatica Scarlet

Nemesia Aromatica Sky Blue x 2

Nemesia sunsatia Blackberry x 2

Penstemon King George V

Penstemon Raven

Polemonium Caeruleum Alba

Potentilla Miss Willmott x 2

Salvia Wendy's Wish

Scabiosa Pincushion Blue

Sedum

Verbena Bonariensis 

Verbena Bonariensis Lollipop

Also have one or two unknown little plants that my sister gave me from her garden. Here's how that all looks; 

As my husband is a roofer, he had a number of chimney pots that had been collected over the years. I have used these as planters for petunias and snapdragons. I also have 2 lavender plants which my mother in law bought as a present. 

I bought 12 pots of sweetpeas. Each pot contained about 25 to 30 individual plants. There was a sign next to them at the nursery, which said 'do not split out, plant whole pot as one', but when I googled and YouTube'd sweetpea planting, most said I should thin them out and plant each one individually. Which meant, if this was correct, that I had up to 360 plants to find homes for!! Ha ha!! I've planted a load individually in 3 long low planters and have attached some netting against the fence, hoping for a nice wall of sweetpeas and have 2 standard pots with bamboo wigwams. The bamboo is pretty short, but I have longer ones if I need them. I still have 3 pots left, each with about 30 plants, that are kind of just sitting together in a bowl. Not sure where to put them. I think I should do another wigwam for these with the taller bamboo and plant the whole lot and see what happens!

I also have some vegetables! I've got 10 x lettuce Lollo Bionda which have grown quite well, a tomato plant 'gardeners delight', courgette plants x 2, and three strawberry plants 'Malwina, Elegance and Sweetheart' varieties. Oh and a large rosemary plant - have to have fresh rosemary and crushed garlic for my roast potatoes! Yummy! 

In front of the patio I have planted 7 box plants, in the hope these will grow over the years into a neat little hedge. 

Against the narrow wall next to the house, I have planted the roses. I have planted one of the 'blooming marvellous' and have given the other one to my mum. Next to it I planted 'pink perpetue' which was originally at the back and was dug up. The fourth one I'd bought, Dorothy Perkins, has also gone in, but I have a funny feeling that it's died as nothing has happened to it since it was bought weeks ago, yet all the others show signs of growth. 

We have also painted the back of the house cream. 

All in all, it's starting to come together and I can get a sense of what things could look like if they all grow and bloom as they should. I'm very impatient and want them all to grow right now please thank you very much, but I have to wait. Still, it's all very exciting!

Now we need to buy a table and chairs and a barbeque, and put up the bunting!