Another lovely week, with the exception of Wednesday when the fog remained stubbornly over the north coast of Cornwall, has meant lots of time in the garden. A quick visit to the local garden centre to buy some compost and a flexible bucket with the thought of buying some wallflowers and possibly a plant or two resulted in two new ferns and two new glazed pots to put them in! I don’t really need to buy ferns as I have plenty growing in the garden, but I fancied a couple of different ones for the courtyard. My fuchsias in pots haven’t done so well there, despite not having rust this year.
There’s still plenty of colour in the garden so let’s have a wander around the different beds/borders this week.
(1) Looking back towards the ‘Zen’ patio and the conservatory.
(2) The opposite direction with the Bee and Butterfly bed in the foreground and the Kilmarnock Willow tree beyond.
(3) The bee and butterfly bed is still flowering well. And lots of large white butterflies dance together in the air along with the white Cosmos swaying in the wind.
(4) The Kilmarnock Willow tree now forms part of the new semi-shaded border I created at this time last year. Cyclamen are beginning to appear under the tree and it is where a lot of spring crocuses are planted. The tree has recently had a trim, which means actually getting underneath that umbrella canopy and cutting out all the dead branches.
(5) At the back of this bed are the two painted raised beds, one of which is used for growing herbs. Both beds need a revamp and the removal of nasturtiums and forget-me-not seedlings. I have never been happy with the other raised bed, my attempt at growing veggies was a disaster, I then made it a white bed, with white and blue flowers, then a place for more perennials and a couple of roses and lots of spring bulbs. But I’m not satisfied and I think after the bulbs flower next spring I will remove everything and start again. Maybe a second herb bed. Meantime I am using the compost from my Dalek¹ compost bin to top up the beds as I weed them.
(6) The woodland border is looking very green now. Any other colour in this bed happens in spring with bulbs and ground covering plants. I have added other plants for summer flowering but they are finished now.
¹ The bin was here when I moved in and I have hated it since day one.
- Doesn’t produce huge amounts of compost
- Difficult to turn.
- Difficult to empty.
- Bottom hatch door can break off.
- Doesn’t allow oxygen in
When you try to get a spade in to get the compost out at the bottom, all the stuff that isn’t ready falls down into the space! I ended up tipping the whole lot out and moving the good usable stuff into a plastic bucket – hence the reason for having to buy another one! I will put the topmost stuff back in, but I am no longer going to use it for anything else.
As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world.
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
Your garden is looking wonderful. And still so much colour too.
Thanks. It does seem better than last year, but we have had a decent summer.
Lovely views of your garden, it is all looking wonderful. September is a fabulous month, isn’t it?
It has been this year 😊
Very nice to see the wider shots and put the elements in perspective. Wide shots are better value. much more to see. Do I have the only garden in Cornwall without Erigeron karvinskianus, and the only garden anywhere without Cosmos. I’m missing a few tricks.
Ah, but you have a lot more unusual plants.
Looking good, Jude! I especially like the Zen patio. 🙂 🙂
It would have been nice to entertain you there, but I don’t see that happening any time soon 😕
Hang on- I’ll just pack! 🙂 🙂 Any news about your son? Didn’t get a WhatsApp reply.
Has to wait for the consultant to look at the scans.
I feel like it’s not going to be much longer before that dalek is exterminated! Your garden looks beautiful as always.
Such a lovely cottage garden you have created Jude, I love it. That Zen patio looks inviting. I had to smile when you mentioned a new makeover coming up. We will never finish our gardens will we…💕🌺🌼🌷🌸
Thanks Pauline. Still some way to go. Several places need sorting out.
Beautiful garden, and the Kilmarnock Willow looks fascinating!
What a stunning garden you have!!!
I have the same issues with my composter – the door keeps popping open and it’s really difficult to empty. A few weeks ago: I went out to throw some veggie rests in and I got the fright of my life as I opened the lid – a great bit rat was sitting on the top of the pile. Mind you, I shrieked so loudly, I think the critter got quite a fright too.
I use a paving slab to keep the door shut as I am terrified of rats getting in! Another reason not to use it 😂
Really interesting to see all these parts of your garden, Jude, and know that you too are willing to revamp when you are not happy! That Kilmarnock willow is really shapely – I think I have only seen small unestablished ones before. I gave up on this type of compost bin years ago for the same reason!
Your garden looks lovely- green and floriferous. I admire people who have designated areas in their gardens and stick to them instead of simply shoving things in where there happens to be a space as I do. I love the way the ground covery thing has attached itself to the stones.