Just ordered LOADS of plants!

Hi KatTai

My guess is that you will be busy planting in February!

Knocking down a greenhouse sounds like a major operation in itself.

One thing that I know about is peonies. They absolutely HATE being moved, so my suggestion is to make sure that when you plant them, that is the perfect position so you never need to move them.

My husband often says that our plants 'should be on wheels' because I decide that something is in the wrong place and I want it moved. I suppose that it's best to get it right first time. :-)

I'm not doing the knocking down the greenhouse bit :-(  Don't know why, I'm good at destroying things lol  We've got a gardener who does the garden and other bits and pieces for us so he'll be getting a bit of work to do taking that down.  Not that we're posh or anything, the guy next door was unemployed so he started his own gardening business so we figured why not he has all the equipment and it meant we didn't have to buy a new lawnmower lol

Hmm, better really decide where to put the Pheony's then, I'm thinking both by the fence though with the buddleia and honeysuckle, was going to plant a hedge there but with what I've ordered I don't think it will be that far off filling that space lol  But then there is a gap in the hedge on the other side because the hedge killed whatever was growing in the middle of it, I might try putting the bigger apple tree there because that is already next to them and seems quite happy (the apple tree ran away one windy night and ended up snuggling with the hedge...and stayed there ever since lol)

Thanks for the link!  Very interesting reading, I think I know what I'm doing with them now lol  They're arriving as bareroot plants, will probably need to add some fertiliser as the soil isn't great - should I use fertiliser designed for Pheony's or will normal stuff do?  I really don't have a clue when it comes to plants lol  I like things that I just stick in the ground and then they grow lol

I'll have buddleia, pheony, buddleia, pheony, buddleia and then the older plants that are at the top!  Apple tree in the other hedge to try and fill that gap because I'm pretty sure that tree is still alive lol.

It all sounds very exciting. I love honeysuckle as well and it's a good wildlife plant I believe. I don't have any peonies but we always had them in our garden when i was a child so I keep meaning to get some.

I do have buddleia and butterflies and insects do love them, so I do myself. We hope to get some fruit trees this year. I am a "learning" gardener as well, good luck it all sounds lovely. I look forward to the photos in summer.

You are so organised! I haven't even thought about the garden yet, other than planting some bulbs!! although last year was brilliant because we had our allotment for the first year, so I spent ages there and our garden at home got a bit neglected. I have a week off in April so I hope I can turn my garden into a haven then!

I have two peonies in my garden both facing North. They have been in the same position for 22 years I never feed them just cut them down in winter before bad weather comes and I have the most glorious flowers on them. My friend she feeds hers and the flowers are small. Can't win with flowers mind of their own lol.

Sue

Hi everyone,

i love gardening, but as I consider myself a very enthusiastic amateur and not really knowledgable at all, I find this site really useful for info on plants and stuff... www.shootgardening.co.uk/

My buddleias seed themselves everywhere, so you'll never need to buy another, but they're quite easy to look out for and pull up. Depending how late you leave it before cutting them back (and you can cut them back right down to the ground once they are established) will depend on how late they flower each year. Watch the honeysuckle - it has a tendency to get out of hand, once this is established you can cut this back hard each winter too to keep it where you want it too be as opposed to where it wants to be!

Enjoy, especially with a glass of something nice on those long summer evenings that we keep being promised...;)

Dough Mummy

Oh how exciting for you. Lookingforward to hearing how it all goes!!

Guess you will be getting muddy in Feb, if the ground isn't still frozen!! Oh I'm full of cheer this am!!

Love the selection of plants you have got for the garden, buddleha (sp) are brilliant. The one I put in here is doing really well but I fancy getting some diff coloured flowers!! Not had any luck with popping bits into the soil when I've been cutting it back, yet, will keep trying.

Peonies are wonderful - flower quite early June + have the most wonderful flowers. Had some in the garden when we were in Aberdeenshire, which I ignored really + they flowered beautifully. Thinking about it they all had a wee bit of protection from a wall.

The garden we have now is v small compaired with up north. It was an orchard before our house landed!! So a wee thin band all round, the best bit is the native hedge where some of the fruit trees were but. Have added lots of wee borders trying not to use up the big spaces so the boys still can run riot!! Added lots of ivy + honeysuckles to the hedge as well as clematis.

My projects are a patio area with home made pergola thingy using big heavy farm gate posts + some heavy fishing rope. Already used rotten fence posts, turned the other way up with semprobeviums growing in the + then bits of fishing net so the honeysuckle can growup + it all softens the look of the house.  The raised beds for veggies, well will need to see about the £!!

Got some more border to create so I can put some of the plants I've already got, but the ground is still frozen. Sorry if I've got a bit carried away - I like knowing what folk are up too + sharing ideas!! No one v interested here!!LOL

Oh your Pheony's are very pretty!  I can't wait for my plants to arrive...and then having to wait for them to grow which is the boring bits.  I have little patience with plants lol  But hopefully it will be worth it!  I was going to put a proper hedhe along the fence but I think the buddleia, honeysuckle and Pheony's will work pretty well.  Any gaps will be filled with plants from the butterfly mix seed packets so it should work out.  I'll probably dig up a lot of soil from along the fence, which I can use to fill where the greenhouse garden will be as most of the seeds in there need poor quality soil which you don't usually find in garden centres oddly enough!  My OH is going to speak to the guy about taking the greenhouse down next week :-)