Our Spring Garden and plans for the Summer 2024

It's been over two years since we had the new shed on the far right of the photo. We kept the old sheds to store stuff in while we had the kitchen fitted (finished 2 years ago) and the extension finished (1 year ago) and bought a new smaller shed to sit round the side of the house to store the lawn mower in (6 months ago) and in April 2024 we finally got round to taking the larger of the 2 sheds down. There have been numerous trips to the skip with the old wood.

Both sheds have stood for over 20 years, with the larger one under going some repairs mid 2020, but it is time for them to go and for us to remodel the garden. 

The shed base was in perfect condition so now serves as our new patio area.

The smaller shed will be taken down in the next week or two, once I've rehomed golf clubs and and garden tools. Then we will be constructing some raised beds in the area.

Once the smaller shed has gone, the garden will really open up, we have a large sun umbrella we brought back with us from South Africa to put up and provide shade from the sun that's pretty much all day round in this spot from April through to October.

The plants in the garden have faired well over winter and the frost covers are now off.

Raspberries and bluebells.

Figs

It would appear I've been protecting some weeds over the winter.

Bobs memorial pot with Forget me knots from a friend and the vets.

There are a couple of areas in the garden where water has been pooling due to us holding back piles of dirt  (which we'll be using in the raised beds) after the building work, which Peter has addressed by finishing the patio.

I've weeded the front garden, removed a dead spiky shrub from by the bins and planted some wild flower seeds in the borders. It'll be a while before we make any changes out here.

This has all been cut back and is in full sun most of the day (when it does come out) so the green house and herb bins which also grow potatoes and chard will stay here.

The spring/summer wreath is up now until Halloween.

The side gates are going to be replaced with wooden ones with key pads for extra privacy and security.

It's nice to see patches of bare soil now the weeds are gone.

There's a lot more work to be done in terms of building (raised beds) a compost bin and cold frame to be built and I would like to invest in a proper green house at some point. We'll be off to the Three Counties Showground in May for a good look round. We bought all the sheds from there over the years, found the builders for the extension and even bought the Camper Van from there last year.

I'm hoping by the summer of 2024 all we are doing is mowing the lawn, watering the plants and just sitting in the garden enjoying it with the odd BBQ.

My Spring garden, summer plans and goodbye to my Dubai garden.

I left the UK in the middle of April. I prepared the garden, mowed the lawns and planted out seeds that I thought may stand a chance of survival without my input.

I arrived back in the UK the middle of June. The garden had faired well with the added bonus of the neighbours mowing the lawns, however some of the grass turned yellow, but it is slowly recovery. 

Everything was out in full bloom, the potatoes and onions had grown and the peas, beans and tomatoes were doing OK.

Onions, potatoes and rhubarb now harvested, very few peas and beans, but I've sown more seeds for a later crop and bought a couple of established tomato plants, reduced at the supermarket.

I thought the garden was ready for my absence, seeds planted, lawn mowed, plants uncovered. April 11th.

April 12th

We returned to the sun. June 14th.

We're planning to build a new shed and seating area in the opposite corner and creating raised beds and gravel paths as well as introducing a green house. The conservatory will also be replaced with a full one being built along the back of the house.

We also had to say goodbye to our Garden in Dubai this summer. It was interesting Creating a garden in the desert and surprising what we were able to grow over the years.

After getting back to the UK, we mowed the lawns, repaired the borders, repotted the olive and bay tree and harvested the potatoes, onions, peas and rhubarb.

Sweet peas and wild flowers.

Compost bins, potatoes and herbs.

My Spring Garden - April 2021

I've not done much in the garden to prepare it for Spring as I'm off back to Dubai tomorrow for 2 months and I won't be doing anything to the garden there either other than taking it apart to sell before we return to the UK in June permanently.

I have however done a few things in the hope of there being some life in the garden when we return, which involved mowing the lawn 3 times, starting on a high cut and getting lower, preparing the lawn and reseeding the patches.

I've also levelled off the border again and weeded front and back within an inch of its life.

I scattered wild flower seeds in the border and re seeded the lawn patches.

I've done a few temporary repairs where I can also.

The spring bulbs are so pretty and the tulips are lasting for ages. I only had one daffodil flower though. I'll be planting more bulbs for next spring.

I uncovered the Bay and Olive tree when the temps reached over 10c and also planted out the sweet peas, peas and beans I'd sown over winter into the ground and pots with prepared supports to allow them to climb.

I was late with sowing, indoors, tomatoes, chillis, squash, pumpkins, courgettes, cucumber and a few others and as they hadn't germinated on the window sill, they've just been transferred into the green house where the door will remain closed to see what, if anything comes of them all.

I've planted out onions, ginger and potatoes in pots and have covered all bare soil with wild flower seed. 

But then it got cold and it snowed and I had to re cover the Bay and we'll just have to wait and see what happens to everything else on our return.