[Stree]

Nice old quote by Anon. I have been collecting gardening quotations.
Just thought I would mention that.
Anyway, point of the post:
Since the weather broke over the weekend and the greenhouse and cold-frame were fuller than is sensible,
I have been doing a spot of outdoor "proper" gardening. This of course included the more mundane, gathering the dreaded dry holly leaves from everywhere they could get tangled up, heavy duty hoeing and weeding digging over etc. Luckily the soil is quite well worked by now from the reinforced concrete soil we inherited in 2008, so a few turns with a trowel and its friable.
So, on to planting out, definitely a favourite time of gardening.
Lots of things new to me this year, and some old favourites.
Two types of cosmos in, White Psyche and dwarf Brightness, lots of nicotiana, asparagus peas for flowers not harvest. Phlox, dwarf morning glory, lots of sweetpeas, more sweetpeas. Allysum ( I usually just chuck seed for allysum but decided to start it in the greenhouse this year ) Aubretia, nemesia, Amaranthus, and a few established geraniums were divided for more ground cover.
I put in what is best described as a rose arch as well. I was asked to make it by the chap at the nurseries I go to, he had a customer that wanted a sturdy one made to a particular size, so I made it but his customer never showed up so I took it back and it been in one of my buildings for 2 years in bits gathering cobwebs.
I thought I might as well have it for my garden so its now up in the far corner of the lawn with sweetpeas plant along both trellis sides and a clematis planted there as well. Looks bonny.
Gave away half a dozen tomato plants after chatting through hedge with neighbour, good job because I ended up with far too many.
I asked what he usually grew, ( he was just about to go buy some) and it was moneymaker.
He should have fun with Brandywine yellow, black 16 ounce truffle, white cherry, gardeners delight, marglobe, currant sweet pea and reisentraube!
Last of the livingstone daisies out as well, in a trough along with the moss rose. both drought tolerant.
Still hundreds of moss rose seedlings to find a home for though.
One hanging basket done, just 5 surfinias in it. Waiting for a new packet of water retaining crystals to arrive before I do a soil mix for the other baskets. I am using the crystals and also a 16 inch water retaining mat and a flowerpot saucer in the baskets this year, only ever used the saucers before and always get caught out with a too dry basket at some point.
Its all looking promising and healthy at the moment, so lets hope for a decent summer, after all, we have been patient and do deserve one every so often.

Edited typo and American spelling in title re search purposes

[Yorkie]

It sounds absolutely lovely.

Would you post a piccie later in summer when everything is flowering?  I'd love to see it.

[Stree]

I would be delighted to oblige,I could take a few now as well if you wish.
Give me a chance to practice some camerawork, I am pretty hopeless even with just a press and go digital camera.
But I am sure I will rise to the occasion.
Whereabouts in York are you?

[Yorkie]

My allotment is on the Scarcroft site, near the racecourse and just south of the city centre.

If you'd like to take piccies as the plants develop, I'm sure we'd be happy to look at them - we're a nosy bunch on here! 

[allotmentann]

Yes please, I would love to see. It sounds really lovely.

[Stree]

Right . Taken some pics today, just have to resize them now.
How many should/can I post in just a thread? As opposed to say the gallery?

[Yorkie]

You can broadly post as many as you like in a thread; you might find yourself limited to a certain number per post.  Might be worth editing the title of your first post to include the phrase "(pic heavy)" so members know before opening it.

How to post pictures guidance is here:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=19476.0

[Stree]

Thanks Yorkie, I will go have a nosey.

[Stree]

Right, Think I have the gist of it again. Photography is not a hobby of mine and it probably shows....still a learner gardener as well, but I suppose we all are really.
And yes I know about the messy bits, the odd nettle clumps, the occasional towering dock leaf and  Malaysian fruiting glumperfuffle vitalis minor trans-variegated thats badly in need of a seeing to one way or another.
These things are all on a list. I just have to write the list down sometime.  Then if these things are in range during a serious potter they will be acted upon, or just left a note asking them to behave.
Anyway, some pics.
The first 3 will just be of the arch thing I mentioned, then a couple of the outdoors courgettes.
See how these go and then perhaps the rest.

The first pic has our Granddaughters playhouse visible behind the arch.
Second is the right side as viewed from the front, sweetpeas planted at the foot of the trellis, Nicotianas to the right of them. Amelia`s little wild flower patch behind.
The last pic is the left  and also has sweetpeas ( bit of a theme developing here ) at the base, and you might just make out a spindly clematis outside the trellis, just planted. More work to be done in that area yet.......... going to make a proper border there.

Now this years veggie bits. Here are some of the courgettes, these are Black Beauty and seem happy in this weather.

[Stree]

On the pic of the right side of the arch, alongside the nicotianas are: some type of pink and white geranium, this flowers all summer and is a prolific growing ground cover..Also there is Michaelmas daisy, the big shrub/bush is Viburnum, the spikey grass thing is a regrowth of a One of those things that grow like a big Yucca with plumes of flowers on top. The deep frosts killed all in the village a few years ago but our two are growing again from the base.......
So..... on  with the pics, first another courgette one.( ps there are now three there, another went out just now)
You can see behind in the clump of planting a white flowered bush, not sure what it is. Potentilla ? its lovely anyway, and well behaved. The sharp eyed amongst you will have spotted the wispy fernlike fronds to the upper right of the bush, this is a self planted false fennel, have three of these now from nowhere, really quite handsome and not really any bother so far.... better view in the closer up pic.
So after that a pic of the bush closeup, it has aqualegia growing through which is a delightful contrast I think.
Pic 3 is also in the second courgette pic, its the lupin amongst the sweet williams and other things to the right of the white bush..
Pic 4. lets see.........
Right, this is what is immediately behind me as I took the last courgette pic, the pic with the brick pillar.
This is a shady most of the day area, so these are different mints and a lemon balm which are fine with so little direct sun.
The next lot of pics will be from the left of the pots of mint working along and up to the right hand side of the arch in the far corner....

[Stree]

The next pic is about 8 feet along from the mints, along the same wall. ( its a big wall, about 12feet high in places) for some reason a slot trench was left at the base here, so I dug it out filled it deep with good compost and grew nicotianas first year, they are nitrogen adders and a green manure. Since then its had mainly sweet peas, with a established climber at one end. Forgotten the name of the climber, its slow growing, no flowers as such yet, but handsome in its own way. Underneath this Crocosmia and a dwarf geranium and a sedum....... The chimney pot is awaiting a large plant pot full of flowers to be plonked in it, when I choose what going there.m Probably surfinias although its a bit shady that side with a 12 foot wall.
Next pic is just twitching the camera to the left a bit more. As you might gather, I have collected a few chimney pots, One there has a dwarf hydrangea in along with a broom that sprouted last year. That must be from our old house where this pot was in amongst the brooms, because there are no other brooms here for miles.
Both will be out of the pot and in the garden proper before next growing season.
The tatty hanging basket has a dwarf variegated wotsit in, such a happy little thing I haven't the heart to move it, so comfy on its bed of moss, survived 15 below and a long drought so it deserves its place.
In the mass of hedera behind it you can just make out the blue tit apartment.
The garden bench is a Wilkos cheapie with a fancy enamel finish by me, along with all new timbers in decent hardwood. Did a pair of these. The little table was donated by over the road, it will do for a display of pots and planters. Behind the table you can just see the holly tree trunk........more of that in the next pic.

and moving a little further on......the shady  battle area I am gradually reclaiming.
Now this area was grim, very grim when we moved in. Full of nasties buried. half bags of plaster and cement, broken bricks, lots of glass, bits of kitchen cabinets, Transit exhaust, Gloucester Gladiator tail fin and engine.....I made the last bit up but I am sure you get the picture.
And terrible to dig over. Holly roots near the surface, conifer ( now dispatched) next to it, deep brambles, waist high nettles....But bit by bit, perseverance and shade abiding plants and not too bad now.....
I put the self seeded hellebores here, some of that pink and white geranium, vinca minor, gallardia, foxgloves a false fennel claimed a spot, the odd forget me not, some marigolds that appeared from nowhere, wild violas, and some cosmos I planted earlier to the front, with asparagus peas in front of those, going to drop in some campanula as well, they do fine in shade.
Soil is half decent now after some time and care.

[Yorkie]

Those piccies are all really lovely, Stree.  Thanks for posting them.   

Your garden looks absolutely fab and your hard work really shows.  You can see how it will develop even further over the next couple of years as the perennial plants fill out.

Bet you'd have found that Gloucester Gladiator if you'd dug just that little bit further ... 

[Stree]

I have skipped about ten feet here, mainly because its boring. just periwinkle , violets , and things just planted or just showing.....On reflection, for this exercise I should have photographed it as well, but I didn`t  so that`s that. It has got Lobelia cardinalis, saxifrage and love lies bleeding starting up as well, but they are teeny right now.  So onwards.
This is a funny patch as well, never quite decided upon, I have put up a sweetpea wigwam here, a supported clump of morning glory, some 2 dozen Nicotiana Sylvestris, the full size heavy scented white evening bloomer, some more love lies bleeding between them, the little maple has found a home here too.
To the left of the canes is a plant whose name I am unsure of, it has long thin stalks and chalky red small flowers.......Suggestions? To the right is a gallardia, not sure why , and some more wild violets.
The old treetrunk the birdhouse is perched upon has white allysum growing at the base, and the periwinkle is in big waves behind and overlapping the stump.
Thats another hellebore behind the morning glory.
Next pic is of course a touch further again...more periwinkle............foxgloves behind it, and another of the Yucca type plant regenerating. This one has a   honeysuckle growing in amongst it. I think its Lonicera Japonica, the evergreen night scented one.........Bees love them.
And that lovely big sedum, the Autumn Joy in the middle  of the periwinkle and that pink and white geranium.

And on again..... after the geranium .the only thing I know the name of is the hellebore ( so I hope I have that right!) Its an delightful chocolatey rose one... The tall plant? no idea,  but its bonny or it would be gone.
The low bushy shrub behind it is a rapid grower, dies right back in winter and goes mad through the summer. half inch round leaves, long thin, very thin branches, I will have to cut it  back soon.
Not sure about the tall shrub  with the thick trunks there, might be a Philadelphus, its next to, and too close to, the Viburnum.

[Stree]

Thanks Yorkie, kind words indeed. I think I have the hang of it now with pics..

[allotmentann]

You have a beautiful garden, it is looking really lovely. I wish that my lupins were looking like yours. I grew them from seed last year and I am still not sure that I will get any flowers this year! Thanks so much for sharing your pictures.