My January garden.

Imanaged to get out and do a bit of tidying up in the front garden last week. I noticed that the helebores were starting to come into flower so I did some weeding around them and then put a mulch of compost around them to keep them warm. Then I started to think that the bed was looking a bit bare, all the yellow ones that I divided last year survived but I only have one surviving purple one so a phone call to my favourite garden centre revealed that they had a few cream ones and a few pink ones. Today was a wet,windy, miserable day and so sitting in my kitchen it seemed a good idea to grab a lift from a friend and go shopping. By the time we got to the garden centre it was absolutely pouring down and it didn't seem such a great idea!

However, instead of spending an enjoyable morning browsing through the plants we asked an assistant where they were and made a quick dash to the appointed spot and grabbed the tall one at the back and the small one at the front of the picture. 

 On the way I grabbed this cheerful little witch hazel which I thought would brighten the place up a bit in the dark winter months.

Other things cheering me up are this fuchsia, 

These primulas which I boughta few days ago

The winter flowering pansies I bought at thebeginning of winter.

Brother Cadfael is still flowering! 

I put these primulas round a Holly bush which had layered itself and I put in this pot until I decidewhere it should go permanently. 

And this bush is absolutely covered in blossom. 

So all told perhaps the front garden isn't such a miserable, damp place. 

The back garden however is an entirely different story. .....

No excuse for not getting on with making some candles for Christmas presentsnow. I had a work surface and a couple of cupboards put up in my shed yesterday. Just need a coat of paint and a bit of organising and I'llbe ready to go.

Rainy Tuesday

When I prune my roses I hate to throw throw the cuttings away so I stick them in a pot somewhere and forget about them for a couple of years . This little beauty is two years old, I planted her in the ground this summer and this is her first flower. It has a gorgeous scent as well. 

Her sister had three lovely blooms until this morning when I went to take her photo, now all that's left is this pile of petals.

Buddha welcomes visitors to my front door. He's a bit wet this morning but he looks happy enough. 

Moving round to the back garden every thing is looking a bit damp

But the colours of the sedum and the Rosa rugosa leaves really stand out. 

The ajuga and London pride glisten with the rain on their leaves.

The bear's britches has gone to seed now but is still making quite a statement and the mahonia is looking quite impressive as well.

Even on miserable, dull days it's a pleasure walking around the garden even if I don't linger very long! 

My Autumn Garden

I've been having some problems changing from one blog to another lately and so havenot been able to post anything here for a while but I'be just got a new tablet and hey presto I've not only managed to sign in but to bluetooth this collage of my front garden last month from my phone to the tablet. 

I have stocked up with food for the birds but the starlings are being absolute bullies and keeping everything else away for most of the time.
The grass is still growing and could do with another cut but we have had so much rain lately the ground is too wet to even think about getting the mower out.
I'm really pleased with my new rose bed but more about that in another post when I'vegot some photos on this tablet

The sun is so low now the back garden is in quite a bit of shade now so I moved the small table and chairs from their place in the shade in the back garden round to the sun in the front so I can continue enjoying my lunch in this gorgeous autumn weather. 

After I had eaten I planted some spring bulbs in the new bit of garden. Hyacinth under the roses, daffodils along the hedge and some snakes head fritillary and allium. So much for the vegetable garden! 

I have been very lax in posting this summer due to a hitch with my Internet connection and pure laziness.
 We have had a fantastic summer this year and all my fears about my garden losing it's magic have proved unfounded, in fact it seems even more magical. As I open the front gate it seems as though I'm walking into my own private world with butterflies fluttering to greet me.
Here are some of the bugs caught on camera this summer

And some of the stars of the summer

I have managed to tidy the shed and start making my candles again.

And the front garden is beginning to look like a garden again and not a wood yard

Rain and shine.

 I was a big fan of recycling long before it became fashionable and when I was given an old cast iron bath many years ago I decided it was just the thing for tadpoles.

Now although the water is an interesting green colour it is home for quite a few creatures.

 These two frogs spent an entire afternoon basking in the sun. The one in the water was much more confident than the one on the side.

 It's good to see my friend the newt is still about. I waited so long for one to make it's home with me.

This is the very first time I've seen a damselfly in my garden. I recently bought a water lilly I wonder if the larvae was in that. 

There are still a few tadpoles swimming about and a couple of waterboatmen.
That was all happening in the sun last weekend. This Saturday I bought a mini greenhouse. It just fits next to the new door in the shed. I'd love a proper greenhouse but apart from not being able to afford one I don't know where I'd put it.

Today I decided to visit our local garden centre as heavy showers were forecast. This is a major expedition involving two buses each way with a considerable wait between connections. It is nearly two hours at the garden centre before the bus back to Cardigan so lunch in the cafe there is a major part of the plan . Luckily as I had an old bus timetable a gardening friend came past while I was waiting for the bus and she decided she'd like to go as well so we went in her car. We still had lunch there as they do a rather good jacket potato with loads of ham and coleslaw filling. .I bought a cucumber plant, , a coupleof pepper plants and chilli plants for my mini greenhouse and some spinach, Swiss chard and beetroot for the slugs. ..I mean the vegetable patch and against all my principles some slug pellets so look out you slimy slugs.