In my greenhouse...

Back in June it was all about reacquainting myself with my greenhouse, and trying to persuade my tomatoes to grow - and I managed that, in the end. I think I should have potted them on much sooner, but hey ho! 

i had a bit more luck with courgettes and squashes although no sooner had I planted them out in the allotment, then another one sprung out of nowhere... 

My chillies were suffering the same non-growing fate as my tomatoes, so on our recent visit to Hyde Hall I consoled myself with this pretty purple chilli plant. I've not picked any yet, but am curious to know what they taste like.  

The flowers I have in the greenhouse continue to flower, it seems both those grown from seed and the miniature bedding plants are acting the same way, and both are adding some unusual colour to my space. The one below is a poached egg plant and good for attracting pollinators.  Pretty too.  

Proof that my tomatoes have responded well to potting on. Of course now I'm left with the headache of finding space for them on the allotment, but that's a good problem to have. 

I've also had success with parsley this year. For the first time ever what growing from seed  I know parsley likes it warm to germinate and it seems this year it's playing ball.

I'm also trying starting off spinach, lettuce and beetroot in drainpipe. I know it sounds odd but I think these are the kinds of plant that do well sown direct. But the only problem with that is when the seedlings come through they look like weeds. So my master plan is to give them a head start in the drainpipe and then transplant them without needing to disrupt and interrupt them too much.  

Thats the plan anyway, and of course it's reliant on having somewhere to grow them... 

As well as the pale pink flower above I'm noticing that my blueberry has turned autumnal. I mean, it's a lovely colour but I don't know if it's putting on a show or slowly giving up, I guess I'll find out soon enough. 

It seems that this year though is my year of the foxglove, as not only did I have two flowering foxgloves I've a bumper crop of seedlings too.  

And finally, there's an unusual addition this month, with these solar powered light bulbs sheltering here. It was way too windy for them to be outside, so they're taking a temporary respite until the summer returns.  I'm hoping it won't be long!

What have you been up to in your garden or greenhouse? Share your successes and more in the comments. 

Stylish brights & patterned tableware at the new Homesense store in Greenwich

OWL-TASTIC, AND JUST MY COLOUR

Exciting news, this week HomeSense finally moved into my area.

Dangerous news too for my purse, and MOH is already rolling his eyes at this news. No doubt he's resigned to the fact that it's now even more likely (and let's face it it was pretty likely before) that even more interior loveliness will find its way into our home.

While I was in the new store it would have been rude not to take a few pictures of their ranges, wouldn't it?  

It seems that right now I'm attracted to cushions, as I found myself drawn to them almost at every turn.  And if it's cushions you want then HomeSense have a great range, and one of the sales assistants today told me they also have a delivery every day...

I told you it was dangerous.

Yesterday it started with the owls. I was seriously tempted, before being sidetracked by the geometrics. I'm not sure why as I know the owls would be a better fit for our home, but well indecision struck.  

And these were in the window, it wasn't going to end well was it, or was it?

I turned away only to be met by these buddhas, calm was restored and these statues were considered too. But then again taking this larger gold one back to work on the bus might cause a few looks, maybe that's for another day.

I wandered and found myself in the lighting department at the back of the store and in front of this pink flamingo light.  Then I remembered that the lamp in my bedroom, which lights the mirror where I do my make-up had less than quietly gone pop recently, so I could leave with an ultra-practical purchase. I looked at the flamingo light again and I knew that even I would be struggling to badge this as an ultra-practical purchase.

Although I think everyone should consider a pink flamingo home accessory at least once in their life.

Resisting the practical choices for now I moved on throughout the store and promptly fell in love with this sofa, its pattern is very similar to one I saw in Totnes many years ago, which started a new sofa search. Up until now I hadn't realised HomeSense sold larger items of furniture - I think on previous visits to the Tunbridge Wells store I'd been so focussed on my mission of faux flowers and garden lights that I'd missed this all together. 

I did spot many grey and yellow colour combinations though, which is a combination I love - and if you hadn't noticed, I've also snuck plenty more cushions into this post with the photos above.  The photo below is much less subtle, but definitely no worse for it either.

The other thing that struck me as I walked around the new store on opening day was how easy it'd be to get organised with HomeSense, there were office organisers, wicker baskets for use just about anywhere and an aisle end display that was not only eye catching but clearly practical too.

NO EXCUSE TO NOT BE ORGANISED!

Also upstairs I discovered the most gorgeous tableware. I knew that if I hung around for too long it would be dangerous and (on this visit) I daren't even pick the pieces up and look at the prices as I'd be in that place where resistance is futile...

The willpower was strong on this visit - and I stuck to my gameplan, remember the bedroom lamp one?  Yes, the practical side was in evidence today, as I headed back downstairs to the stylish matt grey and brass lamp that had caught my eye earlier. It's not quite the pink flamingo light, but it's every bit as stylish in its understated way, and will be a massive boon for avoiding the mascara wand in my eye!

So thank you HomeSense, it's good to have you close by and it's safe to say I'll be back!

* This is a collaborative post but all views are my own

Softening our gabion seating area with plants

Right from the off, back in May when our plans were hastily redrawn after just happening to buy a pizza oven, I planned to have a second row of gabion baskets and plant them up with plants from our garden. MOH was less sure about this part of the plan, but as he wanted a pizza oven he went along with it.  I thought that adding at least a tonne of hardcore at the back of our garden would need some softening and I think the two photos below show that I was right.

GABION BASKETS INSTALLED AND FILLED, BUT STARK...

PART OF THE SECOND ROW OF GABION BASKETS PLANTED UP WITH FERNS, CROCOSMIAS, SEDUMS AND DIGITALIS

The difference is amazing isn't it? I'm pleased I persevered with this as not only did it help us lose some of the soil we've been collecting but it helps the new structure stand out less, which may seem an odd thing to say but it gives it a more natural feel. 

So how did I turn them into planters?

The answer is membrane. I could have used plastic but that's non-permeable and so they would eventually become like mini bog gardens, that's fine if that's the look you're going for, and if you're planting plants that like those conditions, but I wanted to use the plants that I'd displaced - the ferns, as well as some other plants from around our garden. Crocosmias seem to grow two a penny and I had a pot of those from where I laid some of the old patio paving slabs under the cherry tree. I'd also been collecting sedums and so those were destined for their too.  The final plant I wanted to include was a foxglove that was growing in a pot. Not the usual place for foxgloves but I wasn't sure if it was a weed or a plant (it was a plant) so had moved it there for observation. 

But first things first, membrane.

I cut two ultra-long lengths and used them to line the baskets in a cross form. I found that securing them with string worked well and quickly found a way to do this so the string was out of sight. On seeing them MOH said they looked like waste bins... Hmmmm.  With soil added, less so I think?

In went the plants, and more soil to top up the baskets. And as with any planting they got a good long water.

And they seemed to thrive. Even the foxglove that was moved while it was flowering seemed happy - phew. 

I'm a fan of dense planting and especially in this kind of space it's worked well. Nearly two months later and the plants have settled in really well, filling out and softening the space as I'd hoped. 

We've still a little more to do, as I want to add a further gabion basket planter on the end so that each of the three seats have plants behind them, but that's just finding the time to level the soil, line the basket and fill it with soil. I've a couple more ferns and crocosmias waiting to go into that space, so the plants are sorted.

I also want to line the three triangular spaces between the seats with membrane in the same way and plant those up with camomile, penny royal (a ground covering mint variety) and thyme, so that when you sit there and brush against the herbs you get a waft of scent too.  This, alongside sorting out the front of the baskets - I think it needs some kind of step - and then I'll happily declare this part of the garden finished.

What do you think?