Plants, Paint charts and kids coming home for summer

Monday was a busy day in sunny weather. I washed and cleaned out my car, yes I did, all hoovered and tidied out. It's had more washed and tidies in the seven months I've been off than the four years I've had the car! I weedkilled the garden, just the weeds though it's not that bad, honest. Then I walked me and Bracken, we didn't get as far as the village as the farmer was moving his sheep, still three miles is a fine walk. In the afternoon I went with David to inspect a tree in Edinburgh for bat roosts, it was nice to be driving about in the sun. We then drove through to Kilsyth to buy some "buy me now" plants for the nursery next week. It was strange walking around the wholesaler buying plants for my own business instead of tagging along for a look with a previous employer. While there we met Belinda from Shades of Green Garden design. She does a lot of work with hilly, exposed gardens, turning them into interesting and great looking gardens. Her before, during and after photos on Facebook are always interesting. It was good to have a quick catch up chat.

Some lovely flowering plants for the nursery

Last time I was in the DIY store I picked up a pile of paint colour charts for the shed / office / shop at the nursery. I love turquoises, pale greens and duck egg blues, so am drawn to pale versions of those, I know the look I want and am excited about creating it, though that will probably be an autumn winter job.

Colour, colour everywhere

Love these colours

Tuesday was sunny again, though I spent the morning indoors cleaning the house, well it won't do itself unfortunately. In the afternoon I escaped the house and at last got the bean poles up in the veg bed at the top of the garden where they will get plenty sun and light. It was great to get a bean wigwam up again and the two varieties of runner beans planted. This year I have grown 'Scarlet Empire' and 'Painted Lady', to be honest I grow them as much for the flowers as the beans! I also planted sweet peas amongst them, 'Beaujolias' and 'Cathy' for some colour and scent.

Putting up the bean poles

Getting in a knot

Twisted beans

All planted

I earthed up Daniel's tatties and watered the greenhouses, it has been quite dry for a while so I put the sprinkler on the moving pots and troughs. At last I got the Gaura lindheimeri seedlings planted in the prairie beds, I'm looking forward to seeing this in flower through the summer, with their red marked foliage they make a great addition to any border. I also took quite a few photos of plants coming into flower and new leaves emerging.

Anemone trulifolia

The large Rhododendron in the front garden

Dodecathion meadia

Well I guess two days of sunshine was not bad and on Wednesday it was back to rain, and lots of it. It was much needed though and it was that great soaking rain which is great for the plants. I did the ironing in the morning and then David and I went food shopping in the afternoon. We met eldest son to pass on some paper work for selling his motorbike, now he's passed al his tests, he is buying a bigger one! Gulp, worried Mum moment.

Echinopsis chamaecereus in the greenhouse

Epimedium pinnatum ssp. Colchicum foliage

Ferns and whitebells

Thursday was all about sunshine and showers, and when it rained it really rained. I had a lazy morning ready a really good book then after lunch drove into Glasgow to bring middle son and all his "stuff" back from his student flat. Can't believe that's his first year at uni over already, it took seven trips up and down two flights of stairs (my exercise for the day) and we were really stuffing things in the car at the end, but it all fitted and we made it home to then have to unload it all at the other end. I always love having my boys home, even if they bring masses of washing and stuff with them.

You can always tell when a student is home!

It's been another busy week, we got lots done but it has been frustrating too as the nursery sale is not going to be through for next Monday when we hoped to take over. Hold ups with lawyers, paper work and so on, so frustrating, and at this time of writing we have no idea when we will take over. But onwards and upwards, more time to plan and be ready to take over, we've got so many exciting ideas. Tomorrow we are away to do a weekend of bat surveys on a site on the west coast, leaving our trusty house sitters in charge of the animals, or is that the animals in charge of the house sitters? It's a fascinating site I visited with David last autumn, but I'll leave that for a blog next week. There is no WIFI, limited internet access so I'll be offline for a few days, that sounds quite good, back to basics.

Have a great weekend and I'll leave you with a few more plant photos from the garden.

Hosta 'Minuteman'

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Double Ranunculus

Riot of colour in the greenhouse