Paddy's Garden, a quick walk around

[Paddy Tobin]

Ah, Angie, the removal of brown leaves in the dieramas is a job Mary believes suits me better and so always leaves it to me. I settle down beside each clump and pull the brown leaves out one by one - simple, effective, relaxing if done in the right frame of mind but it is a slow job. One year, when not in the right frame of mind, I took a hedge clippers and cut all dieramas completely to the ground. They recovered and grew away the following year.

A few more photographs. (Maggi, I didn't put a list of names with the post as they are only view of the garden. The plants shown are  not the best for  viewing. )

Paddy

Edit by maggi: Paddy, I stillthink it might be useful for folks to be able to find the pix if they are searching for how hardy a plant may be etc......
Malus floribunda 20100110.jpg
Mary's snowdrop bed 20100110.jpg
Melianthus major 20100110.jpg
Middle arch 20100110.jpg
Papyrus in pond 20100110 (3).jpg

[Paddy Tobin]

Moving along.

Papyrus in pond 20100110.jpg
Patio 20100110.jpg
Pot 20100110.jpg
Red Cabbage 20100110 (2).jpg
Red Cabbage 20100110 (3).jpg

[Paddy Tobin]

Some more cabbages and ... sorry, no kings - well, the king of this garden, our dog, Sid.


Red Cabbage 20100110.jpg
Seat 20100110.jpg
Sid 20100110 (2).jpg
Sid 20100110 (6).jpg
Sid 20100110.jpg

[Paddy Tobin]

Mary was worried that our dog would be very cold with all the frost, ice and snow. Imagine her surprise when his favourite place during the cold weather was to lie on the frozen pond.

[Paddy Tobin]

And the last few. Paddy

Veg patch 20100110.jpg
Yucca 20100110 (2).jpg
Yucca 20100110.jpg

[maggiepie]

Paddy, your garden is still amazingly beautiful.
Can't believe the mahonia is about to flower.
Everything looks so interesting, I would love to spend an afternoon just wandering around your garden.

[David Nicholson]

Very nice indeed Paddy. I like your arches, did you concrete them in? I ask because I have to replace one of ours this year, so I'm told!!

[Arykana]

Paddy, your garden beautifull at winter time too! I just loved your photos

[Paddy Tobin]

Many thanks for the kind comments.

Helen, the mahonia will flower as soon as the weather warms up and has a lovely scent.

David, No, I didn't set these arches into concrete. Four sections of metal piping are driven into the ground after pilot holes have been made and the bases of the arch simply slide down into these. There are roses and clematis growing on them and I make sure to cut the clematis down down in autumn so as not to have something to be caught by the wind left there for the winter. They are very light but have lasted a good number of years without any difficulty. They are developing a bit of a list which is more obvious in the winter when they are bare but not noticeable in summer when the clematis cover them.

These arches come in kit form and were display models in a local garden centre until I advised the proprietor that they were beginning to look a little shabby and he parted with them at a very good price.

Paddy

[Ragged Robin]

Thank you so much for posting such wonderful photos of your garden in the snow Paddy - I hope you didn't get frost bite on your fingers taking so many shots in the cold, it's quite a problem when you want to use a camera in this weather!  The first shot of snow dog Sid is just fabulous I found myself staring at it for ages into those lovely eyes and snow decked furry head - a real winner of a portrait of a man's/woman's best friend (corrected myself for Mary) lying like a seal on the ice  

For me the Betula bark is an all time favourite and all the spiky leaves - was amazed to see the Yucca still fine in such cold weather    All the sculptural shapes are so satisfying to look at and the landscaping is shown off to perfection.

The red cabbage look incredibly tempting - wonderful for winter meals...do you have any special recipes for cooks corner as I cook them frequently in different ways?

[David Nicholson]

.............These arches come in kit form and were display models in a local garden centre until I advised the proprietor that they were beginning to look a little shabby and he parted with them at a very good price.

Paddy

Ah! a man after my own heart

[Paddy Tobin]

Robin,

Sid is most certainly an outdoors dog and never wishes to come into the house. He sleeps in the garage but, even there , prefers to sleep on the floor rather than on the nice bed we bought for him.

I have another birch in the garden which has very nice bark also. It is B. 'White Light' and is a cross between B. utilis jacquemontii and B. costata and so has a tawny shade to the bark.

Never any bother with the yucca here, manages our weather without bother but is the most nasty plant to work near as the tips of the leaves are lethally sharp.

Red cabbage - I have just one tried, tested and liked recipe which is a mixture of cabbage, onion and apple braised in the oven and is beautiful served with pork.

David, I am of the "make-do" school of gardening. A bargain is never to be passed up. I must take a photograph of my compost  bins - completely free!

Paddy

[angie]

Hi Paddy I to carefully picked the brown leaves of my dieramas but like you said its a bit time consuming so I was looking for the easy option, but wasn't sure if I would kill them. I looked back to see your Hydrangea plants in bloom as I remembered from your earlier posts how beautiful they were. Love the Yucca, has it ever flowered.

[Paddy Tobin]

Angie,

The yucca flowers most years though not this year, too wet maybe.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

A wonderful walk around Paddy and I'm pleased to hear Sid is an outside dog or I'd be nagging you to get the poor lad into the warm of the house. I hope you, yourself haven't got too cold while taking the pictures. Red cabbage and pickled pork hock soup would be the answer.