Friday April 28th

Finally posted the pictures i took on my last day off.I was so tired today I fell asleep after my early shift and it was dark when i woke up.This is a snapshot of the garden on wednesday when it was sunny.
I bought a new trellis for the morning glories, made a mini loop for some indoor morning glory sunrise serenade.My mum used to have a flowering jasmine that grew around a loop every year despite looking dead, i was always tidying up dead and diseased leaves.The morning glory loop is three green sticks with string tied between them.Four morning glory plants will wrap themselfs around the stick then cross acrobat like over the string.Once it has grown it should cover the actual home made loop.
I didn't photograph it because its experimental.I did get more little pots for transplanting the sunflowers into individual pots.Fourteen plants now (Chelsea snapped the head off one the little devil).
The morning glories are doing fabulous.Like i said i have a wooden trellis for some of them, and an enormous sevenfoot high looping arch.Alas it needs assembling before i can work out just how big it is.I think it will be a permenant structure in the garden but the plants that climb it will change.
The lilac tree looks really healthy now so i guess the roots have found their feet, and the grass i relayed has covered them from weed attack.
There has been a dandelion explosion.Im loathe to cut the grass because of all the buzzing insects and bee's that might visit.I deliberately left long grass in places for nature reserve.Little oasis's in my garden plan.
The ladybirds have gone mad.Last year i saw one or two, this year its about twenty or thirty.I need to send them to Alameda for Clares garden.Her roses were being attacked by aphids.My ladybirds would demolish them in two ticks!!
I got three trailing Fuschias.Mat (stepson) has promised to put bracket in house wall so i can make a hanging basket.I have:
1) trailing dark eyes
2)trailing Aunty Jinks
3)trailing Marinka
They are beautiful healthy specimins with good root growth, nice leaves.I have them in kitchen whilst awaiting my hanging basket bracket.
On wednesday it was so hot my snapdragons started to droop.I did emergency watering.I guess the clay soil drys out so quick the top few inches.Any plants get their water supply cut off and droop.Last years failed sunflowers kept sagging then taking water up, then sagged untill they expired!!
The japenese maple seem happier under the front room window.Im debating about a screen on either side to stop the wind blowing them too hard, but i think it is relatively sheltered in comparison to the other exposed garden areas.
I posted a nice photo of the view from the hillside to give people an idea of the elevation.Every garden has local conditions to contend with.Mine is wind, clay soil, slugs, snails, bindweed, dandelions, family damaging the plants with footballs etc, and being tired from work to keep on top of garden.With watering and weed control etc.
Last year it got too much at times and i swore blind i would have shrubs that need cutting twice a year.However springtime has got into my blood and im full of the joys...
Hence new plants, repositioning oldones, bulbs, seeds, new trellis and ornamental metal arch.I keep thinking of an ideal garden.
More post tomorrow.Too much work over next six days!!