Topic: hello! Newbie here

[aquilegia]

Thought I'd say hello and introduce myself...

I'm fairly new to this gardening lark, being only in my third year of having my own garden, although I helped mum and gran out a lot as a child.

Hubby and I now have a small garden (I'm no good at guessing distances, but I think it's about 10m square), which is my domain - he does the digging and lifting!

It's gradually developing into an organic cottage garden wildlife haven and kitchen garden. (I'll post some pics when I get new ones!) Trouble is I already have grown out of it and want an allotment, although I really don't have time for it!

And as you can probably tell from my login, my favourite plant is aquilegia.

So tell me about your garden...

[Margaret]

Hi and welcome to our very friendly board.You will love it here with all the facilities Dan gives us to play with.My garden is nothing great but I too garden with wildlife in mind,as I have a nature pond with lots of frogs and newts all looking for slugs and other insects,and a lot of hungry birds.And as you can guess from my little pic,I love my fish in 2 big ponds.The plants and flowers have to take second place to the fish.
Where do you come from,and have you been on any othere boards before?

[mysticmog]

Hi Aquilegia...welcome to a4a...

I'm also pretty new to gardening, and took on a full sized allotment in September last year, as I live in a high rise and don't have a garden..

It's very very overgrown but clearing it has been really theraputic, and I'm at the stage where I have a couple of potential beds, which is great!  I'll actually have something growing in the spring...

Allotments - hard work, but dead rewarding, enjoy yours when you get it...

[budgiebreeder]

Hi and welcome.Aquilegia is on my favourites list too.

[rdak]

she's one of my favourite singers as well.
sorry, couldn't resist  ::)

[Mrs Ava]

Aquilegias grow wild in my garden and I love them.  They seed all over and I just yank out the ones that spring up in the wrong places.  Plus, I always have plenty to give away, and people are always willing to give them a good home, such elegant, blousy, tall flowers.  Love 'em!

Anyhows, now I have got that out of my system, welcome aquilegia.  Mad site full of crazy peeps who get in that chat room and natter the night away!   ;D  All good sorts really  ::).

Our garden, have no idea on size but it is long enough for me and the sprogs.  Kinda traditional really, deck and patio at the house, both of which are covered in pots all year long so there is hardly room to sit!  Flower beds wrap around a long wide lawn, in the middle of which stands a wonderful majestic weeping willow.  It is pruned regularly so it doesn't get out of control, but provides welcome shade over half the garden, which is just perfect for the kids.  Beyond the tree is a woodland area where I am planting fruit trees, anything and everything (I am useless at design, just like to grow things!)  Beyond the woodland bit is the kids play area where Ava (my hub) built the kids a fab 2 storey play house, I laid a lovely lawn for them to play on, and opposite that is my greenhouse and shed.  No pond yet, not whilst the kids are still young, but a water feature of sorts is on the cards.  As organic as I can possibly be, make all our own compost and recycle as much as we can.  My biggest problem is gradually, as I grow more and more, the lawn is shrinking!  I am in the process of stripping out all the lawn in the front garden and making that one big flower bed!

[budgiebreeder]

That is so like me EJ everytime that i acquire new plants i dig a bit more out.Ah well cest la vie.

[Doris_Pinks]

Welcome Aquilegia!
I only have one bit of lawn left!! Thought I had better leave something for the kids to play on, tho now they are getting older.the lawn may have to go!!
I too have a decking covered in pots and no where to sit! This overlooks my small garden, a small pond with little waterfall, leading onto a cottage garden bed. (loads of self seeding aquilegias!)On the right is my bench, and it is in a tropical type garden, lots of bright reds and oranges. Bottom of garden is a small lawn with kids swing and tiny vegey bit, small patio I built, which has my banana plant and other bits, and my greenhouse and shed. oh and a 1/2 barrel where we rescue our frogspawn to!  Sounds huge when I re read it.but it is only small!DP

[aquilegia]

such elegant, blousy, tall flowers.  

That is entirely unlike me then!

EJ your garden sounds gorgeous. I wish I had that much room! I'm not even bothering with a lawn in mine.

And Doris it sounds like you've packed a lot into a small space. I hope I can fit as much into mine.

Margaret - I'm a Beeb refugee. It's so dead over there now!

[ciaozzy]

Yo

just thought I'd say hi... I too and dead new to this gardening malarky and I love every single bit of it.. even the weeding and now the digging... which is dead easy this time around compared to last time....

Oz

xxx

[Garden Manager]

Hello Aquilegia welcome to the site.

Yes i know those plants as well.  Too well perhaps. I have the common type in my garden.  Nice flowers, but you have to watch them or they seed everywhere!  Just have to be quick with the ol' deadheading. Not complaining they are tough plants and make good groundcover/filler-ins while other plants get established. Semi evergreen in my garden too.

Know what you mean EJ about shrinking lawn.  Love plants, not so keen on lawns. Gradualy reducing them. Trouble is my garden is on a hill, so the grass does stop the soil from washing away in the rain! Front garden is the worst, mostly boring lawn. If it was flat I'd get rid of the grass altogether, and make a gravel garden, as it is so much warmer and sunnier than the back garden.

[eileen]

:DHi there,

Yet another defector ;D I was one myself just before Christmas! They are such a nice bunch over here and there are also a few familiar faces  who you'll no doubt recognise.

We call your namesake 'Granny's Bonnets' here and when my daughter was much younger she used to use the flowers as little hats for her flower fairy dolls. Nowadays the only bonnets she likes are the kind that lift up over car engines  ::)

My garden is an organic, wildlife garden and as such is probably too 'wild and woolly' for most folks  :-/ I love it though. I have a wooded area - mixed trees - fruit trees + willow, hazel, rowan
etc. 2 small ponds  and beds with flowers and fruit bushes, herbs and bulbs mixed together to make it look natural. I also have a lawn (good for blackbirds and thrushes) and a patio area (just for us humans) with pots of herbs, flowering bulbs, small shrubs and suchlike ,wooden benches and chairs (must buy a table some day) for drinking cuppas when you've tired yourself out! ;) ;) Overall the garden is approx 1/3 of an acre but I could do with it being at least twice that size again!!

Blimey I do go on, don't I? I'll shut up now - nice to have you on board - sorry about the pun  :-[ - Cheers Eileen.

[Gardengirl]

Hi Aquilegia - welcome :D

I have a largish front garden and smaller back garden which is a triangular shape.  The front garden has a large lawn (which like so many others is fast shrinking as I make way for more plants)  Front garden also has a copse area with small trees and shrubs, such as rhodedendrons, camelias, heathers, viburnum. Also quite a few lovely tall conifers, a couple of large hawthorns and a laburnum.  Loads of self-seeded aquilegias also. Back garden has a small lawn which I am afraid leaves alot to be desired in view of my two large dogs :(.  Also have a small pond with waterfall, stream and fountain.  

If you would like to see some of my garden I have a thread on the Gallery 'My Photos'.

I too am a defector from the Beeb - much more fun over here as they are a great bunch ;D

Look forward to hearing all your news.

[Palustris]

Hi Aquilegia. I have just got my late birthday present Coumbines by  Robert Nold. Some lovely pictures and lots of information. We just let them seed all over the place and throw away the unwanted. Good site this.

[Hot_Potato]

Hi Aquilegia....welcome to this brilliant group.....like mysticmog, I don't have a garden either and took on half an allotment at the end of October last year...I live in a flat  :'(.I don't post a lot on here at the moment....I'm re-learning the gardening skills....it's quite a while since I've done any proper gardening....but really enjoy reading all the topics.....

love your name too...and think you've inspired me to maybe grow a few of these lovely flowers on my lottie...H.P.