Since my last six in September there has been progress – just about enough to share six things.

Lawn

Grass isn’t my favourite plant but it seems inevitable in this garden that there will be some. This area was laid last Easter and now it could double for the Somme. What’s going on? Are the worms partying or blackbirds doing the worm dance or something else? What can I do about it? All advice welcome.

Patio

I put this screen up to provide some privacy – the location of the french doors now gives excellent line of sight into neighbour’s bedroom windows. I was hoping for a modern, dare I say trendy vibe but I think it’s closer to prison yard! Hopefully some climbing plants will soften the look. The posts are now in place for the sun awning and I just need to finish off the slats for the sake of symmetry!

Sarcophagus

The planter has been planted. The jasmine and floribunda rose, Champagne are Sarah Raven sale bargains and the witch hazel Arnold Promise (I only went to the garden centre for some compost) I need to give some thought to the trailing element – maybe erigeron karvinskianus – I have a tray grown from seed and or some thyme or a bit of both.

North border

I added lots of bulbs in this border and Mr and Mrs Squirrel enjoyed the gourmet platter. They missed these three bluebells. There is quite a lot of frost damage but rootling around the brown stems I spy the beginnings of green shoots. The hydrangea in the foreground of the first shot is one of the hardiest plants I’ve met; it was one of only two herbaceous plants in the garden when I moved in and was toughing it out with couch grass and bindweed. It was completely ignored during the year of the building works and last May I moved it so the storm-damaged fence could be replaced. It was thoroughly frosted in December and on and off ever since and still it sprouts. I’m still waiting for it to flower – this could be its year.

Persicaria – cousin to Japanese Knotweed

The flowers are delicate and pretty – who knew it had such badly behaved relatives! I’ve planted it with mild trepidation and hope it won’t become a rampant spreader. It looks so innocent with just the one leaf unfurling…

The herbaceous border of dreams

Ok – there is work to do but at least there are plants in the ground. Peckingham Palace has moved from the allotment and it seems to be much more appreciated here or rather I can watch the comings and goings. There is the usual assortment; sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, robin, pigeons, starlings and parakeets. I was very impressed to see a spotted woodpecker drilling into the fat balls. Between them and the squirrels who sit in the mesh tray to help themselves from the seed-feeder (they look too cute to shoo away!) they are getting through a huge amount of fat balls and seed.

That’s my six so the pergola update will have to wait for a week or two. I also need to come up with a more attractive labelling system. What works for you? Wood, slate, copper, memory?

Remember to stop by Jim’s Garden Rumination to catch up with his and all the other sixers.