3 hours work for 2 pots - hmmm

That's a ratio of 90 minutes per pot. Admittedly, I did sand an old peeling paint terracotta pot to look older still (but better). Added to those 2 hours spent with the joys of the electric sander, I walked an hour's round trip to the hedge veg stall. You've never seen a brighter more sparkling sea, and more flowering paths on the way to buy maroon-coloured bedding plants to match the maroon Aeonium succulent.

Question - does only Guernsey have Hedge Veg stalls with honesty boxes?
ALSO - when did they become Hedge Veg stalls? We never had such snappy marketing speak for 'tomatoes sold on the hedge by Mrs Tostevin' when I was a kid.

AND - if I didn't actually buy Veg, but I bought plants and it wasn't on the Hedge but actually was on next to a beach slipway, do we need a new phrase? Bedding Plants on the Beach? Pots on the Slip?

What say ye merry guernsey gardeners?

Lizzie gets busy!

The geraniums in the stone well cum planter were all killed off by 'Feb 2nd 'Snow Day'. Some may have returned from the roots and short stems but frankly I enjoyed ripping them out. Pruning and cutting back is very therapeutic, even if you're not an overtly angry person it helps. Trust me.

So I have planted a mixture that hopefully will be a riot of pinks and reds, a coup of colour: upright Fuschia in the well centre, trailing fuschia for longterm and scarlet busy lizzies for this season's colour.

I hope lizzie gets busy soon as I'm excited to see how well she goes.

Shrub # 2 - Amelanchier Lamarckii

Next in line at 8pm on the clockwise planting compass and 2nd from the front when looking at the left border, I planted one of the few deciduous plants, Amelanchier Lamarckii - or Snowy Mespilus. A very beautiful, small, North American tree.

When I planted it, it had pink edged leaves, and currently it leafless with the fine shoots making a satisfying, dense shape.

I'm told that Autumn is the perfect time for container grown trees to thrive. So I dug a wide hole, twice the size of the pot and slightly deeper. The soil was nice and loose with all my digging. After putting the tree in the centre, I made sure the top of the rootball was level with topsoil. I then filled the hole with a compost and soil mixture. I should have pressed more firmly, as when i watered it, the spil level dropped so I had to clear away the mulch bark chipping from the top and add more soil, and cover with bark mulch once again.

All good so far.

A few weeks later, Dear Husband started to worry that Puppy had chewed off all the leaves but I reassured him that this was meant to happen in November. It's still standing, so Spring will show how well it likes the soil, position and my planting techniques. I'm looking forward to its white star-shaped flowers unfolding and its summer berries.