Around the garden

Yesterday I got out into the garden and pruned, weeded, cleared and tidied for hours! And after all that, I only managed to clear the 'secret path', weed the beds round the house and tidy the front beds, oh and prune the wisteria that goes round our side deck. It didn't feel like much for all the hard work.
I always think that the garden looks quite messy at this time of the year. There are leaves everywhere, but this work has definitely made it look a lot better.


This is the secret path - only it's not so secret anymore as you can actually see it. Planted along here are dwarf rhoddys, a huge hibiscus tree that I pruned a LOT, some dwarf Australian frangipani,  lavender, a castor oil plant ( I used to have one as an indoor plant in the uk - who knew they could grow so huge!) and various other bits and bobs. At the front there's a couple more hibiscus, a couple of camillias, a 'snow ball' tree and now, a large space - I'm thinking I might put in a yukka. The big ones are sprouting baby ones and it seems a shame not to make use of free plants!
If you want to plant one of the baby's that sprout out the sides all you do is slice it off as near the stem of the main plant that you can, peel off a few of the lower leaves and basically stick it in the ground. I've done this loads of times and have had a 100% success rate. Every single one has taken.

This is actually my rose bed, but you can't really tell, as they're all pruned right down for winter. In the background is one of the yukkas. Last year it was a teeny tiny thing, now it's got lots of babies. There's also more dwarf frangipani, lots of hibiscus, a few more camillias - red and pink ones, a little lavender border, and lots of bulbs that are beginning to pop up. There's daffodils, fresias and lots of bluebells. The bluebells were there already and are proving impossible to move. I love them and want them around, but not in this bed! Last year I managed to dig a whole lot out and put some in a big garden pot ready to give to a friend. Then I forgot about them. Now they are sprouting in the pot, which I totally love! So I'm going to do more this year.
Often the best things happen by accident.

See the hedge that runs along the back. This is my nemesis! I dislike it intensely. This is where I want my white picket fence to go. I've been saving up for it, but every time I reach almost enough we need the money for something else, something more important and necessary, not a pretty fence... one day.

It's a pretty lovely morning, we started with blue skies, then a wee shower which gave us the rainbow, and now 5 minutes later it looks like this!

...and the things I do to get photos! All pics taken while still in pj's and slippers!

Tonight I'm cooking - oh woe is me. I've been watching Jamie's  30 minute meals on tv. We also have the book. And all I can say is - lovely recipes but 30 minutes - my arse.
I've made quite a lot from this book and never once got it to less than an hour! But the recipes are incredibly easy to follow, so I'm not complaining. Tonight I'm going to make the summer veg lasagne, cos it's winter and I'm a rebel that way! Wish me luck!