Hello to everyone from Derbyshire !

[Nigel Fear]

Welcome aboard Neil, judging by your excellent garden pictures, it'll be us lot here picking your brains.
Thanks for showing them.

[neil22]

Here's a few more pictures I have taken today, im sorry about the quality of the pictures, my camera is not fantastic.



Yes we have our own real life jungle parrot, he's a African Grey called Graham.



My deceased tree ferns









As you can see, things are still under construction even after 11 years.

[neil22]

Wow, saw the first pic and I thought OMG this aint good, how wrong was I? I love your garden, great hard landscaping, which is the backbone to all good garden designs, lovely old bricks and railway sleeper path, all very nice not to mention some wonderful planting. You will have that knocked back into shape in no time .

I am guessing that first pic was going to be a pond with island in the middle, maybe wrong

Thankyou very much for the comments Trudy, Good guess, but I was thinking of having a round brick planter sticking through the middle of the decking, but then I decided not to in the end as it would have taken up too much room on the decking which would have defeated the whole idea of the decking.
My mate used to call it Tracy Island

[Bob]

I like your layout and planting Neil.
Shame about your tree ferns, who could have predicted the winters we have recently had though, did they have any protection? Managed to get mine through with a few handfuls of fallen leaves stuffed in the crown.

What a good looking boy Graham is. does he talk?

[neil22]

I like your layout and planting Neil.
Shame about your tree ferns, who could have predicted the winters we have recently had though, did they have any protection? Managed to get mine through with a few handfuls of fallen leaves stuffed in the crown.

What a good looking boy Graham is. does he talk?

Hi Bob, No is all my own fault mate, I didn,t wrap them this year, Ive been a bit distracted from my garden for a year or two but Im on a mission to bring back up to scratch.
Oooo yes Graham talks alright,along with all his noises, copying the dogs barking down the road, the phone, kids screaming, you name it, He would drive you mad, he does me anyway, especially when I've been on nights

[Bob]

Look forward to seeing your garden develop now you've got your mojo back. Always fancied getting a parrot or exotic bird, but as you say they don't know when to stop talking, bit like the missus really.

[bobbyd44]

looks great.. love the different levels allowing more plants overhead.. great job

[neil22]

Look forward to seeing your garden develop now you've got your mojo back. Always fancied getting a parrot or exotic bird, but as you say they don't know when to stop talking, bit like the missus really.

I know where your coming from mate, the problem is they dont just copy what you say they even sound like you, so even when the missis is out, the parrot sounds like the missis, so imagine that and think hard before you get one, they live for around 60 years.


Thankyou Bobbyd44

[GoggleboxUK]

Excellent work there Neil, certainly a little overgrown in parts but I like that jungly feel.

I don't think you need any advice really, just inspiration. I find that if you keep up with the posts on a daily basis here then it's like the best plants come and find you while you're joining in and having fun.

[Tom2006]

It looks great even now, as has been said the hard landscaping is very unique and very nice! A splash of colour with some summer bedding and a few new tree ferns and its better than ever!

What was your lowest temp. last winter as I know Derbyshire can vary enormously.

[neil22]

Excellent work there Neil, certainly a little overgrown in parts but I like that jungly feel.

I don't think you need any advice really, just inspiration. I find that if you keep up with the posts on a daily basis here then it's like the best plants come and find you while you're joining in and having fun.

Thankyou Googlebox, Yes I know what you mean, I think its already happening, I just had a little delivery this morning, got a T'rex off ebay after reading about them on here, I've never had one before, I can remember searching for one of these years ago and gave up.
So I have something new already, it don't look much of a monster at the moment in its tiny little pot, but Im sure I'll have them big leaves out in no time with a bit of Tlc

[neil22]

It looks great even now, as has been said the hard landscaping is very unique and very nice! A splash of colour with some summer bedding and a few new tree ferns and its better than ever!

What was your lowest temp. last winter as I know Derbyshire can vary enormously.

Thankyou for the comments Tom, yes a little colour is needed I agree mate, I did used to have quite a few canna's in the past, I really like them, never had any gingers, so I may have a go with some of them.
As for the temp, I would say it was around the -10 mark, dont know exactly but it was bad, really bad, not known it to be that cold in years, the ice on our road took weeks to thaw.

[neil22]

Just got back from my holiday in cornwall, stayed in Marazion just outside Penzance, Its the first time I've ever been to cornwall, well tell a lie I went there as a kid, but can't remember it.
I was blown away with the plants they have down there, everywhere you look its fantastic, we had a day at the Lost gardens of Heligan, what a place, never seen anything like it and the garden centres are crazy, went to Hardy exotics, I was like a kid in a sweet shop, all I kept saying to the missis was "why didn,t we bring the van" honest to god if I had gone down there in the van I would have spent a thousand quid
I managed to cram a couple of little uns in the boot, got a couple of succulents, didn't have room for owt else
Took quite a few pics of the plants and gardens etc, so I,ll put some on here when I get chance, what a place!

[Tom2006]

Exactly the same thoughts as me when I went to cornwall five years ago. Amazing place! If I don't leave the country when I retire cornwall will probably be my next choice