forzaitalia

Show us your gardens!

Sonia
3 years ago

Hi all, I’d love to see a shot of your gardens, not so much close up of flowers, but more of a favourite part of the garden. This rain has really brought my garden to life after such a dry spring. This is most of my garden (it’s not big!) in the rain today. 🌸

Comments (104)

  • greenbird177
    3 years ago

    Gorgeous.... what are the plants in large plant pots???

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Wow lots of amazing gardens, thank you!


    Lisa - your happy place is beautiful.


    Emma - lovely garden and who doesn’t love sage green in the garden!


    hil75 - beautiful garden, better than a swimming pool! Love your paving.


    Denise - gorgeous, a perfect outdoor room.


    Delyth - great idea, it means you can get out there whatever the weather.


    HU - what a transformation - love your stonework.


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  • pdando
    3 years ago

    May favourite place for a morning coffee at the top of the garden.

  • Carolina
    3 years ago

    Very idyllic :-)


  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Beautiful.

  • E D
    3 years ago

    That’s lovely, pdando.

    I like a bit of blue in the garden...



  • E D
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    And a bit of pink...



    and orange...


    😊😊


    Sorry Sonia, close ups of flowers ☺️

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    That’s okay E D I’ll let you off. That orange is stunning 😊

  • Victoria
    3 years ago

    Dutch orange 😂🙄😉👍🏻

  • Angela Haggart
    3 years ago

    My parents’ garden. Both in their eighties and this is only part of it. Keeps them both fit!

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @Patrina there was a beautiful garden on Gardeners World tonight created by a Jamaican lady in Wales, of all places. She built it to remind her of home. It was stunning. It was about 50 minutes in. Worth a look. Hope you are okay 🌸


  • Patrina
    3 years ago

    Oooh I have to check to see if I can get it on catch up. Thanks @Sonia

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Angela their garden is lovely! I envy older people who still garden so much as I’m very limited what I can do due to arthritis, but my OH does all the heavy work now.

  • Evelyn Moorkens
    3 years ago

    My garden

  • Mandy Ross
    3 years ago

    @Evelyn Moorkens what a beautiful quilt ❤️

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @Evelyn Moorkens beautiful array of colours in your garden, and I agree the quilt is stunning!

  • Evelyn Moorkens
    3 years ago

    Thank you so much!

  • E D
    3 years ago

    Evelyn, all those flowering plants, fantastic!

    Must take quite a watering regime! 🙂

    Is that a ‘wild garden’/meadow area at the back? Nice.

  • alyson38
    3 years ago

    What a great post. Some of my favourite aspects of my garden...









  • Angie
    3 years ago

    This is our garden. The fence round the pond is necessary or the heron has a snack! We lost 2 large koi a couple of winters ago. 😢 We’re lucky to have a field at the end of the garden and have removed some fence panels to make the most of the view. We’ve spent hours out here in lockdown and love our garden.

    The fruit patch has yielded copious quantities of raspberries, redcurrants, and blackcurrants this year, and the rhubarb is still going strong. The cut flower patch is not as good this year, hidden behind the trellis on the right, but have had some flowers indoors.

    Have enjoyed seeing all your garden pics, thank you.

    Angie

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    You have a stunningly gorgeous garden Angie! I know what you mean about herons, they can empty a fish pond pretty quickly. I have a small raised pond with goldfish in it and they are my babies. As soon as I go up there they go crazy because they know mummy feeds them! How sad am I 😊 How lucky to have a deck over a river too. I too have enjoyed looking at everyone’s garden from the tiniest courtyard to acres. I love it all 🌸

  • E D
    3 years ago

    Yes Sonia, Queen of Houzz, you know how to start a good thread and keep it going. Nice one! 👌

    I’m not necessarily a royalist, but in this case I’m happy to be a subject. 😄

    Sonia thanked E D
  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Sorry Alyson and Angie, I got your posts mixed up. Poor old dear having a senior moment! Alyson has the river deck not Angie......😱


    Haha arise Sir E D! 😂





  • Angie
    3 years ago

    Sonia, I thought you were referring to more than one garden! 😂 And I know what you mean about feeding the fish. Whenever we go near the pond they congregate in the corner, mouths gaping. Our granddaughters love to see and feed them too. 🐟 And thank you for your kind comments. 😊

  • GJ Dee
    3 years ago

    So many beautiful gardens. Ours is like a building site. Angie, it would be nice to see the fruit plots as well as I am interested in setting up some beds, if you have any photos please.

  • mattweeksdj
    3 years ago

    these are all looking great. interested to know how you planted all of your shrubs? they all look close and fill the beds, did you plant them this way or have they grown to fill the space? desperate for that mature looking garden feel.

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Hi Matt, with my garden it evolved. Everything was planted at different times with pretty small plants. We left a bit of space around each plant, say 10-12”, but they soon spread and fill the gap. Tall shrubs will need more space. It is trial and error and I have had failures. If I end up with gaps I just go out and get more plants to fill them. If you want a more “instant” garden then plant flowers in threes or even fives and buy bigger specimen shrubs, but of course they will cost more. There is a gardening motto “Right plant, right place” so if you plant sun lovers in the sun and shade lovers in the shade, you’re halfway there!

  • Angie
    3 years ago

    GJDee, here are some pics of our fruit patch. It’s not really big enough, but it is productive. We have a redcurrant, blackcurrant and 2 shrub raspberry bushes, with 4 heads of rhubarb. It’s a bit wild just now! The self sown raspberry plants I’m cultivating for our daughter.

  • Angie
    3 years ago

    Matt, our garden too has evolved. Here are some photos taken just after it was planted and some taken today to show how things have developed. It looks a lot less busy in the spring as I cut lots back to keep it under control.

  • Davie Moloney
    3 years ago

    Not much to see in my garden at the moment. Moving into our new home in a few weeks. So many possibilities with a blank canvas. Love all the different gardens on this post.

  • Emma Lucy
    3 years ago

    @Davie Maloney That looks like a good sized garden, have you got a plan for landscaping & planting it yet?

  • Davie Moloney
    3 years ago

    Emma. Nothing concrete as yet. Some loose ideas around screening trees, decking etc

  • Leslie Tamani
    3 years ago

    Check the top soil is good
    Invest in some height giving plants/trees
    Think of bees and insects / drought resistance and low maintenance
    Raised hard landscape around decking - for bbq/pizza oven

  • Davie Moloney
    3 years ago

    Thanks Leslie. Some great suggestions in there. The bees are important and of course that bbq/ pizza oven. It’s going to be exciting

  • PRO
    The Custom Developer Ltd.
    3 years ago

    a garden I done for a client last week

  • Tani H-S
    3 years ago

    We are south facing and get the morning sun on the near patio first thing so it’s lovely sitting out for coffee before heading to work. And our small bird feeding station right next to it (where all the blackberries grow!) is my favourite spot. I can see them from inside

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Davie that’s a lovely big space, I’m jealous. Love the idea of a pizza oven!

    Custom Developer that’s a good bit of landscaping done and hopefully will be even better once the plants are in.

    Tani, what a lovely garden. I’m mad about wildlife and really love watching the birds feeding too. We’ve now got a resident hedgehog (well it visits!) so now have to buy food for her too! It’s like a scene from Snow White with all the wildlife visiting.....😊

  • E D
    3 years ago

    Haha Custom Designer, that’s not a garden (yet), that’s a garden space. 🙂

  • GJ Dee
    3 years ago

    Angie, thank you for showing me the fruit plots. They look amazing. Very healthy looking, too.

  • home_farm
    3 years ago

    Sunset over new vegetable garden. Have a tour if you’d like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdLIsw86yZo

  • Carolina
    3 years ago

    Who said vegetable gardens couldn't be beautiful! That's a very lovely one :-)

  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    I think I’m getting a little garden envy! Lovely veg garden home farm 🥬🥦🥕

  • home_farm
    3 years ago

    Thank you for the great comments Carolina and Sonia. Greatly appreciated.


    It's our first year as veg gardeners in our first ever veg garden so it's been a massive learning curve, but we're empowered with knowledge to improve things next year.

  • minnie101
    3 years ago

    Sonia (and all), can I ask for your help pretty please??

    I‘ve just bought 2 potted olives to put outside my door. They’re classed as young but the tallest is c8ft and the other c7ft and the trunk is quite thick with big crowns. The pots are 50 x50. I enquired re watering and was told to water at least 3 or 4 times a week During the summer and once in winter. I asked for the volume but was told no fast rule as just had to be kept moist and I can’t overwater (my concern) due to drainage holes (Although the pots aren’t on feet). Problem is how do I know if it’s moist at the bottom and I also thought young olives shouldn’t have waterlogged roots? They‘re also full of olives btw.

    Any help would be appreciated. I thought I’d try and take advantage of all the gardeners on one post!! I could go back to the company obviously but feel like I’m going back with contradictory advice just from the net and They’re expert growers..



  • Sonia
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Hi Minnie, i hope I can help! I’ve never attempted olive trees as they’re not always that hardy in the uk during the winter. They do better in the ground (as do most trees) but I do remember they need regular watering during the summer when it’s dry if they are in a pot. What I do with my pots is give them a good soak every other day. If it’s raining heavily then you can have a day off! When a tree is in the ground it’s roots will search for water so copes better with the heat, but in a pot it can’t do that so needs more watering.

    If you have a greenhouse or conservatory then put them in there over winter.

    I find the RHS website very informative and they will tell you the truth about a plant, unlike some sellers! It’s my bible. 😊

  • Pat Auld
    3 years ago

    I have olive trees in pots. One close to the house, I live in the south East and two at my holiday home on the Kent coast. I brought one back from the South of France many years ago and they warned me it may not like the Uks climate, but they are hardier than you think.
    I water the one at home more regularly than the other 2 as I don’t visit Kent so often. They can survive drought but just water them more often in hot weather. I also feed them occasionally. They have all produced olives.
    I should think if they are in Avery cold exposed place you may need to wrap some fleece round them in the winter.
    Good luck Minnie. I’m sure they’ll be fine

  • tamp75
    3 years ago

    I have to say, mine is in a pot and watered when I remember - maybe every few days in the summer when it’s hot but it could be a week or more the rest of the time. It’s outside now all the time but close to the house. I thought I’d lost it when we had them beast from the East’ a couple of years ago & the whole pot froze solid but I brought it in for a few days & luckily it survived. They are more hardy than people think. The only problem I had when I used to have it in the greenhouse was scale insects so look out for them if they start to look a bit miserable.

  • minnie101
    3 years ago

    Thank you 😊 everyone. They’re in a sheltered south facing position (well other than the wind we had on the delivery day 😂). I’ve been on RHS Sonia but it doesn’t really give volumes unfortunately. The soil was moist when they arrived so I gave them 2/3 of a can each yesterday but given the pot size no idea whether that reached the roots! I’ve had an olive before but it wasn’t given much love ☹️ I thought it died during the heatwave last year so it hasn’t been touched but new lower branches have grown (although the crown is bare!). I just wanted to care for these ones properly although me and gardening do not mix!

    PS forgot to say, beautiful gardens everyone

  • Pat Auld
    3 years ago

    https://www.olivegroveoundle.co.uk/olive-tree-care/

    Minnie I found this which gives quite detailed info. I think in general terms they don’t like to be waterlogged and will survive drought but perform better if given some regular water. Hope this helps

  • minnie101
    3 years ago

    Thanks Molly. It’s a tricky one with olives knowing what conditions they grow in in Italy!

Ireland
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