Wednesday 31 August 2011

CCTV

Husband spent ages today setting up CCTV so no one comes onto our property now without getting eyeballed. It's colour and almost as good as TV. picture-wise. I can sit and watch birds in back garden and my dawg nosing around awww

Always shop around !

Forest Garden's RRP for their Classic arch is £139.99 http://www.forestgarden.co.uk
In their sale Kaleidoscope has it priced at £160 saving £30 http://www.kaleidoscope.co.uk
I bought mine from ASDA for £99 and that's the normal non-sale price ! http://direct.asda.com



Andrew' s garden blog - vegetable garden gardening grow your own sustainable eco environmentally friendly seeds potatoes beans peas

Andrew' s garden blog - vegetable garden gardening grow your own sustainable eco environmentally friendly seeds potatoes beans peas
It's not coastal but worth reading, from one of the people behind Hen and Hammock.

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Phew !

Last three days, have been working in the garden with my husband. We have a long long to do list. So far we have
painted and erected an arch
removed overgrown mint, lemon balm and parsley
weed-burned the terrace
staked three fennels
disassembled a gas barbecue
taken scrap to the scrap merchants
planted oregano and rosemary
pruned fig tree, taken cuttings
taken mint and sage cuttings
chucked slug pellets over everything
chucked Growmore over lots of stuff
pruned neighbour's overhanging ceanothus
dug up rhubarb, put in big pots for our mothers
removed redundant wiring from back of house
moved garden furniture about
and basically knackered ourselves


Sunday 28 August 2011

The Big August Tidy Up

Today, I've helped my husband prune the grape vine so that any slight glimmer of sun can get at the grapes. The old wood gets used for kindling for our log fire in winter. I read that fig wood can be burned too as long as it is dried well. I don't know whether fig sap is supposed to be an irritant but it sure made me itch. My parents bought us a gas barbecue a few years ago and husband managed to break it. We spent about an hour disassembling it and it will go to the scrap merchants. I've left an ant trap by the fig tree, pulled up a load of mint and disassembled an old cast iron barrel BBQ which was rusting. The To Do list runs to two pages so must crack on ..

Samphire Hoe open day - Samphire Hoe - Visit Kent - E&A Details

Samphire Hoe open day - Samphire Hoe - Visit Kent - E&A Details

Not the End of the Pier Show - Herne Bay Museum and Gallery - Visit Kent - E&A Details

Not the End of the Pier Show - Herne Bay Museum and Gallery - Visit Kent - E&A Details

Saturday 27 August 2011

Beachwatch 18 September 2011 Dover

Marine Conservation Society Beachwatch
Shakespeare Beach, Dover 1000 - 1400
18 September 2011
Meet Lord Warden Square Dover 10am
Paul Sampson 01304 241806 or 07773 619121

Beachwatch, Rye Harbour 17 September 2011

Marine Conservation Society Beachwatch
Rye Harbour car park TN31 7TU
Lucy Balmforth RNHR.office@eastsussex.gov.uk

10.00am Saturday 17 September 2011

Reculver walk

Reculver walk

BBC - Gardening - TV and radio

BBC - Gardening - TV and radio
Link to all national BBC TV and radio gardening programmes and where to find local radio ones

Beekeeping - "So you think you'd like to keep bees!"

Beekeeping - "So you think you'd like to keep bees!"
Truro College, for those not scared by them

Getting your garden ready for winter

Getting your garden ready for winter

Truro College September 2011

Getting your garden ready for summer

Getting your garden ready for summer
Truro College 2012

Northbrook College: | Course Details

Northbrook College: | Course Details
Northbrook College's Broadwater campus in Worthing has a Gardening for Beginners course part-time day, starting in February 2012

Friday 26 August 2011

At the garden centre - a glossary from FrenchEntrée.com

At the garden centre - a glossary from FrenchEntrée.com

The nine gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Côte d’Azur

The nine gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Côte d’Azur

Botanical Garden of Saint Nazaire - Saint Nazaire (44600) - Loire-Atlantique - Pays-de-la-Loire - France

Botanical Garden of Saint Nazaire - Saint Nazaire (44600) - Loire-Atlantique - Pays-de-la-Loire - France

Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France

Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France
English available on website about notable parks and gardens in France.

Beach Hut of the Year Competition

Beach Hut of the Year Competition

Seaside Frolics (1987) : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Seaside Frolics (1987) : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Thursday 25 August 2011

Gardening on the cheap

Though I would always advocate buying healthy plants grown with care in nurseries, there are times when we need to buy cheaper plants and in my view gardening shouldn't be something elitist and expensive. I do think it should be stylish and creative however.




From top:
White Grecian urn vase, Oxfam; lemon-scented geranium, Lidl
Marrow in Lamb and Ewe Feed bucket, Brede
Old milking buckets, Brede
Shed, Lenham




Oleander and mint

Sounds like an ice cream, but since oleander is poisonous, you'd die.. here's the frost-damaged oleander that had to be pruned back to almost nothing, putting on new growth..

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Potting bench update

Sometimes, dealing with customer service departments is a real pain, and here's an example.

My potting bench from Woolworths didn't turn up. I went online, tracked my order and found that it had been sitting in a nearby depot for five days. I called and after the usual banal music, I got the usual not-very-interested-in-my-5000th-customer-of-the-day customer services agent/executive/assistant. The bench was delivered but you weren't there she told me. I was, but rearranged delivery. Delivery day came and went and bench still showing that it's held at local depot.

Call again and got told this time that the bench was damaged when it arrived at the depot, so it didn't get sent out and has been waiting eight days to go back to the warehouse. Can you send me a replacement ? No, I'm told, you have to buy another one and then when the damaged one comes back, we'll refund you for the original one.

ETA for new bench 1st September, estimated time of refund for damaged bench ordered 5 August, 5 September. We'll see..




Weed burner..

I've been nagging my husband to weed the terrace (patio doesn't sound common to me, but it does sound verrrry Seventies) for absolutely ages and he has been wanting to use a weed burner and looking everywhere. He told me that sooner or later, Lidl would have one. So I got up early and dashed down there at 0800 to make sure I got it.. and ended up with an extra canister, 12 lavendula augustifolia, and a telescopic lopper as well.

Still not sure letting husband loose with a live flame is a good idea..

New previously taken pix Folkestone

Found these..
copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Lavender

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Four boxes of Lavendula augustifolia 2.99 per box, Lidl

Monday 22 August 2011

No More Fish in the Sea t–shirt - KATHARINE HAMNETT - Selfridges | Shop Online

No More Fish in the Sea t–shirt - KATHARINE HAMNETT - Selfridges | Shop Online
I've got a Katherine Hamnett Make Poverty History tshirt, I think it's fantastic that she uses fashion to prick our collective consciousness about social and environmental issues.

Herb Scissors — Cox & Cox, the difference between house and home.

Herb Scissors — Cox & Cox, the difference between house and home.
This seems like a safer alternative to chopping like the clappers with a big knife..herbs don't seem to mind being by the sea.. I grow Sweet basil, Greek basil, rosemary, fennel, bronze fennel, spearmint, apple mint, lemon balm, French tarragon, chives, French lavender, bay, curled parsley, flat leaf parsley, dill, savory and thyme

Welcome | Whitstable PIckle Co.

Welcome | Whitstable PIckle Co.
Proving that Whitstable isn't just oysters and blokes from Madness..

Welcome to Solley's Farms Real Dairy Ice Cream

Welcome to Solley's Farms Real Dairy Ice Cream
Yummy ice cream in Kent

Winchester Arbour - from elbecgardenbuildings.co.uk

Winchester Arbour - from elbecgardenbuildings.co.uk
Boat like arbour..

Harry's Bar Hanging Bird Table

Harry's Bar Hanging Bird Table
OK so it's too small for seagulls..

Gardeners Tool Shed

Gardeners Tool Shed
Cute little shed, got one, think I need a second one even though you can get lots in them !

Parisian bistro set rusty in a month

Bought a bistro set in the sale at http://www.ancestralcollections.co.uk for £99 reduced from £135. It is rusty already so parent company Scotts of Stow is arranging collection and refunding me. Disappointed cos it was a lovely green and chairs were really comfortable. Just hadn't been painted properly.

Sunday 21 August 2011

Hanging Garden Fence Plant Pot 2L at The Range

Hanging Garden Fence Plant Pot 2L at The Range
Like these .. in fact I've ordered the last 5 in stock, to fill with geraniums and hang on trellis.

99p Stores herb pack

Welcome to 99p Stores! 3 in 1 herb pack 99p

Greek basil

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Greek basil, sitting on top of an old beehive. My father bought it for a bargain £25 from a farmer in E Sussex and gave it to me. The very bottom bit is rotted  now, so husband will be taking the sections apart and repairing them over the winter.

Saturday 20 August 2011

Crosskeys Coaches

Crosskeys Coaches The Secret Gardens of Sandwich coach trip
9 September 2011

Coach trips with The Garden Centre Group

Coach trips with The Garden Centre Group

RHS London Autumn Flower Show

RHS London Autumn Flower Show Buzzlines Coach Trip
Wednesday 5 October 2011

Beth Chatto Gardens & The Ha'Penny Pier

Beth Chatto Gardens & The Ha'Penny Pier Buzzlines Day Trip By Coach
Thursday 22 September 2011

The Lost Gardens of Heligan: Heligan Online Shop: Product Information

The Lost Gardens of Heligan: Heligan Online Shop: Product Information
Verbena bonariensis seeds

Exotic gardens of Monaco, observatory cave and anthropology museum

Exotic gardens of Monaco, observatory cave and anthropology museum

I visited Monaco once and it felt like reality was suspended and I was on a Bond movie film set.

MNM UK launch Beat The Mozzy | The Sun |News|Malaria No More

MNM UK launch Beat The Mozzy | The Sun |News|Malaria No More

Bedgebury Dan in Chile

Bedgebury Dan in Chile

Tom Hart Dyke's Blog

Tom Hart Dyke's Blog

Land's End | Important Plant Areas | Wild plants | Plantlife

Land's End | Important Plant Areas | Wild plants | Plantlife

Dungeness & Rye Coastal Plain | Important Plant Areas | Wild plants | Plantlife

Dungeness & Rye Coastal Plain | Important Plant Areas | Wild plants | Plantlife

Dobbies in the community | Here we grow

Dobbies in the community | Here we grow

The Exotic Garden Blog | The Exotic Garden by Will Giles in Norfolk - Subtropical Plants in a temperate climate

The Exotic Garden Blog | The Exotic Garden by Will Giles in Norfolk - Subtropical Plants in a temperate climate

Alternative Eden

Alternative Eden garden blog

Plantlife

Plantlife Speaking up for the nation's wild plants

Gardeners Kneeling Pad Cup Of Tea - The Merchant Chandler

Gardeners Kneeling Pad Cup Of Tea - The Merchant Chandler

I lurve these :) The Merchant Chandler is one of my favourite shops. The Canterbury store has the whole range.

Friday 19 August 2011

Westland Chicken Manure Pellets - Chemicals - Gardening - Poundstretcher

Westland Chicken Manure Pellets - Chemicals - Gardening - Poundstretcher

BOGOF offer so 6 kilos organic chicken manure pellets for 5.99

Cheap as chips propagation

Those dark coloured plastic punnets come in a variety of sizes.. just find a transparent one for the top and stick a couple of suitably sized rubber bands round to keep them together once filled with compost and seeds.

3 Tier Greenhouse - Poundstretcher

3 Tier Greenhouse - Poundstretcher
Reduced from 11.99 to 9.99

I used one of these without the shelves over an oleander to protect it in winter.

Fair Trade wooden bird feeder : Ethical Collection : Oxfam's Online Shop

Fair Trade wooden bird feeder : Ethical Collection : Oxfam's Online Shop
Reduced from 5.99 to 1.79

Buy Large versailles planter box: Delivery by Crocus.co.uk

Buy Large versailles planter box: Delivery by Crocus.co.uk

a classic, 50% off in sale too !

bandq's Channel - YouTube

bandq's Channel - YouTube
B&Q How to Grow Herbs - Matt James

Welcome to the White Cliffs Countryside Project Page - Welcome to the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership

Welcome to the White Cliffs Countryside Project Page - Welcome to the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership
Hoping to get a speaker from here next year.

BTCV Online Shop

BTCV Online Shop
Bare root sea buckthorn for delivery November

BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Conflicts of interest

BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Conflicts of interest
Coastal management

BBC - BBC Two Programmes - Coast

BBC - BBC Two Programmes - Coast

COUNTRYSIDE AND COASTAL

COUNTRYSIDE AND COASTAL
Claverham Community College

NEW PLANTS FROM OLD: PROPAGATION TECHNIQUES

NEW PLANTS FROM OLD: PROPAGATION TECHNIQUES

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Blogging is easier..

Came to the conclusion that blogging is easier than building a website.. sorted out some postcards from my collection and have Eastbourne going back to 1925..painted some of the arch..cut down tired jasmine..pulled rhubarb..prevaricated over website..prevaricated some more..


Coloured print of Torquay : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Coloured print of Torquay : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Ceramic Southsea Trinket boxes x 2 : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Ceramic Southsea Trinket boxes x 2 : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Colour postcard of west promenade from Alum Chine Bournemouth : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

Colour postcard of west promenade from Alum Chine Bournemouth : Second-hand homeware & collectables : Oxfam's Online Shop

BBC - Food - Recipes : Warm salad of samphire, asparagus and crab

BBC - Food - Recipes : Warm salad of samphire, asparagus and crab

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Join the samphire brigade | Life and style | The Guardian

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Join the samphire brigade | Life and style | The Guardian

Seaside resort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seaside resort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arch arrived

The Forest arch ordered from ASDA arrived, delivered by Tuffnells. Polite friendly guys, but I had arranged delivery to my rear gate. I now have to paint the arch in the kitchen because it's too long to manoeuvre out of the back door. When finished, we will have to walk it out the front door and down the street and up the next, to bring it into the back garden. :(

The wood is planed, very smooth, well made looking arch. Looks really solid but elegant.Discovered two corner posts and one 'roof' beam missing.


UK EASTBOURNE FLOWER GARDENS GRAND PARADE 1906 NICE PC | eBay

UK EASTBOURNE FLOWER GARDENS GRAND PARADE 1906 NICE PC | eBay

Orig Photo 1949 Spring flowers in Eastbourne,England | eBay

Orig Photo 1949 Spring flowers in Eastbourne,England | eBay

FOLKESTONE - 1938 Cricket Festival Flower Bed postcard | eBay

FOLKESTONE - 1938 Cricket Festival Flower Bed postcard | eBay

CORONATION FLORAL CARPET BED & LEAS, FOLKESTONE 1953 | eBay

CORONATION FLORAL CARPET BED & LEAS, FOLKESTONE 1953 | eBay

Sunday 14 August 2011

Plants ! Stop the car.... Folkestone today

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Husband has developed the excuse " There's nowhere to park " as an excuse not to pull over into a lay-by or car park, when it's perfectly safe to do so, he just doesn't want me buying more plants/embarrassing him by waving BlackBerry at inanimate objects.

Random shed

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
This looks like the kind of shed that should go in a photoshoot along with:
copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
and some model in a floral print dress and Ugg boots, but nope, the shed resides on a council estate. So this is a lesson, that money does NOT equal style or creativity.

Forty-year old mint

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Mother-in-law potted some up for me, but the rest got the chop by my husband at mother-in-law's request.

Mother -in-Law's Garden II

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Mother-in-Law's Garden I

Well it had to be done, to earn Brownie points..

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Individual Yorkshire puddings actually..
copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Just a salad..

Saturday 13 August 2011

The Postcode Plants Database - Natural History Museum

The Postcode Plants Database - Natural History Museum

Put in the first part of your postcode (UK only) and find the native plants and animals in your area.

Southport Flower Show | 18th-21st August 2011 official site

Southport Flower Show | 18th-21st August 2011 official site

The Cancer Research UK Garden - Shoot

The Cancer Research UK Garden - Shoot

The Cancer Research garden at Chelsea Flower Show, back in May, had a coastal theme.

A Wild Flower Fiesta at Bude - Walks - The AA

A Wild Flower Fiesta at Bude - Walks - The AA

Childing Pink (British Marine Life Study Society)

Childing Pink (British Marine Life Study Society)

BBC News - Felixstowe's seafront gardens get £2m of lottery money

BBC News - Felixstowe's seafront gardens get £2m of lottery money

This is Devon | Council microchips its plants to deter flower thieves

This is Devon | Council microchips its plants to deter flower thieves

Network railcard

If you live in the South East, within the Network Railcard area see http://www.network-railcard.co.uk which includes Weymouth, Exeter, Salisbury, Newbury, Worcester, Banbury, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Bedford, Huntingdon, King's Lynn and Harwich AND your partner has an annual gold card travelcard, you can get a Network Railcard, for just £1 saving £27. Using a Network railcard can save up to 1/3rd off leisure travel for you yourself, plus up to three adults. You can also take up to four children aged  5-15 and save 60% on child fares.

I have one and use it at least once a fortnight.

Plant List

Steering group member Andy Swire of Coastal Gardens UK, is going to compile the master plant list for Coastal Gardening Society. This is a foundation stone for the society, because we can use it a variety of ways.

I'd like to get members to fill in a plant questionnaire, so that we can build up knowledge of plants which work in actual gardens as opposed to plants which are supposed to.




Welcome to Jekka's Herb Farm | Specialising in Organic, Culinary, Aromatic, Decorative and Medicinal Herbs

Welcome to Jekka's Herb Farm | Specialising in Organic, Culinary, Aromatic, Decorative and Medicinal Herbs

I love herbs and grow sweet basil and Greek basil, parsley, rosemary, fennel, bronze fennel, lavender (standard and French varieties), thyme, apple mint, spearmint, dill, savory, chives and French tarragon. I noticed Westringia fruiticosa (Coast rosemary) from Australia on the specimen plant list. It's used as a frontline coastal plant in Australia, so I shall try it next Spring as my dog sits on my rosemary plants and pees on them and I've ended up with just one rosemary in a pot.

Friday 12 August 2011

Eco Age - Bee Station

Eco Age - Bee Station

Eco Age is owned by Oscar (TM) award winning actor Colin Firth's wife Livia. The bee station seems like a great idea and I could certainly nestle one in amongst my lavender. I'm a bit concerned about the sugary drinks aspect.. is giving bees E numbers really a good idea ???

British Lawnmower Museum

http://www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk

Lawn mowers are just there, in the shed or garage. My father knew so little about his, that instead of changing the spark plugs, he would just go out an buy a new mower. It may be a lot less bovver wiv a hover, but I recall the chewed grass look as being unattractive, when compared with the stripes my grandfather got with his push along Ransome. So I welcome the British Lawnmover Museum, myself...

Spencer Bell Memorial

I was moved to tears today and I can't remember doing that since 9/11, by reading about Spencer Bell

http://www.spencerbellmemorial.eu

Thursday 11 August 2011

RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution

The very first thing which my then fiance and I bought for our first kitchen  in 1995 was an RNLI tea towel with a knot design and  it's still in use. I discovered by chance today, that the RNLI has a website http://www.rnli.org.uk and an online shop http://www.rnlishop.org.uk and I like the sparrow beach hut bird boxes !

I just never realised that it was possible to visit a lifeboat station..

Immobilise

http://www.immobilise.com

Immobilise is the UK National Property Database which is free to use.



Why don't gardeners label ?

Gardeners seem to buy plants, stick them in a bed, and forget to label them. I enquire about a fuchsia and get a confused " it's a fuchsia" as if there were only one variety instead of 3000. It's exasperating.

Seaside History

Interesting website on seaside history http://www.seasidehistory.co.uk Check out the book !

Bensgarden

Ben Dark is the Garden Museum's horticultural intern http://www,gardenmuseum.org.uk (if the link doesn't work try Google) and he blogs about the garden on their website. He has his own very funny blog Bensgarden on Wordpress. I've made Bensgarden the first blog worth reading on this blog, because Ben writes in an intelligent, funny, quirky way which should be more widely known about.

I'm very pleased that Ben has said that he's up for speaking to Coastal Gardening Society members :)

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Beach Huts

Can't get the link to work but Google beach hut of the year and see the colourful photos :)

YouTube

I think it would be great fun next Summer to make some FUN coastal gardening videos for YouTube. Not sure how to go about doing this, may get in touch with the Creative Foundation for some suggestions.

Links

When the website is up, I think I'm going to try to get buttons up for Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Evernote, Mozilla, Open Office and a link to the biggest independent book store in the world http://powells.com which was brought to my attention by one RPattz during an interview with Entertainment Tonight which I found on YouTube

Disappointments

Contacting people and offering to pay them to speak to Coastal Gardening Society members next Spring and them not even bothering to reply to the email.

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS)

Evidently, bacteria breaking down dead plankton causes the characteristic sea whiff of DMS.. so it's feasible then, that it could be reproduced in paper or candles..hmm..

Cafepress deux

Wrestling with cafepress last night, managed to get some merchandise saved. Got an email today saving we love your stuff (yeah yeah) just wish I'd managed to save it to the online shop <sigh>.

Calgomme tablecloth

Some years ago, my mother-in-law gave my name to a mail order catalogue and I got lots of catalogues from the sort of mail order businesses from which you can buy items at 27p oer week and I ended up being on the mailing lists of loads of them. Eventually they gave up on me, but Daxon was more persistent than most. I did once order a wooden plant stand, but when it arrived (damaged) it so wasn't wooden. It took ages to get a refund.

I spotted a Calgomme 'Provence' print round PVC tablecloth to use in mon jardin when the Spring/Summer Daxon catalogue arrived. I ordered it and was told that it was out of stock in the parent warehouse in France and would take a couple of weeks.. it finally turned up today !! I will photograph it under the pergola, it's actually quite pretty. Woefully slow service though. http://www.daxon.co.uk

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Hardy Plant Society

Have been emailing today with Vivienne M McGhee, Chair of the Hardy Plant Society, who has very kindly offered her advice on a constitution. Thank you for that !

Sea-smell paper

I bought a Comptoir de Famille enamel vintage-style metal sign recently, from Lavender and Sage which arrived promptly and well wrapped. When the sign is up in the garden, I will take a photo.

The accompanying paperwork smelled wonderful - it reminds me of Earl Grey tea - so I emailed to ask where they get such mmm paper. I received a nice email back confessing that it wasn't deliberate. However, I am now on a mission, to find paper which smells of the sea..imagine opening an envelope and being hit by it.. I'm lucky, I just have to walk out into my garden !

Thank you to Judith for wishing me good luck with Coastal Gardening Society (I need every bit I can get building the website) and offering to link to Coastal Gardening Society on her very elegant website.
http://www.lavenderandsage.co.uk

Hello and Welcome

Hello to anyone who has arrived on this blog after reading threads on Garden Banter and Hardy Tropicals UK or community ads on Craigslist.

Coastal Gardening Society is the first gardening society in the UK which focuses on gardening by the coast and the problems and pleasures that brings. Unlike other groups, it is not dedicated to any one plant or group of plants. The population of coastal towns alone, when added up, exceeds that of Wales. That's a lot of coastal gardens, most of which won't be slap bang on the beach.

Rolling out to Kent and East Sussex first in March 2012, then Devon and Cornwall, CGS aims to drag gardening into the 21st century.

There won't be Biggest Marrow competitions in draughty WW2 tents, judged by a local vicar and dreary talks with blurry slides in village halls. CGS aims to use cool venues, be they award-winning modern buildings or quirky old ones. There will be a website (in development) and use will be made of technology and social networking to provide members the opportunity to benefit from expertise outside of the local area and get engaged in CGS even if they can't get to a meeting.

Providing some fun as well as advice and support for gardening problems is important. One idea is to go over to France to look at jardins littorals over there and see how the French do it. It's also possible to nip to London on the Javelin high speed trains and fly to Cornwall to look at the Cornish Riviera for a day or weekend. There are plenty of gardens to visit along the Kent and Sussex coast, nurseries and garden centres too. It's possible to get experts along to talk about all sorts of plants and hold plant clinics to help ailing plants.

If you have any ideas, please comment !




Tuesday 9 August 2011

Thrive

Got an email back from Thrive today about fundraising for them. I'm getting more irons in fires to put to the steering group.

Cafepress

It looks like I will be able to stick an online shop on the website, to sell CGS tshirts using cafepress.com :)

Monday 8 August 2011

Thank you

A belated but none the less warm thank you to Andy Swire of  Coastal Gardens UK and Jill Kaye of Bodiam Nursery for agreeing to join the CGS steering group and to the treasure that is Lesley Whayman at the RHS, for all her advice and encouragement.

My first website

I'm not sure whether to be excited or terrified, but I've just bought a website to use with the domain name coastalgardeningsociety.org.uk Does that make me an iGardener or a gardenerd ?


Sunday 7 August 2011

Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink..

Here in the extreme South East corner of England we have less rainfall than some parts of Sudan, much as I find that hard to believe. Dungeness is Britain's only official desert. The local (French-owned) water company, got Government permission to make the area the first in Britain where water meters are compulsory. Not sure if they are all rolled out yet, but certainly my street is. Having a water meter does make you a bit more conscious of water wastage ie dripping taps.

But since the reason behind the meter is a lack of water, I'm being more water conscious. When I empty the kettle,before refilling for tea, I empty it into an indoor watering can for the houseplants. If there are opened half-empty bottles of Evian hanging about, they get added too. When I've boiled water ie for eggs or vegetables or pasta, the water gets chucked on the garden, once cold. I think in Winter I will have a lidded bucket by the back door.I don't chuck greywater on my garden though, because of the detergents - my local sewage plant is start of the art and returns absolutely clean water to the sea :)

Remember the obelisk ?

It's now painted in Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsion 'Lichen' and planted with two Clematis Jackmanii from B&Q (two for £12 offer). The Jackmanii were in definite need of TLC as they had wilt by the looks of it, along with more bits of stick and tape than you can imagine, not just the usual three each, and dead broken bits. One pot had a small slug in it, as well as moss and weeds. Not impressed B&Q !

I mixed two coir compost bricks from Oxfam's Ethical Collection sale with water yesterday and stirred once absorbed. I mixed a handful of Growmore into this and three of those slow release plant sticks and used that as the bottom layer. Next came Wilko tub and basket moisture retaining compost from Wilkinson, mixed with a handful of sterilised bonemeal from Poundland. Then after planting the clematis in diagonal corners, I added a thin layer of moisture resistant compost and then a thin layer of expensive left over orchid compost (mostly bark and fibre) as a mulch.

It needs to be moved to its' final position but I will take a photo. I should mention that the International Clematis Society recommends Jackmanii as being easy to grow for clematis beginners and not prone to wilt, so the wilt-like appearance was probably due to the slug. I will get my husband to add slug pellets when he waters the garden tonight.

Exotic plant forums

http://www.growingontheedge.net/
http://www.ukexoticgardens.com
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk

First email newsletter !

Sent it out on Friday. Because Sony Vaios don't come with Microsoft Word or Works included anymore, I downloaded the free program Open Office when I got my new one in December. One person emailed to say that she couldn't open the document and could I redo it in Word. In a Word (word) no, since recent versions of Word can deal with Open Office noo probs. I don't have time to redo a newsletter for each person individually, sorry, even if I had Word (which I don't).

http://www.openoffice.org

Saturday 6 August 2011

Discount store bargains

My husband took my list to Poundland and picked up 10 self-tie heavy duty garden bags, 0.9kg of sterilised bonemeal, 1.25kg of blood, fish and bone, a tin of natural jute string, two table covers, a bench cover, a pack of fleece protection and three 6 in 1 seed selections for total of £11 ! http://www.poundland.co.uk

Larchlap Classic Arch 246 x 180 x 92 cm | Arches, Arbours, Pergolas & Decking | ASDA direct

Larchlap Classic Arch 246 x 180 x 92 cm | Arches, Arbours, Pergolas & Decking | ASDA direct

Bought this today too, again after researching prices. The 'roof' is done in the sane style as our existing pergola. It will be painted in Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsion 'Lichen'. I think it's worth reiterating that my neighbours used proper fence paint and I used leftover emulsion and my paint has lasted longer. :)

Wine Cooler | Terracotta Wine Cooler - Fortnum & Mason

Wine Cooler | Terracotta Wine Cooler - Fortnum & Mason

Bought this today, to go on the potting bench. I have one terracotta from a Provencal wine co-operative and one with a sunflower relief, already and I can use them for trailing ivies maybe.

Potting Bench | Woolworths.co.uk

Potting Bench | Woolworths.co.uk

I've seen several of these but this one is the cheapest in the sale :) It will be painted in Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsion 'Lichen', to match in with shed, obelisk and trellis. I am planning on buying some recycled apple boxes to go on the lower shelf, for pots.

Thursday 4 August 2011

Beautiful Garden Patio Perennials | Poundland

Beautiful Garden Patio Perennials | Poundland

In amongst the 'patio perennials' is the 'Alba' (white) version of the classic coastal plant Armeria maritima aka Common or Sea thrift.. for just £1 each.

Monday 1 August 2011

Penhurst , hamlet in E Sussex

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Rural not coastal but could not resist..

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Marrow planted in an old lamb and ewe feed bucket

Rural not Coastal again

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Clematis fan, French marigolds, fuchsias 1st August 2011

Sussex snaps

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

Sussex snaps..

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011

copyright Coastal Gardening Society 2011
Out with my mother today. She bought runner beans, I spotted some great buckets.
Second pic is a plant that appeared from nowhere in her garden