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Sheila

@shegardens2025

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I 🩷 plants, gardening, wildlife & sharing tips. I also sometimes do travel posts when they feature plant-related stuff. All content is my own.

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Lawn creep phase 2. This section of lawn is the next area that will become a new flowerbed.

Using the no-dig method which begins by putting down a layer of cardboard (all labels and tape removed)

Held in place by old house bricks

More bricks added & I will now leave this to the elements for a few weeks. The next step will be to add a mulch of homemade compost which will be left to rot down until the spring, creating a nutrient rich soil ready for planting. All I’ve got to do now is propagate enough plants to fill it 🫣
#nodig #myrealgarden #lawncreep #autumngardenjobs by @shegardens2025

After the fiasco of the pond this year (lots of time/money/effort for a pond that just kept leaking water out) I decided to spend some time making a tiny little replacement pond - effectively a glazed terracotta bowl and a few stones. I even added a small homemade wreath of lysmachia (creeping jenny) which acts as an aerator plant when floating in water. The whole thing is tucked away under a dense conifer (to protect it from leaf fall) but still gets filtered sunlight throughout the day. Fingers crossed now that it’ll attract the wildlife 🤞🐝🐸🦋#homemadepond #pondsforpollinators #myrealgarden #autumngardenjobstoday by @shegardens2025

Happy Thursday, it’s been a lovely one here after the long-promised sunshine made an appearance. That’s me outside then, pottering about in my potting shed, moving perennials, turning the compost and more general faffing. My begonias are still going for it, as are the diascia that I cut back a few weeks back. Everything is fading gently, but I’m making the most of this window of good weather to enjoy the sunshine. Have you been out in the garden this week?
#autumnsun #myrealgarden #begonias by @shegardens2025

Autumn is tiptoeing into my front garden too, but how well these tricolour Erysimum are doing, despite the cold and the wet of recent days. I’ve been regularly deadheading (about once a week) since late spring (when I planted them) and they have just flowered continuously throughout the long hot summer and are still going. They look lovely in the front of this bed, mixing with the sedum (Autumn Joy) the seed heads of crocosmia and the hydrangea (Lady in Red). Also still in bud is rose Lily Marlene, peeking through the variegated leaf of nearby weigela Florida, annual Fuschias and salvia Pink Pong. It’s so tempting to take them out and store under cover, but I’m holding out for some more sunshine next week. What is holding out and still giving colour in your garden?
#myrealgarden #autumncolour #summerannuals by @shegardens2025

After 2 days of grey wet weather, the sun has reappeared and the garden starts to glow. It’s the calm before the storm (Austen) which will be here tomorrow, so I’m making the most of getting outside and pottering. I’m very tempted to take in my summer annuals, but we’ve got a dry spell coming next week, so I’ll give them a bit longer to shine 🌤️🌤️🌤️
#myrealgarden #octobergarden #summerannuals #autumncolour #autumnsunshine by @shegardens2025

One of my cosmos plants was getting so bashed and damaged in the wind yesterday that I decided to cut it right back. There were so many flowers and buds I couldn’t bring myself to compost them so popped them in a vase with water and they’ve perked right up, and I’d swear they’ve got pinker in the process 🧐🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
#cutflowers #cosmosflower #pinkcosmos #pinkflowers by @shegardens2025

Buzzy little chap by @shegardens2025

I made one today Margery, I used Pink Lady apples and dark brown sugar as that’s what I had available. As you can see, it went down very well and we’ve eaten a quarter of it already 🫣 by @shegardens2025

A lovely calm day here following yesterday’s biblical downpours and wind. I’ve had a tidy up (clearing up leaf fall) and took some snaps of plants that are still giving colour to my garden. The Prunus Autumnalis is leading the way, holding on to its leaves (despite the wind) which have turned a gorgeous coppery gold that literally glows in the sunshine
#prunusautumnalis #autumncolour

Sedum Autumn Joy, Erysimum Tricolour, crocosmia seed heads and albelia grandiflora in the front garden. The Erysimum has flowered continuously since late spring and has needed minimal attention, just the occasional deadhead
#sedum #erysimumtricolor #autumncolours

Geranium Bloom Me Away, flowering again after a cut back, another long-flowering perennial which has been going since mid summer
#hardygeraniums #blueflowers #longflowering

Cosmos Sensation mix, a bit weather-beaten, but still going and lots of buds
#cosmosflower

Salvia Royal Bumble, in full flower following a cut back a few weeks ago

The mystery upright clematis, another one that I cut back (to the ground) in August, is now flowering again
#uprightclematis

Salvia Pink Pong, another long flowering herbaceous perennial, flowering since late spring, just the occasional deadhead required to keep it tidy
#salvia #pinkflower #salviapinkpong

Cotinus Royal Purple, a bargain end of season purchase, now in its second year in the ground, has just produced its first flowers
#autumncolours #cotinus

The sunny border, fading gently, but still showing pops of colour

Penstemon flowering once again following a deadhead a few weeks ago

Bedding geraniums that I overwintered have proved a success and have been flowering non-stop for months

More overwintered bedding geraniums (there were overwintered outside in a sheltered spot) and have just flowered non stop since early summer
#geraniums #summerbedding #longflowering by @shegardens2025

I bought these reduced capillary mats for 50p a pack (of 5) from The Range. They will help with the watering through Autumn (I stop watering when it gets too cold and the plants go dormant)…and hopefully next spring and summer 🤞. My salvia plugs and hardy Fuschias are romping away in the greenhouse due to this period of warmth…so much so, I’ve pinched them out to stop any legginess. That’s just bonkers in October 🤪
#inmygreenhouse #salvia #myrealgarden #pottingshed by @shegardens2025

Black gold…I lift it, sift it and lay it (and what a work-out that is) 💪💪💪
#makeyourowncompost #blackgold #recycle #compostbin by @shegardens2025

Phase 2 of Lose The Lawn includes extending the path to run across the lawn so I can create more flower beds. We will sink these flagstones and the beds will be created using the no-dig process, hopefully ready for planting up next spring 🤞🌸🤞🌸🤞
#losethelawn #cottagegardens #cottagegarden #myrealgarden by @shegardens2025