Pavers to Gardens

 The back of the house faces east so last summer we put up an awning and shade sails to reduce the direct sunlight on the window and to shade the pavers around the pool as they trap and emit a lot of heat.

In an effort to further improve the heat sink/trap I dug up three rows of pavers under the window and placed cardboard, newspaper and dead leaves on, leaving the ferns that were already growing there.

 Then I got some wheelbarrows of sand from Danny's hole and placed that on top to weigh it all down. I have now transplanted some daisies and hope that they will like this dry and sunny area. They look terrible at the moment as we had some hot days, once they start to thrive i will add another image.

Flowers and Food

  This is actually the inside of a glorious tulip, I purchase a pot of them at the Grower's Green market recently. Every time I walk past them and see them they make me smile.

 This was one of the vegetable that we purchased as a seedling from the Heritage Farm stall at the market, it is the new garden, the one that we have half filled with cardboard, ash, coffee grounds and manure and mulch.

There was a time when I considered getting rid of these daisies as they can be invasive and we cannot eat them. But I now realize how important the bees and insects are and am moving towards a more edible cottage garden model and these now fit in just fine, Like the rampant nasturtiums we have currently I am just chopping and dropping where they go too far!

 This year we chopped back the Mulberry Tree much harder and have been rewarded with branches loaded with fruit.

 Another set of seedlings from the markets were cauliflowers, which are all doing really well and thriving on the neglect I provide, and the rain and sun from Mother Nature. And below is the Celeriac that we purchased on the same day, it has been really successful as well.