I'm still very much learning and starting from a relatively blank canvas after a huge garden overhaul last year. So I'm in the fortunate position to still have lots of space yet to fill and don't have too many established, older plants that would be difficult to move around as I get the hang of positioning and design in the garden. Because there is still room for new plants I'm planning on filling every available space with waves of blooms.

Being a thrifty gal I'm growing lots from seeds and cuttings and at the moment my greenhouse and two plastic cold frames are heaving with seedling trays and pots of small plants propogated last autumn and this spring.

Luckily my favourite flower shapes are those single flower forms that are best for bees, butterflies, hoverflies and all the other insects that need to get their faces right into the pollen and nectaries. I also love the types of flowers that form in delicate little clusters, so it hasn't been hard for me to choose what to grow.

I was pleased to find that I'm already in the process of growing about 30 plants from the RHS 'Perfect for Pollinators' list. To name just a few Muscari armeniacum, Skimmia japonica, Allium, Aquilegia, Buddleja davidii, Campanula, Cosmos, Dianthus barbatus, Echinacea purpurea, Papaver orientale & rhoeas, Penstemon, Tagetes patula, Verbena bonariensis.

As well as those I'm growing a few others that I remember being covered with bees in my dad's flower-filled garden (I'll write about that one day) when I was little. Things like Mesembryanthemums, Lobelia, Nasturtiums & Chrysanthemums and of course Helianthus.

Then there are a few from my first forrays last year that had the pollinators buzzing around including Lupinus, Lathyrus odoratus and Phlox paniculata. Note my use of the latin names as a way of giving my brain half a chance of remembering them for my RHS exam!

Assuming my plans work out, I can't wait to be surrounded by all of the floral colours and scents this summer and of course the buzzing of little hoverflies and buzy honey bees.

What are you growing for the pollinators this year?

Spring is on its way and so is the start of horticulture fairs season. Here's a list of plant fairs and garden clubs here in Nottinghamshire. If you know of more Notts fairs or clubs that aren't listed here, let me know and I'll include them here.

Please do check these events with the organisers before you go along, just in case any of the details have changed.

Plant Fairs & Garden Shows

February

Felley Priory - Snowdrops throughout February
Felley Priory Gardens  Nottinghamshire NG16 5FJ
See the website for prices, dates and opening times

Snowdrops at Hodsock Priory
4th February to 4th March
Hodsock Priory, Blyth, Nr Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S81 0TY
See the website for prices, dates and opening times

March

Spring Plant Fair – Holme Pierrepont
25th March, 11am to 4pm.
£3 entry fee
Holme Pierrepont Hall, Holme Pierrepont. Nottingham  NG12 2LD

West Bridgford Plant Fair
31st March, 9am to 4pm. Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

April

Felley Priory - Daffodil Sunday
15th April. £4 entry fee (in aid of NGS)
Daffodil orchard and plant fair
Felley Priory Gardens  Nottinghamshire NG16 5FJ

The Newark & Notts Garden Show
20th, 21st & 22nd April.
£6 entry fee (£2 for children)
Newark Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NY

Nottingham in Bloom Launch
21st April
Old Market Square, Nottingham City Centre

West Bridgford Plant Fair
21st April, 9am to 4pm. Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

May

Newark & Nottinghamshire County Show
Not strictly a horticultural show but does usually have plant stalls
12th & 13th May, 9am - 6pm.
Prices from £8 - £16
Newark Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2NY

Behind the Scenes of Nottingham in Bloom
12th May
Woodthorpe Nursery

Fascination of Plants Day
18th May
Events around the world, including Nottinghamshire. Contact the Notts organiser for details (University of Nottingham).

West Bridgford Plant Fair
19th May, 9am to 4pm. Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

Doddington Hall Plant Fair
20th May 11am to 4pm. £4 entry fee
Doddington Hall, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 4RU

June

Rare Plant Fair at Felley Priory
3rd June, 11am-4pm. £4 entry fee
Felley Priory Gardens  Nottinghamshire NG16 5FJ

Rufford Country Park Garden Show
10th June, 10am to 4pm.
Free entry but £3 car park fee
Rufford Abbey Country Park, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, NG22 9DF

West Bridgford Plant Fair
16th June, 9am to 4pm. Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

July

Nottingham Cottage Garden Society Plant Sale
Sunday 15th July, 11am to 4pm.
£4.00 entry fee
Felley Priory Gardens underwood Nottinghamshire NG16 5FJ

West Bridgford Plant Fair
21st July, 9am to 4pm. Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

August

West Bridgford Plant Fair
18th August, 9am to 4pm. Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

September

West Bridgford Plant Fair
15th September, 9am to 4pm.
Free entry
Central Avenue, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5GR

Open Gardens for NGS

There are many open gardens for the National Garden Scheme from spring to autumn.
Find the Nottinghamshire NGS Open Gardens at the main website.

Gardening Groups & Clubs

Nottinghamshire Cottage Garden Society

Nottingham Alpine Garden Society

Hardy Plant Society, Nottingham Group

Nottingham Organic Gardeners

Porchester garden club (Mapperley)

West Bridgford & Rushcliffe Horticultural Society

Long Eaton Horticultural Society

Lowdham Horticultural Society

Scrooby Garden Club

Cropwell Bishop Gardening Club

Winthorpe Garden Club

Dig In Stapleford

I can't guarantee that all of the details are correct so please make sure you double-check with the organisers before you attend any events or groups. Enjoy!

Armed with gravel, sand, compost, glass containers and of course plants I made two terrariums (or 'Ward Cases') with lids and two without. By the way the glass containers came from the local charity shops, they're full of things like this and the most I paid for one was £2.99! Those without lids hold succulents and cacti. They don't need the humid atmosphere that an enclosed jar will create, in fact they really don't want this. Coming from hot desert type environments they have adapted to live in dry conditions. Fab fact: Did you know that in many the cacti their leaves have evolved into spines as a way to conserve water and it is the rest of the plant that photosynthesises? Clever eh?

The two jars with lids will stop transpired water from evaporating which means it can be used again by the plants' roots. So, in theory, the plants won't need to be watered as often as those in regular pots. The lid does need to be lifted frequently though to make sure the poor things don't suffocate. Carbon dioxide needs to be let in and the oxygen that the plant has released let out.

The main thing to remember about terrariums is drainage. Because water that you give to the plants can't drain out of the container completely, it still needs to be able to drain out of the soil where the plant's roots grow. So, a good layer of gravel at the bottom will do that, as long as you don't add so much water that it fills above the gravel too.

Also, do make sure that your plants can get plenty of light but take care not to place them in direct sun where they'll just bake.

The other thing is enjoy it. I made a right old mess and it took me twice as long to clean up all the compost and gravel than it did to make the terrariums but it was fun. Just for added decoration and charater I put in a couple of little ornaments and rocks. The ceramic rabbit makes me smile, it has such a manic look on his face as he peers around the geranium stem!

Whilst I was spreading soil around the kitchen I thought it would be a good time to re-pot some of my house plants and give them a little groom. As I now have less pots than plants I found that an old floral tin, a mug and a wastepaper bin make quite good planter substitutes!

It all started with a conversation, about February time, when my dad and I were chatting about the garden and I was complaining that ours only gets brief sunshine and is a silly shape and we have an ugly garage spoiling it and lots of aggressive shrubs take over everywhere and I just have no time to sort it out. Then I said to him "If I were starting from scratch I wouldn't have all of those shrubs there" and he said "Well, we could dig those out, no problem." It was like a light bulb going on. As silly as it seems, I honestly hadn't considered just digging them out and starting again! I'd resigned myself to being stuck with the garden the way it was. Dig them out, of course, that's what I'd do! These shrubs I spoke of with such resentment had been planted by the previous house owners before they put the property up for sale, my neighbour told me. I suppose it was an attempt to make the garden look more attractive but they really hadn't done me any favours. I didn't even know what they were, they were just a source of much annoyance, reaching over next door every spring and sending up shoots all over the place, bullying smaller plants that I'd attempted to grow. Looking back now, this dislike for the shrubs was probably founded in inexperience, I didn't know how to manage them and I blamed them for that.

How the garden was
Just to set the scene a little. Our garden is long and narrow, its not a big garden but it is a respectable size for a suburban semi. Along the right hand side is a bed filled with the infamous shrubs and not much else, backed by our neighbours' wooden fence. At the bottom there are about 6 gigantic leylandii which block such a lot of light and suck the soil dry in that part of the garden. In front of the leylandii is a little pond, about a metre wide and in the bottom left corner a lovely greenhouse which has been used to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, salad, peppers and chillies for several years (I dabbled with a veg patch for a couple of years too). Along the left hand side is a dilapidated asbestos garage which is no use at all other than for storing junk that we haven't yet taken to the tip and running alongside the garage wall is a path made from randomly shaped slabs. In the middle is the lawn, it's a strange, thin shape and gets mowed when its untidy but that's as much care as it receives. Up close to the house is a little concreted area with an old coal house and ironically this space has the most plants, dotted around in a few pots. Hopefully, that paints the dull picture of my garden as it was, plain, a pain and lacking in colour.

New possibilities
So, with the thought in my mind that there was the possibility of a garden without the monstrous shrubs I couldn't wait to start hacking at their branches and roots, creating a fresh canvas and a trouble-free border. Before then though, there was another big task to be done, I needed to move the pond. Now, this pond was a great draw for me when we came to view our house as prospective buyers because I'd always wanted a pond. To my disappointment on moving day I discovered it had been filled in (with bricks and rocks) and covered with soil. Why would someone do that?! Anyway, after spotting confused frogs looking for a place to spawn, a few months later I dug out the rocks and put the water back in. The pond was poorly positioned though, right at the bottom of the garden where in the summer the sun blazes all day, where neighbours cats get in and hassle the frogs and where debris from the overlooking leylandii drops in and rots. The poor frogs were suffering so I was moving the pond to a cooler, clearer and safer spot closer to the house.

The pond move & shrub clearance
It is the moving of the pond and the removal of the shrubs that started my garden revolution. Both were back-breaking jobs and took a few weeks in total, grabbing a few hours here and there to do a bit more, but seeing the difference it made showed me what else was possible. Once I'd dug out the new pond, lined it, and transferred the early frog spawn from the old pond I started to build a little rockery around it, put in a few bedding plants, placed my Japanese maple in a pot nearby and added some grasses. It looked great! I had the beginnings of a little garden, that actually looked pretty, with flowers and colour. This little corner wasn't just green & brown like everywhere else and every time I saw it my heart gave a little leap. I'm well and truly smitten.

So, with most of the massive shrubs gone I had an empty border all along one side of the lawn with good loam soil, just ready for new plants. I went to plant stalls, garden centres and nurseries and my dad and sister and brother-in-law and my friend, Claire swapped plants with me. I wanted to grow all kinds of plants of different shapes and sizes with flowers of all colours and scents. Then in June my brother-in-law and I went to the Gardeners' World Live show and my interest went up a notch. We were like kids in a sweet shop - so many ideas, so many plants to discover. The rest of the year saw many more visits to nurseries and plant fairs so I could feed my happy little addiction.

Letting in the light
After that, more changes came in quick succession. First of all we decided to have the towering leylandii cut down to a manageable size. They must have easily been 20 metres high and had really got out of hand, keeping the garden and house behind us in shade all day. Unfortunately when they were cut back they revealed that they weren't well at all, so eventually they will need to come out completely and I'd like to replace them with a Hawthorne hedge for the wildlife. Then my father and mother-in-law very kindly offered to arrange for the derelict garage to be taken away. It was asbestos so it needed to be dismantled and disposed of properly by men in protective all-in-one suits and masks. After the garage and the treetops were gone, the garden really opened up. I'd always thought of it as a dark and shady space but suddenly there was so much light!

The best family ever
I had been showing my sister and brother-in-law how the garden was coming along and talked about how the baking hot part right at the bottom, by the greenhouse, would make a great seating area. Its too dry for most plants to survive under the big trees and is the only place that sees the sunshine all day. So, being clever like that my brother in law said, "Well we can put some block paving down there". The big work party day was organised in no time. My generous family and parents-in-law all came together to help us (brother in-laws did the tricky bits, the rest of us provided extra hands with the mums in charge of tea and food and my dad really putting his back into it) lay the beautiful grey and red bricks. At the same time my dad-in-law and dad installed some reed screening around the edge of the area where the garage used to be and fixed the wonky back gate. My brother-in-laws moved and fitted the water butt to the outhouse drain too so that I could finally make proper use of it. I was stunned at how much work was done in one afternoon and was completely overwhelmed at how much the garden had changed. Until then I'd done all of it on my own and it had been a long process. It was a completely different place than it was 6 months ago.

A couple more changes included taking up the pointless garden path, stain the wood fencing and make a little trellis fence and gate close to the house to keep the rabbits away from my precious plants.

Falling in love with the garden
Over that time I completely fell in love with my garden, not necessarily because of removing things I disliked but because of the possibility that the changes presented. By August when all of the plants in the newly shaped beds and in the planters on the patio were at their best I could see what the new garden had allowed. There were buddleja, poppies, dianthus, echinacea, gaura, nicotiana, cosmos, sunflowers all alive and brilliant and giving such a lot without asking for much in return.There were tiny seedlings that I'd watched pop through the soil for the first time growing tall, reaching up for the sun. So many hoverflies and bees buzzing around collecting pollen and even the odd dragonfly enjoying the pond, resting on the lily. This space in our home had come alive and given huge amounts of enjoyment along the way.

Now that autumn is well and truly here and winter is just around the corner, significant changes are happening in the garden again but those are changes governed by nature. This weekend I tidied up the finished annuals, cut back the perennials and deadheaded the last flowers. I quietly said a little thank you to them and that I can't wait to see them next year.

We achieved a huge amount in the garden this year and already I have so many plans for next year. I want to make the borders wider and lose more lawn, create a windy path to follow and discover hidden treasures along the way, add trees for height to attract the birds and grow more flowers from seed that will bring in the bees and butterflies. I want to learn more about the biology of plants, the different types, their ideal conditions and how to propagate them. I can't get enough and I love it!

See more pictures below of how the garden changed in 6 months.

I am glad of the advice though because it set me off on an idea to look up some of the perhaps less known (to me) nurseries nearby. I was aware of the big local garden centres but often walked around tut-tutting at the prices and the lack of care of the plants. The less commercial nurseries I didn't know about and, with gardening season coming to an end, realised I needed to visit them soon before they close for the winter. I found 5 nurseries in total, not all strictly in Gedling but not far away.

The great Gedling plant crawl was planned and my lovely friend Claire and I set off on a sunny Saturday morning for the first nursery on the list. This was to be Hollybeck nursery, recommended by the wise gardener and furthest away from home. Unfortunately we came unstuck with this one quickly because there had been a flood on the very road that Hollybeck stands and it was closed in both directions. Even with sat nav and directions from a local publican, we couldn't find another way in. So, we decided to jump to the next on the list...

Timmerman's
This is a big garden centre in Woodborough so they sell pots and planters, aggregates and tools as well as plants and seeds and all kinds of gifts. However, the prices weren't unnecessarily high compared to other similar garden centres and they had a sale on quite a few things, not just the sad "poorly corner" specimens. The range of plants and trees available was wide and everything looked healthy and cared for. There were some nice touches too, like the seasonal display suggesting autumnal plants that go together. Claire treated me to lunch here as well. The food was fresh and tasty and the staff in both the cafe and shop were friendly and helpful. From Timmerman's I bought some Chrysanthemum carinatum sunshine mix seeds (longing for summer already), some pretty coloured plant markers, two 'Scaredy Cat' (Coleus canina) plants - that's a whole other story - and a Skimmia Japonica 'Rubella'.

Tall Trees
Next up was Tall Trees in Bulcote. This had a much less commercial and really inviting feel on arrival. The entrance to the nursery was attractively framed with, you guessed it - tall trees. This nursery has a lovely layout, allowing you to wind in and out of the shelves and displays, and a nice selection of trees as well as perennials, alpines and annuals. They also have an indoor section for house and exotic plants. I think we just hit this one at the wrong time of year because stocks were quite low and dead plants hadn't been removed from the displays. I'd like to visit again in the spring when they're setting up for a new year and everything is fresh. I think the resident hen and cockerel would like us to go back too after treating them to a few raisins from Claire's snack stash.

Greehills
I know that Greenhills is a chain garden centre but this one is a little different because it is situated inside the campus of Portland College, set back in Thieves Wood. I really liked this garden centre, it had character. It isn't very big but they have packed in a lot and the setting is lovely, within the wood. They had a half price sale on pots (so I bought two) and lots of seasonal plants like cyclamen and heathers at a really good price.

Hilltop Nurseries
Now this one is a beauty. It's the closest to home just in Lambley and literally doors away from another nursery (Ashdale mentioned below) that we'd taken to this year. Hilltop is big, it's huge and how I've managed to miss it previously I have no idea. This is the nursery that we said we'd definitely come back to as soon as the season starts again next year. There's a big selection of fruit, veg, trees, shrubs, alpines - you name it. When we visited, they were running an offer of buy one get one free on planters and pots too. I bought an echinops tienschanicum and a deep red dianthus. Claire and I were so pleased to find this place and decided straight away we'd be back as soon as they open again in the spring.

Ashdale Nursery
Ashdale we already knew and is still my favourite. On another garden centre outing earlier in the year Claire and I found Ashdale by happy accident. I could stay there for hours, there's something about the friendly staff and the unusual plants that you don't necessarily see elsewhere which makes this place really special. Their prices are the most competitive I've seen so far and I finished the day by buying a stunning Red Twig Dogwood. I was very happy.

The pictures speak for themselves but with wrongly placed plants and the ugly pond lining on show that whole area had become a big old mess. One (of many) mistakes I'd made was planting two petunia seedlings which were actually meant for hanging baskets. They gave a showy display from May to October but they completely took over and provided a damp haven for slugs and snails.

So, the new pond plan was to tidy the whole space up and incorporate a rockery to give my beloved alpines a stage of their own.

Before starting work I'd been mulling it over for a while and looking up "how tos" on making a rockery. I found lots of advice online, some of it quite technical and some of it really simple. The best advice I found and took was to use the same stone throughout the rockery. I think the consistency of one colour really works and sets off the plants nicely.

I was lucky that I didn't have to go far to search for rocks. I had found some sandstone in our garden under the conifer trees at the bottom. I've no idea why they were there, but they came in handy and their light colour is ideal to lift what is usually a dark corner of the garden. The rockery is only quite small so I didn't need to buy extra top soil or create any special structure underneath it. I just sloped the earth and set the stones in it, arranging the smaller and flatter ones at the bottom and the bigger, chunkier at the top. Apparently its important for the rocks to be buried quite a bit so that the plant roots stay cool, so I did that. Good drainage is needed for alpines too, so I mixed soil with gravel to fill in the spaces where the plants would grow.

I moved around a couple of the large grasses so they would provide a nice frame to the pond and rockery and planted tall, bright pink Sweet Williams behind for a shock of colour. Now the pond is edged with some creeping and some hanging plants which provide natural cover and the others have their own space to thrive.

Later in the day the frogs came out of the water to bask in the unexpected October sunshine and to survey my work. I think they like it.

The poor thing was completely coated in white gloss paint, which had turned a sad nicotine-stained cream and was splashed with coffee and chipped all over. Even the ornate drawer pulls and wood carving were daubed with gloss in the same way.

Although it was to stay white, it still needed to be sanded back to even out the chips and rough up the shiny surface. I stripped the drawer pulls completely so they could be painted afresh in gold.

Luckily the mirror was in tact, just a bit dirty and worn. So, I gave it a good clean and made it shine with white vinegar. Then for extra decoration I created a frosted love heart pattern at the top in the bow shape of the glass.

The dressing table was sent to its new, loving home yesterday.

I hadn't realised that you can sow Sweet Peas now and found out from the trusty Gardener's World 'things to do this weekend'. I actually had a packet of sweet pea seeds from a GW magazine freebie as well as ones I had collected from last year's 3 plants of my own. So, I've sown some of both. Ten pots of each, with 3 seeds per pot, and if these are successful I can sow more in the spring.

After seeing the glorious display of colour and fragrance that the Sweet Peas gave this year I decided I wanted lots more for next year. I'm picturing obelisks of shocking pink and rich purple acting as points to weave around when walking from the top to the bottom of the garden. If it works, there will be lots of photos on here.

The bulbs I've sown so far are pretty Thalia and Allium Purple Rain which I bought for pence at the Rushcliffe Horticultural Show a few weeks ago. For the first time I'm trying Ixia and Crocus too - 40 Crocus to be precise and I'm still not sure that's enough. Some of the Crocus I've set in the lawn and in circles around  the base of shrubs. A local park does this around the trees every year and it looks stunning, so on a smaller scale I really hope this works.

Snakeshead Fritillary and yellow Narcissus bulbs are on their way (ordered from J Parker) so the bulb planting hasn't finished yet.

It was dusty and the shelves had come loose but when we re-decorated the living room I decided it could have a new life in there, but only if it was refurbed.

The surface needed to be sanded, just to help the paint fix but not stripped back as it isn't solid wood.

Because the original colour is so dark, undercoat had to be used to give the new colour a chance.

Several coats of white paint later it looked as fresh as a daisy and now has the important job of holding some special wedding photographs and treasured books.

I've had mixed success, as all novice gardeners do, but the poppy seedlings did not fail and there were many of them. It's well known that poppies spring up everywhere and through summer you'll see them growing at roadsides, out of grates, wall crevices, everywhere. So, I popped some of my poppy seedlings in the concrete holes where a row of fence posts used to be. They shot up in there and the hoverflies loved them.

Similarly I planted a young sunflower in a crack in the concrete at the front of the house. On sunny days its baking hot there and the little sunflower soaks up the rays.

Sempervivums are another one of those determined little plants. They're one of my favourites because even when you neglect them, they still thrive as if they hold some kind of loyalty to you. I split some of the bunches of sempervivums that had spread really well by the pond and popped them in a few makeshift planters. One is a wooden box which contained miniature wine bottles given to us as a gift one Christmas, another is a square wicker basket which again was a container for a gift and the last is a small metal bucket I snapped up for £1 at Lincoln flower show.

I'm encouraged now to use more non-traditional plant vessels in the garden. In what unusual places do you grow?