I was inspired by this post from Life on the Balcony. An old pallet has been used to create a lovely upright planter. I definitely have to do this in my garden but for now I decided to make use of a spare decking tile I had hanging around. This far corner of the garden gets the most sun so it makes sense to use as much of the space as possible for growing things. A couple of screws, a trip to ikea and an old pesto pot later and it’s starting to look the part. I only got two clip on pots from Ikea for about 50p each to see if it worked. They don’t quite clip on properly as the decking is slightly too thick so I made them a little bracket out of coat hanger wire. I will get some more when I next go. The pesto pot is the perfect size for a tealight and looked really pretty flickering away every time I looked out the kitchen window last night. Tom loves pesto so no doubt there will be more soon. My basil in the front garden has been attacked by the local snails so hopefully it will be safer up here.

Finally the sun has returned and work has recommenced on the secret garden. With some gift vouchers I treated myself to 2 climbing roses. They smell gorgeous. I rescued an old water tank (at least I think thats what it was) from the alleyway behind our house. It was full of rubbish and weeds. It’s quite rusty so I lined it with some garden bags and put one of the the roses in there. The rose is called Penny Lane and it is a pinky champagne colour. The decking square has been hanging around the garden for a while. It was originally intended for sitting under a compost bin but was too small. So I have put it up and plan to hook little herb pots and candles onto it as this corner of the garden gets so much sun.The other rose is in a bargain pot from the local garden centre sale. When we bought the house Jus and I found part of an old iron day bed at the back of a wardrobe. Unfortunately half of it was missing so we couldn’t use it. Most of it went to the tip but this piece was too big for my car and has been waiting in the garden to be cut up and then taken. However Jus and I thought it would make a lovely trellis for one of the roses. So it has been reborn. Work on the garden wall has continued. Only 2 feet to go now. I am trying to get hold of some solar powered fairy lights with clear cable to wrap around the day bed trellis so it looks all pretty and twinkly at night. So far I can only find battery powered clear ones or green cabled solar lights. The search continues. Time to get on with the repointing. Sigh. Under the watchful eye of the sunbathing dogs!

This was the office teapot and I have always had my eye on it. We recently replaced it because it dribbles terribly and as I am in charge of the tea and coffee fund I made my claim on it. I had planned on nailing some holes in the bottom for drainage but want it to sit in the kitchen windowsill so instead I placed some rocks in the bottom and then sat a plastic pot on top. This way I can pour excess water out of the spout but still sit it straight on the worktop. My mint out the front has been going for a few years now and is looking a little scrappy. I saw this mint plant reduced to 25p in Waitrose and so a happy new relationship was born between pot and plant. 

The first time I have grown these. What a success!

I’ve counted 9 tiny baby courgettes on my plant. All waiting to bloom. This is one of the most satisfying plants to grow. I used to have a couple on my allotment and I couldn’t keep up with their supply. This is the first time I have grown one in a pot, but so far so good. I love roasting courgette with peppers then eating it cold on a spinach salad with houmous and feta (there is a cafe in Cardiff, Love Coffee, that does a salad like this, gorgeous). I also love slicing them into long strips, then grilling or roasting them with garlic oil and using them as layers in a lasagne. Yummy!