Welcome to Mrs F

Welcome to Mrs F's very own gardening blog!

You could call it a Frugal Blog, or Mrs F's Frugal Blog or even Mrs F's Gardening Blog. Whichever it is - it's just a diary of me trying my hand at gardening for the first time. I did have a go at trying to set up a Blog - but got nowhere. So here is my very own.

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1st September 07

Ok, I have never professed to be a gardener of any sort. That is my excuse. However, my hanging basket would do better if I remembered to water it every day. My nasturtium plants are looking beautiful, the garden is full of colour, red orange and yellow. I now have five geraniums and they look great as well. My primrose is surviving much to my surprise and I have now accumulated three clematis as well - which I will try and find time to plant this week.

I was looking at my lilac tree and it will need pruning this year, there are dead branches and there was not much lilac this year.

28th July 07

I've been neglecting my frugal living website this week because I've had visitors. Wow, it's been great. They go home on Wednesday - which isn't so great. We've had some good sunny days this week.

21st July 07

My sister is coming to stay on Wednesday with her daughter. I can't wait.

I don't think it has stopped raining yet. The nasturtium plants are now flowering yellow and red flowers - they look great. The hanging basket still looks good - which is amazing! My fuchsia is still hanging and alive, but sadly we only had two strawberries this year.

30th June 07

Wow what a week. My feet have hardly touched the floor. Still raining although we do have a bit of sun today.

Now nearly all the leaves on my cauliflowers are being eaten by something. No sign of slugs or snails but something is eating everything and leaving about an inch of stem above the ground.

My hanging basket is growing and flowering beautifully. But the cherry tomatoes have all gone, something ate them as well.

The nasturtium leaves are turning yellow but they are still living and my geranium and primrose seem ok as well.

The chrysanthemum plants are getting tall and tipping over.

23rd June 07

Still raining! Thunder storms as well today.

Hanging basket doing well, not surprised really we've had a lot of rain recently. Just as well as I would probably forget to water it. My planter with my fuchsia is doing well - thank you rain.

16th June 07

All it's done this week is rain. Since transplanting my plants they have had a thorough watering. Each morning before we head off to school I'm on slug patrol! You wouldn't believe how many slugs I find. (Well, perhaps you would) I've put some sand/grit around the plants to try to prevent them returning.

Some of the leaves on my cauliflower plants have disappeared! We had another strawberry today - lovely and red and dipped in sugar - scrumptious.

9th June 07

I had a whole weekend of gardening. The weather is great, lovely sunny hot June weather. I transferred my cuttings into the garden, as well as some cauliflower plants my Dad gave me. I put my little geranium in, as well as my primrose. Fingers crossed.

We had a strawberry today - lovely and red but bitter.

My planter got knocked over today. Compost and fuchsia everywhere. I could have cried. However, I replanted it and now hope for the best.

2nd June 07

Well what a disaster! We've been away from home the last two weeks and the seeds have been in a make shift lean to. I went to see how they were and wished I didn't.

The radishes have died. The pumpkins were a no go to start with, so nothing. The nasturtiums still living. I took the nasturtiums down onto the patio so i could keep an eye on them.

My husband bought me a planter with a hanging fuchsia in it. Sitting on my patio it takes pride and place. The beautiful flowers hang over the green planter as though they are trying to touch the floor.

And I was given a hanging basket - they need to be watered regularly don't they? Oh dear! I like it when people give my things, it makes my frugal living easier.

16th May 07

A week later - no sign of the pumpkins but there are little holes where the seeds were. The radishes are doing well, lots of green leaves. Nasturtiums doing well also but again there are little holes where the cherry tom seeds were. Little blighters!

8th May 07

My young sons were given seeds to plant for themselves. Pumpkins, radishes and nasturtiums. We planted them together and after a great deal of mess and loads of water I prayed the seeds would make it.

I picked up some seeds for myself which were 49p a packet. Frugal purchase! Cherry tomatoes, broccoli and swede. The broccoli and swede seeds are still in their packets! But I planted the cherry toms the same time the boys planted (demolished) their seeds!

1st May 07

I can't believe it's May already! My strawberry plants which I planted last year are fighting with the weeds. I don't think they'll come to much this year. I know, I'm supposed to keep my garden weed free but I'm not a good gardener as you probably suspected already. I planted two in a planter though, and brought them down onto the patio so I can see it and remind me to water.

My mum has lupins in her garden, when they go over I'll collect the seeds, let them dry and hopefully I'll have some of my own next year. Another frugal idea.

April 07

I put my little pots of chrysanthemum side shoots outdoors today. The sun and rain will probably look after them better than I do. I've put them on the window cill of the shed. Along with my free primrose and geranium.

24th March 07

The side shoots are starting to produce roots. Another week or two and I'll transfer them to pots.

17th March 07

For Mothers Day I received a bunch of flowers and I noticed the little side shoots and in the past haven't thought much about them. But, recently I have started to peel off the side shoots and put them in water and wait to see if they produce roots. If they do, I plant them into old yoghurt pots and leave them in my window cill. This is a great frugal way of growing your own plants.

Mum also gave my a chrysanthemum plant (from my boys).

Last Winter 06

When I started this frugal living website, I had already attempted gardening. I was, however, fortunate to have been given plants as well. I have a geranium and a fuchsia in a small hanging basket. They were given to me in the spring.

When it started to get cold, I brought the basket indoors and left it in the utility. I gave it a little water every now and then. To my surprise it started to come back and by Feb/March it was looking really good. That was until I tried to move it and broke off one of the stalks. But, I put it into an egg cup with some water and placed it in my window and hoped for the best (thinking it would die). It started to produce little roots so I planted it in some compost in a small yoghurt pot and it grew.