Shirleypoppy's Profile

About me

Hello all, and thanks to everyone who welcomed me to the GOY site.
I am of maturing years (sorry, that's all you are going to get!) and have gardened at this house for 27 years. We are surrounded here by gravel extraction sites, and about a foot down my soil(!) is bright orange and full of stones. I even have a sunken front garden, courtesy of gravel extraction (I believe it was used to build the foundation of the house). This is also the driest part of the UK.
I suppose it was an average 50's suburban garden, just grass and a few sorry shrubs, when I took it over - it has never been "designed", but has just evolved. For years when my kids were small, I mowed the borders along with the lawn! Now I indulge my passion for colour wherever possible, but anything with a label that says "needs moisture retentive soil" is swiftly returned to its companions at the garden centre.
I have a TINY veg. plot 2m by 2m, which is giving me a few courgettes, runner beans, carrots, lettuces, and hopefully beetroot, but the slugs got the rest. I try to be organic, and make my own compost, and a pony up the road occasionally helps out with the soil improvement.
Incidentally, my husband's idea of gardening is sitting on the patio with a glass of red, so it is all my own work!

I suppose I should add that "Garden Granny" would probably be a better name for me. I have a daughter, her partner and 2 grand-daughters living only 10 minutes away, but my son and relatively new daughter-in-law live in the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I look after the grand-daughters after school 3 days a week, as my daughter has recently gone back to work. My time on GoY is now a little more restricted!