There are roses in there...

Waddy wow so pretty and your neighbour shall get to enjoy the pleasure now

Wow..you have done a great job! The roses are beautiful too. Your neighbour is very lucky. I used to do the same thing when I lived in London, I used to look after the elderly in their own homes, I came across gardens which were once loved but because of the owners ill health, they could not look after them anymore, that's when I came in, I did a few gardens in this way for free. The smile on their faces was all I needed to see. Well done you! :))))

Wow what a transformation bet your neighbour appreciates all your hard work :-)

You will have him in tears again Waddy. lol :O) its lovely :O). I had a thought today, after reading about your veggie patch improvements. Do Age Concern not have willing volunteers to help you out with the garden, think they do - maybe a phone call to them would be a good idea, the more the merrier or as they say 'many hands make light work'. Just a thought. You would not get as tired if you had helpers :O) You have done really well already the garden looks amazing and so pretty. :O)

They are lovely now - your neighbour must be thrilled. Strange that the plants don't seem to be much worse for having been so overgrown. Did you uncover the little dog and the mushroom?

I think you bought a magic wand Waddy. What a difference. Well done and I'm sure the neighbours are very happy with what you've managed to achieve in a short time.

My goodness ! That garden was in a state wasn't it :O
You've made such a difference to it. It doesn't look the same place at all now :)))

Oh my!
What a transformation.....glorious roses now ★♡★

wow, what a difference! it must have been neglected for a long time.

Wow, that hard work really paid off. Now your neighbours can see their lovely roses.

Well done to you. You worked hard and will have made your neighbours really happy.

Scotkat; He can only see from his kitchen window unfortunately, but I took a small posy of them inside for him so he could enjoy their perfume.

Michaella; You're so right. It's the look of pleasure on his face which makes it all worth while :)

Simbad; He does :)

Oliveoil; Thanks for the tip, but he's a funny old devil, it took quite a bit of 'sweet talk' from me before he would allow me to do anything. Now he's glad he did, but I think that's only because he knows me, he's not at all keen on strangers lending a hand, no matter what they might help with. As it happens I don't mind the hard work, it's both rewarding and good exercise!

Steragram; I must admit I was quite surprised myself how little they had suffered. Yes I did find the little fox and mushroom as well as an owl and a pottery tree stump!

Scottish; Not so much a magic wand as a trusty spade lol! Yes, very happy I'm please to say.

Hywel; Yes it was rather bad, but things are beginning to take shape :)

Pamg; Thank you...and they smell wonderful too!

Fran; Thanks. I think it's been gradually creeping up on them...if you'll pardon the pun lol!

Alextb; They are really pleased I'm happy to say, worth all the hard work :)

What a little treasure you are,Waddy..and what a fantastic job you have done so far..I can't believe how good the Roses are looking,after being neglected for a while..makes you wonder if we are all too fussy with ours..good on yer girl,well done :o) x

Thanks Bloomer. It does make you wonder doesn't it? I've given up on my Gertrude Jekyll, she's so badly infected with blackspot now that I'm going to dig her out at the end of the season. Such a shame, I had really looked forward to sitting on the swing enjoying the smell of the rose...it was obviously not meant to be. :(

My Roses are supposed to be disease resistant,but I still get blackspot on them..I just take them off,as I don't like using chemical sprays..They will probably be bald before long ! Lol. Are you sure you want to dig it out? seems a same to miss out on the perfume..

Wow, what a difference! I don't think I would have know where to start. Who would have thought that all those lovely roses were hidden in there. If GoY had a 'gardener of the year award' I would nominate you and I bet your neighbours would too :)

Pink roses are lovely to look at. ;)

You've done a great job Waddy.hope the couch grass is kept under control in the future. Age Concern run a garden scheme but people still have to pay, it's a bit cheaper than a private gardener, £17 per year to join & £12 per hour, no call out fee. Most elderly people don't want to pay out anything on their gardens though. These were the prices a couple of years ago.

oh well you are indeed a bargain Waddy, very good value for money. lol :O)

Wonder how much it is now Feverfew, bet its increased somewhat. :O( although I have no idea how much gardeners charge either to do gardening as thankfully I am still able to do my own.

Just got back from a little trip t Northumberland and while there visited Alnwick Castle and Gardens. (blog and pics to follow later) I got talking..(not like me..) to one of the gardeners in the Rose Garden and told him of my problem with blackspot. He told me most roses suffer from it from time to time. The answer apparently is good housekeeping right from the bud stage, correct pruning so as not to leave dead wood behind and...sorry Bloomer..chemical sprays at the first signs of trouble. If a rose has been bothered by blackspot in a previous season, then spraying as a preventative from the first buds in the following spring is advised. Hope that helps :)

Gee19; Oh that's so kind of you to say so.

Feverfew; As far as I'm aware that service is no longer offered by Age Concern, not only that but even at £12 an hours it's too expensive for most pensioners. I've already put in over 50 hours, so goodness knows how much the bill would be by the time I've finished...still LOTS to do.

Fantastic job done ... you must be feeling so pleased to see the Roses again ... and I'm sure your neighbour is truly grateful! :o)

He was probably too ashamed at first, society now makes people ashamed of being old and unable to do what they once did. It's wonderful that you persevered and what a job you've done. Having accepted your help, your neighbours will be thrilled to see their garden once again:-))