Invergordon Area

Invergordon is small former naval town. Situated on the shores of the Cromarty Firth.

Invergordon's fortunes have been varied and since the navy has left it's been boom or bust with various industries arriving and departing over the years, in the 1970's the BA Smelter and more recently the Nigg Fabrication Yard. A development in recent years is the passenger liners such as the QE2 and Queen Mary who visit the port and use it as the stepping stone to the Highlands, being in travelling distance of Loch Ness, Culloden and Inverness to the South, easy reach of Skye to the West and Castle Mey, Dornoch and John O Groats to the North.

Pots

My pots have come along quite the thing....they're quite labour intensive though but worth the effort. I planted some Nasturtiums in a big pot and used the thinnings to dot around the veggie garden and made a hanging basket just to see how they fared....so far so good and they're now in flower and look very stunning. I like to try different things in the pots every year.


I overwintered my Fatsia Japonica outside this year and it survived despite very cool temperatures, i lost a few leaves but it's actually benefitted from this and made a good recovery, will need repotting next year but a very architectural plant for the patio.

This is the first year i've tried Nicotiana in pots and i'm quite pleased with the results, although needs plenty of water and feeding weekly. Slow to get going but worth the wait.


I planted Impatiens in several pots this year and they have took a while to get going as they like to be pot bound before they flower, but they're picking up speed now and another couple of weeks will be very pretty.

The Ornamental Garden

With the house being in the centre of the plot this has allowed me to create different gardens to explore. I have names for all my gardens, the veggie garden and the ornamental garden, i've an area i call the compound (behind the swing seat) where i keep all my odds and sods oh and the front garden which i plan to add a bench to as this gets the evening sun. I'm mad on seats in the garden as it tempts you to explore. The compound is still work in progress and eventually will house another shed, my original shed being built under the house roof to save garden space! I've still got the greenhouse base to put in in the veggie garden and this should happen either in the Autumn or early spring! Another adventure then begins when i get my greenhouse in place!





The ornamental area is ongoing and although most of the hard landscaping has been done it's still very much work in progress. It's pretty boring at the mo with a patch of lawn and beds surrounding it. No shape as such, but hope that once i get the existing areas planted i can then start adding a bit of shape and mystery! We decided to build a BBQ - big mistake. I found that it's great when in use but for the rest of the time it's an eyesore so have started demolishing it and plan to put some raised beds here probably to grow herbs or alpines...this will probably happen next yeat at some point, at the mo i'm focusing on finishing the frameplanting and then will start enlarging the beds and making it interesting! If you notice a few ragged edges this is the reason why!



The bench was moved to it' s spot in the corner and i've started planting fragrant plants around it...haven't quite decided what will be in the corner behind the bench but think perhaps a Buddliea or some such. It's been amazing since moving the bench here as it's given a whole new perspective to the garden and changed the line of site....before i hardly went to this area but now i often sit here if the cat will allow me onto her bench! It also catches sun right up to the last ray which is nice when you've been at work all day.

The trellis which divides the ornamental garden from the veggie garden is starting to get clothed in roses and clematis and i find this very exciting. It's amazing just how quick these romp away to cover a trellis. It will also act as a windbreak which is essential as we face the sea and this is in line with the Easterly's. The plot faces South West so it's very hot....all the garden gets sun for some or most of the day which is helpful.

July 2006

Well today i've picked yet more strawberries.....and still more to come but i think that will be them to an end. Despite the amount i picked i still lost quite a few lb to the rains we had over the past couple of days. Welcome though it was, it wasn't helpful to the strawbs. Some went mildewy and some went soft where they were sitting in the water which puddled on the leaves. Still had a good crop despite all that...just not sure what to do with em all. The heat has been good for fruit this year. I was concerned that i had planted the strawberries in an area where they didnt' get sun after 3 in the afternoon but this seems to have been a saviour this year. The plants that did get full sun all day i noticed that the fruits were cooking on the plants, whereas those that got a bit of shade from the house were excellent.


All the strawberries were of a good size too. I had one or two twins which was a novelty for me as i hadn't seen these before...two strawberries from the one flower back to back. It's back breaking work and i've now picked a total of 90lb of strawberries from 49 plants! Think when i eventually move the bed i won't plant as many next time but then again this year could have been an exceptional year!


I also picked my first turnip today, the first ones had bolted and this is the second lot i had sown, i've another row which was sown later and will keep me supplied. I can't believe looking at my pics just how much everything has come one again in a month. My cabbages are coming along a treat and i covered them with strawberry netting originally to stop the birds pecking at the young shoots but kept it on to keep the cabbage whites away...they are fluttering about trying to land on the cabbages but can't. Unfortunately i wasn't able to net my brussels this year so i'm fighting off the caterpillers and the eggs. Got the hang of spotting the yellow eggs but wonder what the black eggs are - friend or foe? I also wonder what the little green caterpillers are what do they become? Are these from the black eggs? I've squirted them with salt water as the caterpillers don't like this and will see if that helps in anyway. They're still quite small but can chomp their way through a leaf overnight! The beetroot is starting to form but keeping a close eye on this just in case it decides to bolt. My onions are going strong and the best i've had for years ......could enter them for a competition the way they are going. I put this down to the intensive preparation in the autumn with top dressing with compost.

The runners are in full flower and starting to form pods....i absolutely adore runners and have grown three teepees this year! My lettuces are coming along a treat too and i've been cutting them off at the base and cutting a cross in them and they are making more leaves so i get twice the amount in the same amount of space. I thought my OH had pulled one up by the roots and was a tad disgruntled but notice that there are little leaves forming again so he must have listened for a change! The second leaves are not as tight as the first and more loose and bigger but still tasty! The june drop was late this year for the apples and didn't happen until July so now that's finished i need to thin out my apples on the cordons, there seems to be plenty to go at anyway. This is the second year they would have fruited and i can't wait. At least they fruit in succession which is just as well when i have four trees!

June 2006

The garden in 2006......still room for development!


As the veggie garden slops, we put in kerb edging and built steps using slabs...and a small patio on top with an arbour seat, a 40th birthday present. The bushes either side of the steps are Currants; black, red and white and Gooseberries, Pax and Invicta and another currant bush.


The view down the length of one of the legs of the veggie garden, in the far of the plot i've autumn rasps, blackberries, loganberries and tayberry. Need to redo the supports as this wasnt that successful. Still have some space up this end to sort out and was thinking asparagus but not sure if there is enough room.


Second leg of the veggie garden, where the strawberries grow, and this year tatties. I've a space for a greenhouse just at the end of the tatties before the berries.....base still to go in but can't wait for this to start.


Start of the onion plot, 3 teepees this year for runners as i'm particularly fond of them. My onions were a tad late in going in but seem to be making up the time. Also lettuces, beetroot and carrots in here.

View from the abour seat end towards fruit trees, I've four cordon dessert apples in. This is their second year and fruited very well last year. Have popped Nasturtiums seeds underneath for a bit of colour. Like the veggie plot to look decorative too. I've built temporary paths to my compost bins with bark and this works very well. Permanent paths are made of slabs.

January 2006

This was the garden in January a tad different to the heatwave we're in now....brrrrrr!!!!

This is what i started with.....

July 2002...as you see i started with the usual mess you would associate with a lottie...i managed to get some tatties in at least but the soil was hard work. The house is sited off centre of the plot to give the best amount of garden space. The front garden, to the left and rear the veggie garden and the right hand side is the ornamental garden. The compound is on the right of the house. The garden was planned before the house was built!