Tiki garden project coming together

@Matt-tropical The members you mate...very rare you spot a pic without a glass of wine

 

.......just a little something to get you in the mood!!

 

@Tetters oh yes i'm in the mood now mate and we need to include @wiseowl

 

Up early today popped out to get some more materials. Images for update are patio brick edge finnished,the wire for climbing plants started. Finally got round to fitting and staining the banister for the front of the patio ( it’s been in the garage since Christmas). Final pic shows some of the rocks I plan to use in the borders to give that tropical feel. Packing up early today been a long week taking tomorrow off as have to be up for work at 4:30 Monday . Having said that will still be doing some thing garden related as my garland heated props have turned up today along with my heatmat and thermostat for my tropicals. Will probably do a separate post in the other section for that as this is going to be my first go at growing palms and musa from seed

 

That looks like a lot of hard work, what did you use to break up the concrete?

Even when I was a lot younger when I needed to take about three feet of the concrete collar I made for my first pool to enable me to fit a pump sump in the same position I hired a Kango hammer for the day. I didn't think my lump hammer and chisel was up to it.

 

@Doghouse Riley I used a kango as well,broke it up quite quickly to be fair but there’s no shortcut for the loading it into a wheelbarrow.

 

I thought there was a piece of our decking missing @Matt-tropical

 

@Matt-tropical you have your decking the same colour as ours

 

@Gail_68 looks like it, I used the creocote dark brown I like the way when it fades a bit the grain shows up nicely. We don’t actually have decking but wanted something to make a clear separation from the patio area and the garden. I’m going to build a short type rail on the other side with a place to stand some drinks

 

It sounds nice mate...our garden was a grow your own and a total tip but it got cleared and the decking was first...it was done straight across the property and 10ft out into the garden as you'll see from the pic i'm adding @Matt-tropical

 

Weather here has been terrible this week so no work outside. One of the personal challenges I have set myself for this season is to try to grow as much from seed as possible as previously I’ve just brought plants for the garden. This week I’ve had delivered a small poly tunnel,pariffin heater and a Eden 2kw propane heater. Earlier in February I got some heated propagators and a large biogreen heat mat to have a bash at this growing lark and 2 weeks in I’m having some success. The poly tunnel is a 3x2x2 eBay job with 25mm galvanised frame and heavy duty cover, I’ve also ordered a spare cover for the future but as this will be treated like a temporary pop up greenhouse I’m hoping 2 covers will last me a few years. I Managed to get some pariffin at a semi decent price for the heater and already have gas for the Eden gas heater in the form of the bottle for the barbecue. Finally just a few pics of the heater that I got it’s a lot bigger that I was expecting and seems well made so happy with that and the seeds which have germinated so far are : echinacea Magnus,knautia macedonica and blue fescue.

 

It's going to be great! Never mind today's weather, just think of sitting out there with a pina colada or whatever to hand in a few months' time, surrounded by luxuriant foliage!

 

Back again with an update for those who are following this project. Been a really busy week had a nice shed delivered for another project at the side of the bungalow. I have smashed the rest of the garden to bits wrecked the grass,finished cutting up and burning the conifers we cut down. Ive finally moved the waterbutts to Where I wanted them and dug some holes for other parts of this project. I must have moved everything round the garden 3 times because I like to try and do several things at once and generally make life hard for myself.The patio area is now in full of plants and pots too meaning we can’t get out of the back door. See pics for the unfolding disaster, even the dog has had enough of the garden this week and as you can see she won’t even get off the sofa to drink her cuppa I made her. I have included a pic of what was my great looking grass last summer to remind me of how much I have to do

 

Stick with it Matt! With any project there's always that stage where you wonder "why did I ever think this was a good idea?!" but then it all starts coming together, The Vision re-emerges, and all your hard work pays off!

 

Big day today repotted my trachy palm,poly tunnel taken down, started planting some of the many plants I’ve gathered over the winter. The highlight of the day was potting my blue palm and butia palm into the massive pots.I brought theses palms during the winter and this is the first time they have been outside since. I’ve obsessed on where to put these all winter as the pots are pretty big and not something you can move easily if at all when filled. I’m off to urban jungle here in Norfolk tomorrow to acquire some Musa Basjoo to add to the beds. Finally the last job was to pot up the hosta plants I got 3 weeks ago for the shaded fence border and overseed the rest of the grass where the tunnel had been. With this project nearing the end I’ve already set myself the next challenge which is to change the observatory area by totally ripping it down and redesigning it. I’ll be back for some advice on this area of the garden as I’m thinking of growing a tropical hide away area there where I can put my feet up in the shade surrounded by some more tropical looking plants.