Makeover Weekend

With last weekend being a three day one it was the perfect opportunity to get stuck in and start giving two areas of our garden a spruce up and a mini makeover. These two areas are the bottom patio (where the big goldfish pond is) and jungle veranda.

Despite being only classed as 'mini makeovers', they'll still take quite a bit of time to complete. So no finished product and after shots on this post, but rather just glimpses of what we have done so far, up to the point where we packed up on Monday evening.

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Jazz Up the Jungle Hut

How we decorated the jungle hut, or more appropriately jungle verandah this year hadn't changed much at all from last year. A few items were moved about to different places and that it when it came to those few changes. 

However, much I liked how I felt about the garden a few weeks ago I thought it was looking relatively sparse. The space was fine by us as it made it easier to move around as we do use the space a lot but when it came to taking photos of the space it needed more 'oomph'.

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Jungle Days

With the summer months the jungle part of the garden takes on its usual lush appearance and so far this year it seems better than ever. We have had a mixed summer so far, some warm days and lots of wet ones too, as such the garden seems to be responding well.

We have a number of ornaments in the garden with the pergola covering the bottom patio has a selection, with carved African birds hanging from the beams, and some other inhabitants on the ground below. 

This concrete tortoise was a gift from my parents, my sister is also the proud owner of one.... (thanks Dad!)

Whereas this one is made from metal coming from recycled oil drums.

Trachycarpus martianus

 The Trachycarpus martianus by the bottom patio is kept in a pot, its borderline hardy but we have decided to keep it pot grown and move under cover in winter. It seems content with this arrangement, and whilst it would grow faster in the ground, we dont want to risk it if we had a repeat of the bad winters we had between 2010 and 2012.

The pergola is covered by a grape vine, as well as Clematis armandii, the Schefflera on the right hand side is now well over 8 feet tall and similar across. This seems to be growing faster this year, so much so that it may need hacking back. If we do then we must try and get the propagating technique right. 

On the other side of the old koi pond from patio the Gunnera also seems to have enjoyed the mix of rain and warm weather and has taken off this year.

The other aspect of the Jungle - The Jungle Hut had to be rebuilt following the fire in 2013. Now it doesnt look like anything happened in this part of the garden, with a wall of green greeting us from the verandah.

All in all the garden seems to be enjoying the early summer well. Lets hope it continues!

Gaz

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The New Jungle Hut

Enough of reminiscing, here it is, the new Jungle Hut!

Time flies so fast and it doesn't feel such a long time ago when we had to do these chores first, last May to be specific...

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Reminiscing the Jungle Hut

Sometimes in order to understand and appreciate the present you must look at the past first...

Very poignant and true, and I say that in a fun tone rather than a serious one!

This post started out as what is supposed to be about the newly redecorated jungle hut. Although we finished the redecoration several months ago we haven't had the chance to post photos of it yet. As I started to sort out the photos we took last weekend and writing about them I kept having flashbacks too on what it looked like before. And remembering what it had been through.

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Views From The Jungle Hut

The weather has been really nice here for the past few days, very summery! And one of our favourite places to sit in the garden and soak in the good weather (albeit in the the shade) is the jungle hut.

We love sitting in it, even more so than it's previous incarnation. Perhaps because it is much bigger than it used to be and we feel the seating layout is much better?

What is it like to sit in our jungle hut (more a veranda really) and what views do we have from there? At the moment they look like this:

Firmiana simplex  the Chinese parasol tree

Ficus carica 'Ice Crystal' and Fatsia japonica 'spiders web'

Staphylea holocarpa rosea

Schefflera and tree ferns

We're set to get some heavy rains from tonight lasting till most of the Saturday. Not complaining though as our garden needs the water after a string of dry and sunny days. 

But even on rainy days we enjoy hanging out in there, remaining dry and comfy as the rest of the garden gets wet. We just imagine that we're sheltering from the monsoon rains in a tropical rainforest!

Mark :-)

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Of Kitchens, Weddings, and a Jungle Hut

No we don't have a kitchen in our jungle hut nor we have plans of having an outdoor kitchen but we did put in some kitchen units there last weekend.

Before we can do anything outside, on the veranda bit we must sort out the inside of the jungle hut first, the bit used as storage for odd and ends and more importantly so, plants during the winter. When the construction of the new hut finished it was left bare and devoid of finishing touches (paint, storage, and flooring) as we immediately needed to utilise the space to overwinter plants. 

The last batch of plants are finally out in the veranda

A nice new view from the jungle veranda - Schefflera alpina

Since the start of the spring plants that have been stored there have been gradually moving out into the veranda to acclimatise for a few days before they move back out into the garden itself. Last weekend the last batch of plants moved out paving the way for a clear (almost) space that we can actually start decorating the inside bit.

Cupboards and storage cabinets were needed there as well as a sturdy worktop. Although we will be using the space as a functional storage area we still want make it look smart and presentable enough that with the right re-arrangement it can look more like a home office or studio rather than a shed. 

The solution was to install some kitchen units and a worktop inside the jungle hut. We bought some flat packed (as you would) and ready to take home units from Ikea and the worktop from somewhere else (strangely Ikea only does worktops in two meter lengths when we need exactly three, which other kitchen suppliers does). Nothing fancy, just simple and inexpensive ones, the sort that are used on rental properties.

Gaz assembled and secured the five units together in under two hours, the worktop slotted in nicely in just minutes and all doors were on in half an hour. Quick and easy and it looked smart. It also felt a bit eerie seeing the finished product for it didn't look too dissimilar to our new kitchen which is also all white, for a fraction of the price compared to section per section.

Which reminded me on how Kitchens and Weddings seems to have a premium simply for what they are. I remember when we were on the process of choosing a kitchen, looking around, asking questions, and realising that the units are really nothing more than glorified cabinets and cupboards and yet they are more expensive than...cabinets and cupboards made from the same materials. Sales people always put a spin and justification as to why this and that is such and such but my opinions haven't changed. Same with weddings, inquire or book a venue (or anything else for that matter) for a wedding and it is significantly more expensive than say for a birthday party, when requirements for both occasions can be almost identical.

Back to kitchens, seeing Gaz assemble a row of units in a fraction of an afternoon made the process seemed so simple. The reality is of course not that simple. It took the installers a dedicated week and a half to complete the process, much longer than our expectations and seeing them work made me appreciate how skilled kitchen fitters are.

Anyway, enough of the reminiscing and back to the jungle hut! Two coats of white paint were applied afterwards and only touch ups are needed later on. I suggested that we ought to have fun and paint the walls a different colour but we'll think about that in the next few days, that is if we want to bother or just stick with the white. Apart from the painting all that's left to do is to install some blinds on all four windows and a curtain pole above the doors so I can hang an exotic fabric/curtain on it to serve as a backdrop to the jungle veranda.

And soon it will be time to get stuck in with painting the jungle veranda itself!

Mark :-)

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Jungle Dreaming

January is often a time of new resolutions, plans and ideas, and for us we are itching to get back into the garden and are planning ahead for the warmer months. We do still have a few things to finish off inside and really must wait for the better weather. 

A key part of the garden plans for 2014 is the restoration of the jungle area following last years fire. The Jungle hut, although finished needs to be painted and we havent yet decided upon the colour. We are keen to include a bright vibrant colour within the porch area but which one...

Last year Mark had visited a restaurant in Chelsea with a colonial vibe, yet using a vivid green combined with dark woods. 

Photo from Blue Elephant Chelsea

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A Look Back at the Year 2013

What a roller coaster of a year 2013 has been! Just looking back and reminiscing at the things that we got up to and the events that transpired in the past twelve months, some of which we didn't have any control of has reminded us how intense this year was.

Very intense, and what an insane year, whew!

What a difference twelve months can make. Looking back on our blog archives it's amazing how many things have happened in what is relatively a short period of time. Some of these activities we have almost forgotten about but were instantly reminded of the moment we read them all over again. And that's one of the many advantages of having a blog, it also serves as on online diary that we can refer to if we want to remember what we got up to gardening wise in a particular time of the year from the time we started blogging.

Ahh 2013, such an intense yea!. So many highs, a few unexpected lows, overall very intense. Intense, have I said this word enough? It is the perfect word that sums up how both us feel about this year.

We actually don't know whether to consider 2013 as a good year or a bad year for the both of us. One thing is for sure though, is that it was...well...intense! Too intense at times and that's not always a good thing.

So a good year or a bad year? We will pass judgement as soon as we have finished looking back and we'll deliver our verdict at the end of this post. Join us as we reminisce on the year 2013...

JANUARY

A snowy and mellow start to our year as we continued with the final stages of our big pond build and began its Final Countdown as we completed the decking next to the pond, as well as introduced you all to the Prequel Pond which gave us our first experience in building a raised pond. It is also the pond that jump started our koi keeping hobby and is the mother of our big pond build.

It's The Final Countdown.

The Prequel Pond

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Lighting up The Jungle

Over the coming winter, once the house redecoration is complete, we have set ourselves a couple of tasks in the garden. I'm sure you wouldn't expect us to be doing nothing at this time of the year no would you!!  We have the quarantine pond to finish and also we want to add irrigation. However one task that has been long over due is to make the jungle part of the garden more illuminated.

With the new koi pond we added lighting to the pergola to illuminate the pond and fish, keeping it not too bright so as to not upset the neighbours. We also added lighting to the first and second raised beds, using small spot lights to pick out some of the more specimen plants. Mostly the plants highlighted are yuccas, which I guess was probably right as they are the most architectural in that border.

Lighting up the Koi pond

Yucca linearifolia

Yucca rostrata

I would like to add some light to the third raised bed and also the koi filter house, although now things are completed there I'm not sure I can hide the cables without disturbing the finish, so perhaps not.

With the fire and birth of the new Jungle Hut we changed the style of the lighting, adding a pendant and two wall lights, with which we are really pleased. We would now like to add extra lighting to that bottom part of the garden, partly to illuminate the pathway and also to pick out key plants.

For the pathways, I would quite like to have something like this post light from Zed Lighting, keeping quite a simple look to the lighting so the lights themselves don't steal the show compared to the garden itself. We have started to introduce a few other stainless steel elements into the garden so they would tie in.

Where we want to pick out particular plants we will use a similar low voltage solution to that we used in the raised beds by the pond. These were easy to install and being low voltage reduces the risks in the garden. 

I have seen a few gardens where they make a feature of the lighting using coloured lights to illuminate trees or other features at night, whist these can be quite impressive, I'm not sure that would work with the enclosed nature of our garden.

Having just walked down the garden with a torch to take photos of the Jungle hut it makes me realise just how important new lighting along the path in that direction will be, so when the jobs in the house are all finished I'm looking forward to new projects!

Gaz

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The Naked Jungle Hut

The Jungle Hut was completed last weekend much to our delight! And just in time too before the first serious frost and cold spell set in this week.

The Jungle Hut - completed and naked!

The roof is now nicely clad with cedar shingles. The electrical supply has been restored and new plug points and lighting are now in place and working fine. The tongue and groove cladding for the ceiling have been finished. The inside of the hut itself have been plastered and walls looking smooth. Bamboo balustrades are all in....

They've done a great job with the cedar shingle roofing!

Tongue and Groove for the ceiling

So basically whatever the builders need to have have all been done and we are so pleased with the end product!

However, as the title implies, it may be complete but it is still naked, and will have to remain so until early next year.

It will receive lots of staining and painting early next year

Before anything saucy comes to mind, what I mean with it being naked is that at the moment it is at a raw state - no decorations, no paint, no preservatives or stains, will need thorough cleaning, will need some sanding, even the pendant light needs adjusting. All of these tasks are weather dependent and will have to wait till next year the soonest we have a (relative) warm spell or a decent spate of good weather.

But for now it needs to serve an important purpose of utility storage and winter protection of several potted plants, exactly how the old jungle was used before it was irreversibly damaged.

The pendant light will need adjusting

Something to look forward to in the spring, getting this naked jungle hut clothed, made p, and very presentable! We haven't decided yet on the final colour scheme but we have some ideas already on the new furniture and decorations that will go in it, and the atmosphere we'd want to create in it. And of course how it will enhance the garden too. Things are bound to change and evolve of course, we have all winter to decide but the process should be fun!

For now it's main purpose is to store and protect plants

It may be naked but it sure is getting our creative juices flowing!!

Mark :-)

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Welcome to The Jungle (Hut)

With the weather forecast showing some cold weather on its way next week it was great that the builders finished the new Jungle Hut this week. I'll write a dedicated post on the finished building in the next few days. Today, however, was the perfect opportunity to move a number of plants under cover, so that they are all tucked up before the cold comes.

The old jungle hut always was home to plants in winter - see this post from last November and so the tradition continues with the new one!

As you can see behind the plants we haven't had chance to paint the plaster, this will have to wait until spring when we bring everything out. But for now the plants are warm and snug inside the all new jungle hut!

Gaz

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The Scent of Cedar

When you have a heavy cold any wonderful scent that manage to pass through your clogged nostrils is a welcome treat, and that scent must be very powerful to do so. And such was the scent of cedar.

Being all arty with cedar shingles!

I didn't even need to be right next to it, it was wafting in the air and you get a whiff of it the moment you open the patio doors.

The cedar shingles for the new jungle hut has arrived and was piled on the top patio ready to be installed in the following days. I followed the scent to where it was obviously coming from and found myself deeply inhaling the scent of  roof tiles - now that's something I bet you won't hear too often! And even better, a couple of builders did the same after me. There we were, a trio of people sniffing roof tiles!

But cedar wood also meant cedar oil and some of it were leaching from the shingles on to the patio. It doesn't matter at this point as the patio will be repaved anyway but this is something we'll have to keep in mind for the future. The initial plan is to use cedar slats to screen the existing fences in this area next year, as part of this patio's looming makeover. The stone paving must go on first before the screening and the last thing we want is for oil to leach out on to the porous. So if we go for this material we'll have to store them somewhere else.

The new jungle hut is shaping up very nicely. The builders are not always good at following design brief faithfully but so far so good, it looks like, for a change it is heading towards there a hundred percent. Full credits to Gaz here, he made all of the sketches and did all of the redesigning and all I did was to give him full faith to do so. I'll have lots of input with the furniture, decor, and colour scheme though but that will have to wait till next year.

Before they go on the roof they might as well serve a temporary purpose - as a platform whiche helped me tidy up this Nolina longifolia

Ahh, the sweet scent of cedar!

Mark :-)

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