Are you making your garden winter lockdown ready?

Can I just ask - if a mum and dad have 6 kids, do they have to dispose of/chuck out/put up for adoption 2 of them, to follow the latest stupid idea?

No garden just a patio which I use all year round anyway, in all weathers. I dress up in rainclothes in wet weather and sit under an umbrella on my swing seat, love it, even at night. Even as a child I was happiest outdoors. The only thing I've done that's different this year is order patio fruit trees - I'd intended to plant fruit trees at my allotment but two delayed hip operations have prevented that. My patio has kept me sane since this virus began, can't imagine what it's like to have no outside space.

Hello from NE U.K. no garden visitors full stop at the moment!! Hope other areas don’t have the “lockdown/isolation “ which began here yesterday. All very sudden, everyone will be sitting in their gazebos etc with just their own families for now (

I am hoping for a mild autumn. I use our garden a lot and this summer especially as no summer holiday. There are 5 living in our home, my dh, me, 2 adult ds's and a dear foster son so sadly can't invite dd, SiL and dgc over not my parents in law. I did see all in summer and glad I did. As I can't have guests over it seems pointless buying firepit/chimney for garden but have snuggly think fleace blankets and extra large wind breaks we use on beach.

I think Xmas will be a very quiet affair this year. I am expecting to drive 150 miles ony own to drop off DD and dgc presents, spend a couple of hours with them then drive home again a few days before Xmas Eve.

We've already abandoned the idea, yellowcanary. It would be too much for us to cope with if we needed to dismantle it due to bad weather. We get some very high winds and the apex if over 9ft high.

My shinning up a stepladder days are well and truly over.

@merlotgran I personally would not advise primrose - personal bad experience and also Facebook dissatisfied group - sorry. Apologies if against rules

It would never enter my head to entertain people in the garden during the winter, other than to let the grandchildren play in the snow if we have any. In any case we are restricted to a total of six people from two households at present and it doesn’t look like that will be changing for the better any time soon. The garden is full of plums, raspberries and grapes just now and I am constantly making crumbles for freezing and freezing fruit, so no time to get the garden ready for winter until at least the end of October.

At least your house boasts an outside loo, LauraNorder

I've got the fence and the bamboo but first I'll have to relocate all those pots!!

DH normally snorts at my fanciful ideas but this time he's actually showing some interest.

Won't last.

Our house is being re-rendered so we feel as though we're living in a box kite, therefore no outdoor preparation because we can't see out. No entertaining for us this year, probably just meet friends and family for brisk walks along the beach.
Merlotgran bar or no bar that's a lovely outdoor space, I look forward to seeing your version.

I have some large bamboos in wooden planters growing against an urban slate (very trendy) painted fence. This photo caught my eye so I shared it with DD who replied,

'Mum, I can't believe you're putting in a bar!'

I was so busy admiring what they'd done with the bamboo I didn't notice the bar.

Anyway, it's not a bar. I think it's wishful thinking on her part!

After 3 hot summers in France I've decided to give up my
'English' style ' garden and start on a more 'mediteranean'
one. The watering has become too much especially with
hose pipe bans now the norm.
However an Autumn in the garden may be the best
defense there is!

I completely wasted whiled away an hour on Pintrest yesterday looking at DIY outdoor kitchen ideas.

I'm used to the delicate aroma of bonfire as we have a very large garden so I don't suppose the firepit (which should arrive on Tuesday) will cause any problems in the laundry department

A friend of my son has built a whole kitchen at the end of his garden, complete with a pizza oven. There is also a firepit. The only problem is that my son smells like a bonfire after sitting by the pit for a few hours, and I have to wash his clothes twice. I've told him he has to wear a boiler suit next time he goes!

I’m an outdoors person anyway so any excuse to be outside.

Actually been invited to a couple of friends’ garden tomorrow for coffee and cake?

Sorry wrong thread. I've just got up!

We had the same thoughts of continuing to offer coffee and cakes to friends during the better winter days. We have decided to keep up our gazebo which is waterproof and has sides ( 2 with windows). We have bought an outdoor electric heater and 4 wool blankets so hope to continue to welcome visitors. We haven’t had anyone in the house for 6 months so this is our compromise.

I mentioned this on another thread yesterday. We have been having deliveries throughout the pandemic. DH has started popping to the shops occasionally. He came back yesterday and said 'I swear some people don't realise there's a pandemic going on'.

Many years ago, one November day in Spain, when the sun was out but the people weren’t, XH & I decided to go for a walk followed by a picnic. We drove to a nearby cove (Granadella, if anyone knows it) and walked up a hill to a ruined fort. Came back and unpacked the picnic things to have lunch on the beach, giggling about our frozen bodies being discovered, etc. However, the clever man had packed hot water bottles and made hot pasta for our lunch! The water bottles kept our legs and our lunch warm and it was one of the nicest picnics I’ve ever had!

I live in Central Scotland so fat chance being able to sit out in winter! I'm slowly buying bulbs etc and adding to my garden. I have a summer house but it's unlikely to be warm enough in winter. However, I will try to get into the garden in winter as I think it will help

I’ve put a gazebo over my outside table and weighed it down with sandbags filled with pebbles. Also bought a chiminea and waiting for some recycled smokeless fuel logs. Then I’ll make a cake and invite a friend or two around....

I think I was rather over-enthusiastic at the Garden Centre the other day - I bought plants and bushes for spring colour but don't seem to have any room left to plant them!
Another one arrived by post about half an hour ago too.

We were trying to make life easier by doing away with some borders; looks like I'll DH will have to dig some more.

Getting it ready to view from behind the window?

So today planted a big pot with hyacinth Woodstock, tulip pink, pansies and cyclamen rose, pink and white for colour over autumn and winter if it isn’t too cold.

I'm afraid that come the winter, I won't be doing any outside eating as I can't abide being frozen. Chimineas and heaters are fine for a while if it's not blowing a gale, but our back garden gets very windy so not ideal for fire pits, etc, when it's breezy. (Don't think our neighbours would appreciate the smoke drifting across, either). I'm hoping, though, that during the autumn we will get into the garden on warmer, sunshiny days. ?

My garden's never 'ready'. There are always about three hundred things that need doing. Fortunately we like wild.