As my wife has had MS for years now, even getting into our small garden requires a considerable effort. So although the borders are densely planted, we have about fifteen roses in ceramic pots on the patio. These sit on "pot movers" so I can easily re-arange them in order that she can see the best in their turn from her chair in the lounge







I created a small circular bed in the centre of the garden. At the moment there's a sambucus in a big container in the centre, surrounded by three azaleas which will eventually hide the container. When they flower, I can change it for a Conference pear, or a Stellar cherry, which are in similar tubs presently on the small patio behind the shed.




I bought these cheap wooden containers quite some time ago. They just happened to fit nicely either side of our tea-house steps. I painted them to match.They are supposed to have solid wooden bottoms. But that would lead to rot. So I removed them and replaced them with two 2" wooden rails along the length of each. Three ten inch plastic pots fit in nicely. In the summer they sit on plastic saucers. In the winter I upturn the saucers so water drains away. I used to swop lilies for dahlias in them during the year, but it became a bit of a bother, so now they have hebes that have flowers for a considerable number of months.



These are our "tree azaleas" they too are in ceramic pots and sit on round paving stones set in the lawn. If it's likely that there may be some very cold weather in winter they can be quickly moved into the shed.

What a lovely display of gorgeous flowers! I know your wife must appreciate your beautiful gardens.

Beautiful garden with its many colorful and bountiful elements placed in just the right places for enjoyment. Lots of great work to love and appreciate! Thank you for sharing, Doghouse Riley!

Your grow area landscape, looks like a botanic garden put together by pros! Everything looks so perfect in the right spots. Super Rose's too!
I really like the way you have the Japanese Maples with their pretty colors blending with the green colors. How many seasons have you been working on this, If you don't mind me asking?

Just looking at your lush lawn, you must be in the UK. What a beautiful garden. And you've done so much to make it not only "accessible" for your wife to enjoy, but you've successfully made it easier to care for over the years. I'm slowly learning to do the latter. My motto, especially for senior gardeners like myself, is to "Garden Smart". I try to chose carefree plants, plant them in failsafe spots (or in pots) and create a garden I don't have to be a "slave" to. Thank you very much for sharing your lovely garden photos. You're clearly "Gardening Smart".

Riley, it is obvious that you have a great love and passion for gardening. It is impressive how you have beautifully incorporated conventional landscaping and container gardening.
Your container plants are inspiring for ease of care and moving. Much thought was put into your plantings for both you and your wife's enjoyment.

Thanks for the kind words, I've not posted for a bit.
All the hard landscaping I did in the eighties. We have added plants from time to time and changed some, but mostly, we just let them grow.
The largest acer palmatum we've had from 1986. The smaller one for about fifteen years.

Good to see you back Riley. How is your garden doing?

valleylynn said:Good to see you back Riley. How is your garden doing?

Thanks valleylynn.

It's doing very well.

On V E Day evening I turned on all the lights.

I don't turn them on that often, "as they make the street lights go dim."

We've a lot of lights in our garden.

4. 240v 60w porch lights on the sides of the garage, shed and tea-house, (a further porch light on the back of the house)

3, 240v PIRs, on the garage, shed and tea-house

1, 240v 15w strip light behind and above the doors of the tea-house

2, 12v lamps in the Japanese lanterns. The low voltage cables for all garden lighting are attached to the concrete base panels of the fence

2, 12v spotlights

4, low voltage sets of fairy lights.

1, low voltage light in the Masarrelli fountain.

You can't be too careful with lights which are out in all weathers in a garden and when you've things like koi pool electrics.

All the exterior lights (except the PIRs) and the fountain are controlled by four switches behind the lounge curtains plus the porch light on the back of the house which is on the house consumer unit.



There's an armoured cable that runs from the house under the concrete raft of the patio and path and into the garage here.




The garage electrics are connected to a mini breaker in the house consumer unit then to this RCCB via an armoured cable under the drive. It supplies two consumer units. I check it now and again.



This is "mission control."



It services the garage and the former koi pool filter room.

There's mini-breakers for the water heater, power, lights in the garage and room, and the garden lights.

The garden lights and fountain are powered from the three sockets.

1, Two sets of fairy lights and fountain.

2, All other lighting

3, Spotlight on the fence behind the rockery, low voltage cable in alkathene pipe under the old concrete pool collar and rockery,

I number the supplies so I know "what's what."

I could connect any of these sockets to other things and have them controlled by the switches in the lounge, but I think the load of what I've got is enough.

The transformers either side of the unit are for the fountain and rockery spotlight.

The room has a water heater for the basin with it's own double pole fused illuminated switch (so I'm reminded not to leave it on) and it's where we now keep two back-up freezers. I've also a small electric kettle and my Budweiser beer fridge in there, for "gardening comforts."

The basin I recycled from the bathroom suite we had installed, in 1976, can you believe that colour was once popular?
The suite was subsequently replaced with a cream one by me, (as my wife got tired of the brown colour as it was hard to keep clean) ...then again for white with all new units when we had the bath changed for a walk-in shower!



The shed and tea-house have their own consumer unit situated in the shed, but there's only a double socket and a fluorescent light in the shed.



The power to the tea-house is supplied from the shed in cables in an alkathene pipe well buried in the side border next to the fence.

The tea-house has a double pole fused switch, to isolate the power and lights in there, if necessary.

The sockets are for the transformers for the Japanese lanterns, the spotlight behind the pagoda and two sets of fairy lights around the eaves of the tea-house.



There's also several sockets around the waist in here for the jukeboxes, clock, the two inspection lamps I keep in the bottom of each jukebox (to provide some heat in cold weather), the steam mop to clean the floor, (the vinyl always gets messy if I'm in and out, if when the garden's a bit damp), the TV, etc,.





The consumer units are relatively new, (replacing several fused double pole switches), as is some of the wiring which is now in plastic trunking on the interior walls, but the same system has been running for over thirty years.

I'm in the habit of turning all the lights on for a few seconds, just before we go to bed. It was originally to check that nothing had tripped out which would have turned off the koi pool pump.
Now I do it to know that everything's OK in the garden.

All I can say is Wow!
You are a very handy man.