Pimp my potting shed

Those rushed shot of the potting shed this week irked.

It is a fine space and I wanted to show you what can be done to make it really work. And how to take shots of a small space that doesn’t include random stacks of mess. (I failed in this one. I ought to have crouched to hid the Ikea blue.)

Actually looking just now at the selection I can see there is one almighty elephant in the room… The exterior colour.

Which for a passionate collector of paint sample pots is a disgrace.

Sticking plaster / bandaid pink. Hmm, and green mould on the north side too.

And random barrels in seen from outer space blue. I am starting to regret this! Blue buckets of bindweed rotting merrily and stinky …

The reason it has been trapped in this vile garb is because I let my neighbour choose the colour as he found the whole thing an affront.

But now the hedge I planted a few weeks after construction hides it so brilliantly. He can no longer see it from his road.

And it is only when he is on Cat feeding duties that you can actually get a peek through the hedge at all.

The Virginia creeper is starting to clothe the perspex roof on its annual shade out the interior plants duty.

It is time I think to hide it in a better shade.

But what to choose?

The extension of our house is in achingly hip grey.

As is the courtyard rill. (Downpipe Farrow and Ball if you are wondering.) But that makes sense as they are in the same vicinity.

But the location of the potting shed is so far away from the rest of the farm structures that I could basically paint it screaming red and it wouldn’t affect the scheme.

Fear not, I won’t.

But let me know how I can pimp it up and tell me what you think.

I will probably leave the south side to silver away. (And besides, it’s too damn tall now for me to reach and paint.)

Green suits me.

Well, duh. If it is inanimate in my office and it is within my orbit I will insist on painting it Sap Green.

But does it work outdoors? A lot of the interior of the shed is painted Citrine (Little Greene). But that is too yellow and less restful.

There is also the fact that the boards on the outside are rough as can be and I need a major sanding back job before I even contemplate a bit of ‘decorating’.

I just shoved a lot of shelves about and hid things behind terracotta pots.

And succulents.

I shall ponder as I head up there now with a cup of tea and the intention of getting all the seedlings pricked out before lunch.

But first a glimpse of the permanent visitors that live on the gorgeous zinc table from Andrew.

A passionfruit, two kangaroo paw that I have managed to get through winter and are actually flowering. Four citrus trees. Two Argentinian verbenas. Mints.

Oh, that bowl of rosemary cuttings that everyone insists will root in water…. but won’t.

And a burgeoning collection of sown from seed eucalyptus trees.

You have to squint to see them in this shot. I’ve just potted them up a size.

Of course the stars of the benches are all the annuals… so what am I doing here indoors charging up my phones and ear buds.. I need to be pricking out.

And one day later I think the answer is in this shot…

I’ve never noticed this before.

I think the answer lies in grey. Sensible cohesive grey.

Sigh.

But I could attack all the interiors and turn them into Sap Green…