Garden project/overhaul journal..

We've had a gardener for years, but I have recently started to take more interest in the garden myself. A few of the beds were looking a bit scruffy and 'old fashioned' so I decided to replant them.

Sadly I didn't take before photos which is annoying, but here is some progress that has been made. I am very much learning as I go, hopefully learning from any mistakes etc!

This is the front garden area, probably the most boring part of the garden before. I have replanted another bed against the wall by the gate - will post some pictures soon.





Moving slightly further up the garden, I tackled this bed in the summer. Again it was looking a bit tired, so I dug everything up, laid Cotswold buff and planted a selection of ornamental grasses etc. I didn't want anything too tall as it would block the view from the sun room. This is the only picture at present although I will take more. I also like the contemporary look against the flint wall giving an interesting mixed look.



Next up was a big job. I've covered it elsewhere on the forum but to summerise the whole bed needed about a foot of soil cleared to make it anywhere near level. I removed a pond towards the end of the garden and luckily most of the soil went in the resulting hole! Next was to lay a Cotswold buff through path, two very heavy Victorian slabs and construct a bench to sit on top. The grass section to the left was doubled in width to hopefully spread wear and give balance to the whole area.

Hidcote lavender has been planted either side to hopefully give a lovely purple/white colour contrast next year. I was slightly concerned with sun/light levels as there are two big trees near, but having worked on the area a lot I am fairly confident all will be fine.









I'll most more general images in the week as there is a fair bit of garden I haven't covered here.

The next MAJOR project is to the right of this shot (below). It was approx 6ft high with garden waste that our tree surgeon has kindly cleared. The next step is to repair the flint wall in places and then plant with a variety of shrubs/small trees to give us privacy.

The area to the right of the stones has since been levelled and planted with lavender to match the other side.

 

lovely

 

Once beginning work on a project Nick I find the ideas come very quickly for all areas of a garden. I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

The problem can be when you simply have too many ideas. You can't realise them all. This is why my approach is to 'prototype' first and let it settle so to speak, see how it works over a summer or two. Stuff that works can be enhanced. Stuff that doesn't work can be altered or scrapped completely.

 

Few more pics taken today. The lavender bed is now finished, so the next major job is to sort that right hand strip. Realistically that'll have to wait until spring now but there are other little jobs that need doing. Fixing one of the shed doors that fell off in my hand is one of them!





This bed was replanted a few months ago. Ophiopogon planiscapus at the front, and hardy geraniums (just starting to flower) behind as I thought the colour contrast would look nice. Any ideas what to plant behind the geraniums? Ideally something that'll reach just below the window. The area gets a decent amount of sun and is south/east facing.



Some other general pics of the garden so far..







Recently planted fern to a shady area alongside a new bed. Picked up for a bargain clearance price from the local garden centre.

 

By the middle of next summer your lavender bed will look so different having filled out. The geraniums in the bed under the window will pretty much fill it. How high is the window above the bed? Perhaps you could grow a climber there spreading it to the sides instead of growing upwards.

 

Thanks Sheal, I am hoping the lavender bed will do well as the purple against the white Cotswold buff should look very pretty. That's good to know about the geraniums, maybe I'll wait until they mature to see what I have to work with.

 

Been very busy digging this week! The right hand side in this photo has been planted with various established shrubs to give privacy and create an interesting border/screen. Used Pittosporum, a lovely Camellia and an Aucuba. Still have to clear an 8-10 ft section at the very end but we're getting close to completing it. Photos to follow

 

More work done today, will take some images tomorrow. Some pictures from the other day including my dad actually helping!











Idea below is that hopefully we'll be able to cover the end of the Laylandii hedge. Fingers crossed as it looks horrible at present.



There is still loads of work to do on this area, including a large section is still covered with weeds, ivy and old half buried chain link fencing! Hoping to get a decent amount done over the weekend in prep of planting this month.

The stump is a real issue and a damn shame we can't remove it safely. Having looked and thought about it, we think it's too close to the wall to risk removing. I'll take the chainsaw to it again and try to grind out as much as I can. The space between the two shrubs is still too great though so requires some more thinking...Should be repairing the wall in the summer, a lot needs sorting and it's a fairly specialist job to get it looking right. Slowly getting there!

 

Some hard graft going on there! I like it.

 

I agree Sheal.

One thought I had, maybe some iris along the back of the bed? That way you will get some strong vertical lines, and a contrast of leaf foliage, that links in with the black grass (sorry, my mind blanks at the Latin names for the grasses and grass lookalikes!).

 

A good idea Sian. Red Hot Pokers spring to mind too.

 

Thanks for your input - I like both of those ideas so will have a good luck at choices after the new bed has been finished Hoping to have that sorted by end of the month at the latest. Really looking forward to some warmer weather then to see some growth

 

I may have been lazy on the posting front, but certainly not in the garden! The big section at the back of the garden is now finished. Images coming soon as my phone's battery has just died

 

Pictures taken a few days ago. Just waiting for the grass see to grow now to finish it off. Pleased with the results - annoyed I didn't taken a before picture because its been a hell of a job to clear the area! Looking forward for the shrubs to mature over the next few years.