My secret garden

Thanks @Sheal . I think it's being under a tree that the alpines don't take to. They have to contend with big drops of water from the branches and come Autumn it's absolute mayhem with leaves and twigs. The aubretia and Campanula don't seem to care.

This is the mark 2 rockery. I spent a fortune on the first one buying all theses lovely delicate plants that promptly turned up their toes and died on me. Following that disaster, I dug the whole thing out, threw out the rotting membrane and stones and replaced the heavy clay soil with soil, sand and coir mix then dressed it with new stones. It drains much better now and the plants are growing quite nicely (despite the arctic temperatures!).

 

Thanks @JWK . I'm high up on a hill on the edges of the Glens of Antrim which is an area of natural beauty. The only downside is the constant high winds. If the weather forecast says 10 mile an hour winds, you can bet mine will be twice that. On the plus side, clothes dry quicker up here!

 

You are very lucky to be out in the countryside. It sounds idyllic. We used to have a field with cows in next to us when I was a kid. I’m in a town now, with no views or privacy in my garden unfortunately. But I try and remember how pleased I am
to have my garden!

 

I take your point.

 

Well... what can I say .... Northern Ireland has had the bestest summer ever and my garden is actually flourishing for a change. So.... I thought I'd update my piccies.

Here's the rockery....


And the front garden which is planted up with my babies that I grew from seed or cuttings.



And lastly, the secret garden full of all this years plants grown from seed. A massive thank you to the folks on here who gave me valuable advice when I was struggling to keep them alive!

 

I really like whay you have done there.
That rockery under the tree is a really nice feature, the gnarled tree roots and the rock look great.

 

Thank you @pete ... it used to be a bit of an eye sore and a mass of weeds.

 

Well you certainly have done a good job all round, maintenance might become a problem perhaps?? When work picks up.

 

One word: Beautiful

 

It looks really, really good- so calm and peaceful. I think it makes it very special that you have grown so much from seeds and cuttings @SandyNI

The rockery is just right and I'm casting envious eyes on the grey containers. Where did you get them and are they ridiculously expensive?

You have done a smashing job there @SandyNI !

Allow me to make a small prediction... next year this time you will have a water feature. A small pond with a teeny weeny fountain would fit in like a fist into neighbour's nose.

 

@Selleri you're a mind reader! I desperately want a water feature and a pond. A pond would probably be a mistake because of the falling leaves.... mountains of the little bleeders every Autumn. With a water feature I wanted a waterfall in the rockery... it would have to be solar as I can't do leccy and I couldn't find one that would power the water sufficiently to the top.

The grey pots are lovely heavy ceramic ones and came from a local garden centre in NI called Creative Gardens. I bought 20 of them because they were selling them off for only a few pounds each to clear them and I can't resist a bargain!!!!! Me thinks I may have taken a funny turn that day because now I struggle to fill them all. The rest are at the front of the house.

You're right about the seed growing. This is only the second year I've dipped my toe in the water and I'm totally hooked. I've already got my spring plants growing in the cold frame in their little newspaper pots!

Only a couple of years ago I thought a spade was just a suit in pack of cards.....