Saturday 24 March 2018

My back garden.

I have taken some photographs of my back garden in sections.   I thought it would be interesting to record its development and so am sharing it with you all.   Any thoughts/suggestions are very welcome.

I am standing with my back to the bungalow to take the photos and the camera is pointing due North.   Luckily the bungalow is low enough (and on a steep slope) so that the garden gets the sun all day. 

Here is the section on the right.   There were very old, neglected shrubs in the front border and my gardener has dug them out for me this week.   It is this bed that I intend to have as a herbaceous bed.
I already have seven plants to put in (see a previous post) but as they are young plants they are quite small and  will be swallowed up.   I shall add others and probably this year fill in with hardy annuals. 

Behind the retaining wall is a completely bare rockery apart from a large clump of snowdrops ripe for splitting up and relocating 'in the green'.   I hope this will be done this week but although all the plants are ready there is work to be done before I plant.   The border needs a dig, a manure and then plant - followed by a mulch of bark (in the two bags on the wall).   I also have twelve rock plants to put in to the top rockery - shall plant those and top dress with small gravel before I do any more.
The next bed bottom section did have a pond but it was filled in before I came.   This is now top dressed with red gravel.   The pot standing on it will not stay there.   It is a magnolia which was a present but I doubt it will survive this far North.   The two beds on the extreme left (they feature in the last photograph) have been planted with bulbs
and when they have finished will be planted with bedding plants for instant colour this summer while everything else is getting established.  The raised bed behind is where the marestail is.   There is a scattering of crocus, one solitary daffodil and a  shrub which appears to be dead.   This will be tackled last of all.

The final section is a raised patio with a sheltering hedge behind.   I had this hedge cut a couple of weeks ago.   My gardener says I should have left it until risk of frost was past, but he is not a young man and I didn't want him to cut it as I thought the job too hard for him.   Steps lead up from the patio outside my door to this level.   I shall probably have a bench when summer comes (if it ever does).   And maybe pots too as I have three rose bushes in pots which were also bought as presents and I can't think of anywhere to put them.
Here are the two beds I have planted with bulbs in the middle section.
I hope it all turns out to plan.   If only I were more mobile I could be out there now doing bits - it is a pleasant day.

29 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

Thank you for the photos Weave. It all looks very northern to me. I look forward to the summer shots of it later in the year.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

You have an enviable garden! I love all the structural elements. I also really like the hedge at the back. -Jenn

Tom Stephenson said...

Cro will tell you to plant it with vegetables. Dig For Victory and all that.

Gail, northern California said...

I agree with "coffeeontheporchwithme". I love all the structural elements and hedges too. Do the English tend to take their lovely rock work for granted? Even without the plantings, your garden is already quite beautiful.

Derek Faulkner said...

It all looks great Pat - the bare bones of a floral future. The one thing to avoid is the temptation to put too much in too quick in the first year. Herbaceous plants will soon, over 2-3 years, quickly fill out and fill in the gaps. It has great potential.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Stone walls and a stepped and sloping garden...........2 things not seen in Suffolk!
As you say just need some sun and warmth so you can get out and enjoy it

Anonymous said...

How exciting to have a bare canvas to start with. It’ll be lovely come June. Hedge cutting is supposed to stop March- Oct because of nesting birds, so you were wise to do it a couple of weeks ago rather than leave it later.

Camille said...

Beautiful spot Weave. Tom and Cro would be right to suggest a few veg thrown in for fun and to help fill the gaps for a year or two. Looking forward to watching it green up and develop in the months to come. X

angryparsnip said...

I adore your garden.
The rock walls you have are so beautiful, I could look at them all day. I am sure you see so many of them everyday they are just part of the scenery. but I am so enamored of them. So Beautiful.
We here have stacking walls but so different from yours.
I can not wait to see more as the garden grows.

cheers, parsnip

Rosie said...

I think your garden is lovely, Pat, and it will be a picture to look out at once it gets established. I’m wondering about that magnolia and get what you mean about the cold weather you have up north, but you might be lucky if you can tuck it in a position away from the north and east winds. At any rate it will enjoy having its toes in the soil. I planted a Magnolia Stellata last autumn and cannot wait for the buds to burst, so I’m crossing my fingers for yours.

I’m no expert gardener but one shrub that has given me joy over the years is Philadelphus Belle Etoile. It’s tough! The foliage is not particularly exciting but the flowers in June have an exquisite scent which I look forward to each year.

I will look forward to seeing garden pictures as we go through the year. Pots are a brilliant idea as they don’t involve much bending down!

Rosie G

Bonnie said...

What a wonderful garden space you have and how fun it will be to get to follow the growth and developement of it. Like many others have said, I love all the rock work you have in your country.

Marion said...

What a beautiful space, full of hope. xo

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I think I'd like a terraced garden like that, should give plenty of scope for interesting planting. I can't help thinking though that it's a bit perverse to build a bungalow and then have a garden with steps in it!

The Weaver of Grass said...

I agree John, but then the garden was a steep slope and so something had to be done - long
before I came here of course.
Derek - I am sure you are right but then at my age I may well not have two or three years left to enjoy it!

Gwil W said...

I think a handrail alongside the steps might be an idea. There's a very nice magnolia in our street. Cold weather doesn't seem to bother it.

Ruth said...

It makes me so happy to see that you have this beautiful space. It'll be such a joy to sit out there on pleasant days, planted or not! For it being on a slope, the hard work of building the different levels has been done and you only have to put your touches to it. May you and Tess enjoy it for many years to come.

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

I'm glad you have it too. I intend to stick a couple of bee friendly plants in pots in my front garden

Alphie Soup said...

Thanks for putting the photos up Weaver Pat, without them I would never have imagined your garden looking like it does. I really like the open patio area which will lend itself to potted plants and a bench - maybe a table as well.

And - devilish thought - it could be a skating rink in winter....

Alphie

Cro Magnon said...

I really didn't imagine your garden to be anything like that. I love that top wall with the lines of flat stones running through it; I've not seen that before. As a veg' gardener, may I suggest a few Swiss Chard plants in amongst your flowers. The coloured ones are very decorative, and you can eat them!

Doc said...

What a splendid garden, a blank slate in a way. Makes one want to dig right in.

Gwil W said...

Good morning Pat. I found your note!, thank you! The other thing we find useful in our back garden are a couple of lamps. They illuminate obstacles and light the way to our back gate. Very useful in winter. And you never know when you have to into the garden in the dark. Ours work with automatially if a large animal is in the garden, and we have couple of other switches at strategic locations including one inside the house.

thelma said...

First thought be careful on the paths if it is Yorkshire stone, it gets very slippery and needs a power wash every now and then. Second thought what a lovely empty canvas your gardener is producing to paint with flowers, spend without thought and be happy ;)

Midmarsh John said...

Nice to have pretty much a blank canvas to work on and get things set out just as you like them.

Moving with Mitchell said...

So beautiful and so much potential. I can't wait to see how it grows and takes shape.

Heather said...

So much to look forward to. It is a blank canvas and will look beautiful by next year when things have become established. As it is, it's a pretty garden - I do love the stone walls - and will give you so much pleasure. Looking forward to the progress reports.

liparifam said...

I won't offer any gardening suggestions (I am in desperate need of some myself, lol!) but just say how charming this all looks! I know it is going to be just lovely :)

donna baker said...

Oh Pat, what an unbelievably beautiful garden space. Would cost a fortune to build in the US. I'd be hard pressed to ever leave the garden. What about a contorted Filbert or Harry Lauder's Walking Stick plant to give you joy in the winter? I've always loved mine. Some small green shrubs somewhere to see green in winter too.

Sue said...

That is a garden with very well thought out foundations. You will be able to turn this into something pretty and easy to maintain without too much work, getting the gardener to do all the strenuous work and you being able to pretty it up.

I can't wait to see a few photos of it in high Summer, and by next year it will be gorgeous.

Charles said...

Ii is always nice to have some herbs. They make things taste so much better, take up little room and look pretty. You have a lot of sheltered south facing spots that they would like.