Labour of love part 2

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I have been holding back on this one for two reasons: first the pictures I took a few days ago did not turn out great at all and planting is not complete.

However since this is a kind of journal, I can share where we are at now with the big sunny border at St Michaels.


I have already covered the sorry sight of this plot in part 1.  My plan of getting all the clearance work and some of the planting done by Easter this year did not materialise. My husband was taken ill in February and after a few days in hospital was off sick for another fortnight. My clients had to be fitted in as best as I could but voluntary efforts suffered the most.

Being holed up a bit more at home had its benefits, too. Namely I could dedicate time to thinking through the design.

There were many aspects to consider, in no particular order:

• sunny aspect - lack of funds and difficult access to water mean no irrigation system and preferably plants that do not require copious amounts of water
• relatively unsheltered and prone to frost in winter - will require frosthardy plants
• good soil structure, slightly alkaline
• open access - the gate to the church garden is open at all times, so no expensive features will be used (arches, benches, feature rocks, expensive plants)
• largish plot - needs height and some large shrubs to do it justice
• easy to look after, ideally no annuals or bedding plants
• inexpensive plants
• provide flowers for cutting for the church
• strictly no aggressive spreaders or self-seeders
• huge black wall from neighbouring property - ideally I would have liked to cover this with some interesting climbing plants but the relationship with the owner is a little problematic, so asking to drill supports into the wall is probably not the wisest move at the moment
• some planting should happen quickly - if left bare it will attract weeds, rubbish, fouling by cats. It also means that kindhearted parishioners will offer plants though usually nothing that I would like to use. Please don't judge me too harshly on this, but I have been left pots of misshapen shrubs complete with weeds, goldenrod, spurge and comfrey to name but a few.
• as usual, the border should provide year round interest and be attractive to bees/butterflies/birds

By Easter the site was cleared, plenty of pelleted chicken manure dug in and covered with a thick layer of Strulch, a straw based mulch which helps to suppress annual weeds, retains moisture and also (in my experience) deters cats from fouling. 

I had run two design ideas past the treasurer to ensure I got a second opinion. Up for grabs were a riot of colour or the exact opposite, a white garden. I have created white borders before but they have all been for shady gardens, so I was delighted that I was to design a large white border of tranquility and peace.

Coming up in part 3: plant list (shrubs, perennials and grasses)