The part of the garden closest to the house is now all planted up. Of course areas that were planted in April have now beautifully filled out whilst the newly stocked borders look a little sparse for now.
But overall there is a huge difference as you can see here:
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| October 2010 |
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| August 2011 |
A little further along the strip formerly strewn with toys and rubble
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| March 2011 |
now features sun loving salvias, oriental poppies, hemerocallis and rudbeckias. Yes, the old sink is gone, too. The new fence makes a great backdrop.
Having new fencing installed (mainly to keep a newly acquired puppy ifrom hunting next door's pet rabbit), a thick layer of Strulch and new lawn edges are giving a taste of things to come.
The lawn remains an almighty mess of weeds, uneven ground and severe compaction and will call for specialist treatment next year, when hopefully the giant trampoline enclosure will have been moved and puppy's training will bear fruit.
The shady side is also showing much improvement:
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October 2010 |
A long section along the fence on the shady side was given over to brambles, ivy and Kerria japonica. The brambles have been dug up, the ivy is now confined to a few small patches and the Kerria has been renovated.
Nearest to the patio is a relaxed jewel coloured border of dicentra, dierama pulcherimum, epimedium, astrantia, grass and geranium phaeum. The trunk belongs to a sycamore which will be cut down in winter as it attracts wasps in huge numbers. The border on the shady side has been topdressed with a soil improver which was particularly necessary further along where huge pine trees have been stripping the soil of nutrients and water.
About half way down the shady border, next to an existing philadelphus, the soil conditions start to get drier and there is less light. The planting of bergenia and geranium phaeum reflects this.
Right under the canopy of the pines planting choice is severely limited. We are hoping for the best with ferns, bergenia, lamium maculatum and luzula nivea. I have also planted a skimmia which requires acidc soil and due to the pine needles present and rotting in the border the pH balance in this part of the garden has shifted to the acidic side.
My lovely client has been watering regularly and it seems that despite the hot and dry spring and late summer all plants are establishing well.
I have started to turn my attention to the area beyond the fence, an area best described as the wild wood. Or as per Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows" "Beyond the Wild Wood comes the Wide World," said the Rat. "And that's something that doesn't matter, either to you or me. I've never been there, and I'm never going, nor you either, if you've got any sense at all."
I shall keep you posted.
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