Sunday 5 August 2012

Garden update 2

I have been working so much in the garden this weekend, we have had good weather (for the most part) and I have loved working out there, although I am sore all over now from the digging. As I have said before I have very stony soil and it takes hours to create over even a small new bed and remove all the stones and rocks out of it, but once those stones are out, they are out forever.

For those that haven't seen the garden as it was when I moved in here are a couple of photos from back then.



A very good bland canvas.

I spent a few months messing about with ideas and drawing lots of plans for what I actually wanted. I needed to preserve the flats part of the garden as much as possible to utilise the space for planting and at the same time I wanted to get the most of the sloped area which is very difficult to work with.

So at last having finalised the plan I put it into action and developed the first stage of the garden, ie, the construction part.

I put in the deck which I am delighted with. I didn't want to lose any of the wonderful view, but I did want to gain some privacy from neighbours and gain a large area to sit in and to have a lot of pots of flowers and vegetables.



The large area is 3 m2 and so there is plenty of room for seating and a table up there. Also underneath is a lot of room for future storage, maybe even a wood store when I finally get a wood burning stove.

Now at the other end of the garden I wanted to split it into two 'rooms' The flat part has been preserved and trellises have been erected at the top of the slope. More trellises are now installed above the wall to gain me privacy from the dog walkers who could see straight into my living room before but I can still see the lovely dry stone wall.


At the moment it looks a bit plain and stark but I am seeing them in the future covered in climbing plants. Today I put in a jasmine and a honeysuckle (seen on the left there) and when I have the energy to dig the next 6 feet  in front of the farther trellis I will plant some other climbers.



I will have another smaller seating area here eventually for sitting on windier days (it can be a very windy garden because it is up on the hill) and it will be surrounded with flower and vegetable beds eventually.



In time I am planning to put a rose arch between the edge of the deck and the beginning of the trellis with a rambling rose climbing over through summer.



I still have the lower end of the garden to work on in a future summer. I think some raised beds and fruit tress.



In front of the deck I planted (next to the daisies) an azalea. I have acid soil according to my soil test and I added a load of ericacious compost so fingers crossed the plant will be very happy, I love azaleas and will enjoy looking out on this when it is in flower.



So now I look forward to putting more beds in and getting closer to the garden I have planned for. I want much less lawn and more flowers.

22 comments:

  1. I can see you have been working hard - it is all coming together nicely - bit by bit is definitely the way to tackle a new garden - there's no rush to do everything at once is there - and if you are anything like me you will always be adding and improving.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that I will be adding and improving forever. There is nothing that I like better than being out in the garden all day, I think I should have been a gardener, not an opera singer! I could spend an absolute fortune on plants.

      Delete
  2. oh I am so impressed... it's just like watching BLUE PETER x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always did love BLUE PETER and used to make my granny dreadful presents from it!

      Delete
  3. Well done you ...its all looking great!

    Vicky x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I am pretty thrilled with it. X

      Delete
  4. All I can say is ''WOW!''. That garden and decking just lifts this property. You have done well, indeed!! That looks just fabulous!! Enjoy living there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am absolutely delighted and now just wish I had money with which to buy plants. Bit by bit.

      Delete
  5. Oh it looks so lovely already! You should be really proud of yourself especially as you had a sore shoulder recently.

    And....please take this as a compliment...earlier my Hubby looked over my shoulder as I was scrolling through your photos and he thought I was looking at a holiday cottage!

    Well done you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fortunately my shoulder seems find now although I do get the occasional twinge, a sign for me to take a break. Where I broke my finger earlier this year also begins to ache - oh dear, I am falling apart!
      That is a lovely complement from you and your hubby.

      Delete
  6. That lattice on top of the stone wall is a brilliant solution. I love your property. How exciting for you. You've earned some rest, so grab a glass of your homemade champagne, sit on the deck and watch the world go by.

    Just lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It looks amazing already Dan!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Now it makes sense, couldn't picture it before. I initially thought you were going to put your decking outside your lounge but can see now it is better where it is, making use of the slope. It will make an excellent log store underneath providing you can keep it off the ground and roughly covered to allow the logs to breathe without getting too wet. Views are amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You have my sympathy for having stony ground and slopes. Same here. To dig a hole, we have to use a fork. Too many small stones. But the soil is OK. Good luck with your plans.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. Your garden looks fab, you've certainly put a lot of thought in to what you want from it and have achieved a wonderful space which will work well for you. I love the deck.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks so beautiful! ***Sigh*** I miss England, sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Keep up the great work, you may require wind tolerant plants due to the exposure, great it is, have you thought about plants such as ernygiums. They will act as a wind breaker and you will have blue flowers until late autumn, they can be dried too. Just a thought!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi just wanted to say I love your blog and in particular the garden updates. I am trying to plan my front garden, which is around 15ft x 20ft, the previous owners had a lot more time for it than I so I do need it to be a bit more 'maintenance free' (I hate the term). So gleaning ideas from you is definitely helping!

    Also wanted to thank you for mentioning my blog on here as it seems a lot of people do come through from here (I'm not very tecchie but can now see some stats, a whole new world has opened up!).
    !
    Have a great week and hope your back is not too sore from gardening!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi just wanted to say I love your blog and in particular the garden updates. I am trying to plan my front garden, which is around 15ft x 20ft, the previous owners had a lot more time for it than I so I do need it to be a bit more 'maintenance free' (I hate the term). So gleaning ideas from you is definitely helping!

    Also wanted to thank you for mentioning my blog on here as it seems a lot of people do come through from here (I'm not very tecchie but can now see some stats, a whole new world has opened up!).
    !
    Have a great week and hope your back is not too sore from gardening!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent stuff, and my pleasure. Glad you are getting some traffic from here. Good luck with your garden and photograph it so you have before and after shots. If I would recommend one book it would be sweet peas for summer by latitia maklouf. It is so full of wonderful ideas and easy to do stuff for pots etc. See if your library has it.

      Delete
  15. Nearly forgot to give my suggestion for using the dug out larger stones. You could use them as edging round some flower beds. I`ve done so with my front garden beds and it looks realy roustic and cottage like. Just an idea. it would save you having to take them to the tip.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I stumbled across your blog today. Glad I did as it's a witty and interesting read. I'm always looking for Frugal blogs to read and will definitely be reading this one on a regular basis.
    From the Banks of the River Nile,
    Ruby

    ReplyDelete