This years link to the "Yellow Book"

Follow the link to this years entry with our NGS opening days NGS Website.

More Work, well I was getting a little bored

When we moved in, the area at the side of the house was the only bit that actually HAD been used as a garden within the last thirty years. Unfortunately it had deteriorated to the point where it was nothing more than the ruins of some sort of outbuilding(s) various breeze block beds and a very sorry looking pond, and millions of brambles. Add to this the fact that it had been used as a dumping ground for builders rubble, it became so daunting that Elaine chose to ignore it while sorting out the 'front' garden and even started on the back before addressing the problem.

After saving up 'pocket money' for many weeks, we finally managed to afford to get a digger in with a driver, who within one morning had flattened the area.

We suddenly had a wall 5' high, the space looks huge. The driver managed to uproot the pampas grass and mahonia (these will have new homes in the back garden) so now we can see into the back garden, its all quite a shock. We also managed to salvage some huge stones that had been covered in brambles and half buried.

I had decided to make this a jungle area, but having looked again I think it maybe a mediterranean garden. This area gets full sun all day and evening, so I think it will be too bright and drying for jungle plants. As it is going to be our eating area as well, I'd like to include a pergola (we brought one 5 yrs ago on offer at B&Q, and never put it up), perhaps draped in vines and wisteria - waiting patiently in pots. I will have to try my hand at cementing to make a small retaining wall at this end of the area.

Whatever I decide I definately have to put steps at the back to lead up to the leat where the swimming pool is situated. Whilst this does not look much it took the best part of a day as there are so many wild plum treelets growing in the bank. I had hoped the JCB driver could get them out but he missed a few and they are awful to get out even in our sandy soil.

I've been busy in the back garden too. A huge pile of logs and tree branches had been dumped by the fence over the past few years, so I decided to clear them, some burnt on the house fire, some shredded and the rest waiting to be chopped. I've now dug out a new woodland bed planted with my bargain bulbs from Almondsbury garden centre (50p a pack). I've planted the rest of my bargain azalea's and some other bargain shrubs, although it is full to overflowing it was a very cheap investment.