Garden Clearing Continues

The patch by the Caravan is another project that we are doing and another very messy corner that needs sorting out.

Lee has been busy tidying and burning the rotten wood and we are trying to save everything from the garden to make a new square border here. I have quite a few Climbing Roses saved from the Vegetable plot ready in pots so this new border should look really nice when it's ready for planting. You might have to use your imagination.

Loads of Wood under Tarpaulin

Greenhouse No.2, now gone

Wood Pile Cleared, new border will be here

Materials Salvaged

Lee and his Man Bonfire

Burning Rotten Wood

Rose Border

We chopped back the Beech Trees so that we could extend the height of the chicken wire, it will probably take a few years to come back but it really needed to be done. We still have the top to do but that's for another day as all the hedges around the garden need trimming back too.

This border was very overgrown and the existing Roses were just smothered with bluebells (most without any flowers) and crocosmia. Mum and I cleaned this border and made it a bit narrower and I attempted to make a drystone wall using most of the rocks from around the garden.

Working our way up

The start of the Drystone Wall

Have done my shoulder in moving these :(

We cleaned the border and took out some of the Crocosmia and Bluebells. We found some Ferns and Irises struggling to be seen. There's also some Aquilegia, Foxgloves, Hollyhocks, Solomon's Seal and a Gladioli. We planted 5 small Pyracantha (with orange berries for the birds), 3 Apple Blossom, Lillies, Alliums, some Perennials and Roses. We also planted some Elephant's ears to fill the border with evergreen ground cover.

The Roses that I ordered from J Parkers were pitiful and I was really disappointed I won't be ordering from them again.

Look how tiny my Roses are! Little Sticks!

Something Lives in this Hole under the Fern

Before

... and After

Pond Border

The cleaning continues in the border by the pond.

Lee has taken the old wheelbarrow to try and fix it up as the wheel has fallen off and some of it is rotten. He's also put in a wooden line edge so the grass doesn't get into the border so quickly and moved some big hefty rocks into the border.

Some overgrown plants were given a hard prune as they were too tall and leggy and I've moved some of the little plants like 'Lungwort" into little groups. There's quite a few ferns in here too so should look nice and full by the Summer.

This border already has a Mahonia, Forest Flame, Fuchsia, Azaleas, some lovely Ferns, Hardy Geraniums, a few Rockery plants and an established Weeping Cherry. Acquilegia is between some of the shrub roots so these will stay and also the little Primroses for the bees. I've planted some Irises, a tiny Magnolia Tree, Witch Hazel and Poppies.  There were a few Lupins in the Vegetable patch so I've moved these over as well. I'm just waiting for some evergreen plants to arrive and then I can finish this off.

There are a couple of not so healthy roses so I've dug these out and will replant them somewhere else as they don't seem to be doing very well here. I'd also like to put some ferns just behind the pond to soften up the back edge.

Before Photo

Before Photo

Before Photo

Rebuilt Wall End and found a Toad

Before

After

Back of House

So much clearing to do. This is certainly not a low maintenance garden. Feel so sorry for the previous owner as she sold up because she couldn't manage it any more, hopefully she'll be pleased that I am saving all of her lovely plants and positioning them so they are more manageable. I've also been putting in some of the super rocks around the garden. This border is 4' wide.

This border was a bit untidy but has some nice plants in it and just needed a bit of TLC. I've planted in a couple of our Fuchsia bushes and Lavatera from Birmingham, Lillies, Hebe, Rosemary, Oregano, Elephant's Ears (to spread out), a Hydrangea, Azalea and some Hellebores (from existing garden). Hopefully this will fill it all out in the years to come so there is less weeding to be done.

Border just behind house and
sneak preview of planned patio

Puzzling Water Pump

Couldn't resist buying some plants. B&M had 3 pots of Rosemary, Lavender and Oregano for £5. I also bought some while Lily Bulbs, 2 passion flowers and 2 baby Magnolias. A visit to the garden centre and I bought a Black stemmed Holly, Hebe and a couple of other shrubs.

A few old lanterns and job done.




This pump had slate built all around it (sorry I forgot to take before picture) so I cleared it off and in the concrete it says "14 Feet Deep". Very interesting but nothing seems to happen when you pull the handle.

Tidied Up

And this little border has a water pipe going straight across it to the caravan. Thank you cousin Sandra for the Lavender. I planted another Hydrangea and a Rose but the Lupins, Hellebore and something else? were already there. I need to extend the border out a bit, so will put in a couple more Lupins from the vegetable patch.

Caravan

Two of these large tubs were in the garden and the other two were on the grass verge by the road. They didn't really look very nice where they were so I planted them up with some of the climbing roses that were in the garden, bought some cheap obelisks and put them by the caravan as a privacy screen. I just need to paint the planters black but this looks a lot better. Lee painted the bottom of the caravan black - so much nicer.

Planters looking a bit rough

Nice and Tidy

Need to paint those tubs!

Big Messy Corner

The photos below are different views around the caravan. We've certainly got our work cut out over the Summer. Haven't worked out why we have so many road cones yet.

Greenhouse will have a new home

Maggi's Greenhouse

This area will be grassed

Border cleared, plants in
place and planting to follow