A daft conversation on twitter where we were tweeting views from our back doors this morning has led me to do a photographic tour of the garden. I am really pleased with how the garden has bulked out since last year and beginning to look much better. It is probably partly due to all the rain we have had especially when you compare it to the dryness of last spring.
Anyway my garden slopes and to get to the main part of it you go up a flight of stairs. When you get to the top of the stairs you are facing the gravel border. It is called the gravel border simply because there is a gravel path in front of it. I struggled with this area all last year partly because of the shade from next doors shrubs and also because it is quite dry at the back again because of next doors shrubs. However, my neighbor has been pruning aggressively and the light has flooded in and the plants seem to get more moisture when it rains.
Rising up from the gravel border is the bank or daisy border. It is looking very green at the moment and to be honest only green. The planting is predominantly late summer but there are some phlomis coming into flower and the odd self-seeded foxglove.
The gravel path turns (badly) into a woodchip path – I need to sort this out. and you walk along what was the back of the old pond. On the left is the new big garden (aka the old pond). The ligularia is really thriving this year from its new location and of course from all the rain. The bank on your right is a continuation of the bank above but is more shady here so planted with foxgloves, honesty, primulas, hostas etc.
The messy stone edging is temporary as I will be using the stone elsewhere in the Autumn if we finally get around to finishing the steps off near the patio. Anyway at the end of the woodchip path you can go one of two ways. If you go right you go up a couple more steps. You will see the compost area on your right. Looking very tidy for a change but that’s down to my eldest son not me and also because I have been taking garden waste to the allotment.
Carry on round and you have the original woodland border which has all sorts of interesting things in it like Trilliums but it is such a mess and on the ‘sort out’ list as is more plants to grow up the horrid fence. The path then goes straight across the back of the garden at the top of the slope. The border on your left has 3 bamboos planted in it which I am hoping will grow to create a screen not only to hide the fence but also to obstruct the view of the neighbor at the back – long story. I have a few shrubs in here as well but again I need to ‘sort out’ this border to give it an identity.
The path is a dead-end – I know you aren’t meant to have these in gardens as they affect the flow of the garden but there we go, so about turn and we go back down the path and to the steps alongside the bog garden.
Ahead of you is the new woodland border which went in last year and which is filling out nicely. From here the border runs along the top of the wall and this is what I call the cottage garden border and which I am showing each month on the End of Month Views.
A quick trot across the ‘lawn’ and you are back to the steps and down to the patio which I’m not showing as it’s a mess at the moment.
I hope you enjoyed a walk round my garden. It may not have the perfection of a show garden but its my garden, with my favorite plants and I am beginning to be a little bit proud of it.
