So here we are, six years later, looking back as a review point at how far the garden has developed. Some years it is fair to say that the developments have been more significant than others. The first few years saw the start of the borders development and the creation of the pond. The past twelve months has seen less dramatic development but this was deliberate on my part in that I wanted a consolidation year where I could assess where the garden had got to and what I might want to do in the future and also, probably obviously, as the garden has reached this six year point it is now showing a real sense of maturing.
There was very little here when I moved in to this house so I tend to think of the garden as young. I wonder if gardens age a bit like dogs? Is it a linear 1:1 relationship or is it more stepped and possibly closer to. 1:7 ratio, though not all years are the same. Years 1 - 3 possibility saw the garden from birth to teenage period. I don't think it through many sulky tantrums in year 3 but I probably did to make up for it. Year 4 possibly early 20s, Year 5 mid 20s and now I think we are probably entering out mid to late 30s. Now of course the question is how will it age from here, do we plateau as the garden will keep changing and developing so will it reach old age as a whole? Or, more likely, bits of it will and need replacing unless of course I just get totally bored with the whole thing, dig it up and start again from scratch. This is not impossible. 
A real sign of this maturing process has to be my row of pleached hornbeams, best initially described as a row of young hornbeams twigs.
It then became taller twigs and I put the first framework in place, it was not right but it was a start.
Then I started to train it to how I want it to look and this is an ongoing process where I am very much learning as I go along but I have to say that suddenly this year....
......I am pleased to say I think I have a row of almost pleached hornbeams trees, possibly best described as 'plea' rather than full 'pleach'. This makes me very happy as it was an element I really wanted to have in my garden. It was on my list of what I wanted my garden to contain.
There is still something on my list I have not yet managed to put into the garden and I wonder often how I might do so, that is some some nice pointy cypress trees. I do like a good pointy tree garden and one day I will realize how and where I can achieve this......
......but I'm not at that point yet.
