|
The Back Garden
The winter of 1997/98 was very, very wet and the
bare clay soil in the back garden was like a swamp! The builders had
spread a layer of topsoil over the compacted building site rubble
(common practice I am told!).
 
The garden is enclosed on two sides
with fencing panels and there is a drystone wall at the end. At
Easter 1998 we got help to lay a curved patio area and
chippings and to erect some trellis to screen the ducks' area.
The plan below shows our original layout.
The back garden in May 2001.
Euphorbias and Wallflowers (Erysimum 'Bowles' Mauve') give colour in
the border
while Clematis Montana 'Grandiflora' brightens the fence. In the
kidney-shaped bed is a young birch 'Betula Utilis 'Jaquemontii'
between prostrate conifers.
The back garden from a different angle - looking back towards the
house.
During the later part of Summer 2002 I made a change to the layout
of the back garden.
I felt that the vast expanse of chippings would be better broken up
by making a large circle of brick paviers.
The outer spaces have been filled with pea gravel. The bowl is
planted with grasses and winter flowering pansies. The tall grass in the
centre is Miscanthus sinensis 'Silver feather' and spilling over the bowl is festuca glauca.
In August 2003 we had a conservatory built which meant big changes
to the garden layout.
We also removed the greenhouse which gave us a new little area to
plan.
The conservatory is complete and we have laid paving slabs in the
chippings. I used wine bottles around this little bed to raise
the level and improve the drainage.
The small courtyard area where the greenhouse used to be has become
the Secret Garden and it is a cool spot to enjoy a drink on a hot
summer afternoon.
This patio is smaller now because I increased the size of the beds
on either side. The seat faces south so it is a favourite spot to
sit.
Looking down the garden from the conservatory.....
...and from the kitchen
Summer 2005, showing the new "tunnel" on the left. There are
several clematis planted to climb over the tunnel a well as a young
passion flower.
At the end of summer the tunnel is covered with annual morning
glories, which kept going until the first frost.
|
