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Creating A Garden (Sort Of) Update 26-05-17

I recently demolished my garage in order to extend the garden and within the last few days I have broken out the garage floor slab. The idea is to create flowerbeds around the perimeter and to lay turf adjacent to that. The broken out flooring was only a couple of inches thick and once I have broken it down even more I was intending to put a topsoil/compost mix on top to create the flowerbeds. I am assuming that the broken up flooring will assist with drainage and stop the soil from simply washing away when it rains? I have several bags of Homebase topsoil and was intending to mix them in with compost of some sort. Can anyone offer advice and tell me if this is a good idea? I intend to plant climbing roses and honeysuckle at the far end of the garden because I have installed trellis at high level. Going forward I will be planting runner beans and tomatoes on the more exposed wall and pyracantha and other Sparrow friendly plants elsewhere. I will post some photos when I get home, in order to give a better idea of the layout. Hope someone can offer some advice. Thanks.

Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

(One bush does not shelter two Robins)

Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

 

  • The lilies didn't do too well last year, they were eaten by red lily beetles.

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • A lovely walk around your garden MC. Things certainly have moved along, it is lovely to see the natural cover over the mesh and fence ext when things start to grow. I think the mystery in the first pot could be a seeded flowering cherry blossom or a similar flowering blossom, as for the second, not sure.

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • Well can see you've really had your work cut out there MC and l thought ours was pretty bad to start with, well done for making it into a bird friendly garden and also see those great tomatoes friendly for you too.yas

  • Lynn L said:

     I think the mystery in the first pot could be a seeded flowering cherry blossom or a similar flowering blossom, as for the second, not sure.

    No. Not a flowering blossom. I didn't plant it, if that helps...

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • Lovely update Paul and the garden is flourishing with all that care and attention,  you'll be able to open a fruit and veg stall at Covent Garden  lol      Well done, your hard work is paying off for the birds and yourself.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Regards, Hazel 

  • Your garden is looking fantastic MC, all of your hard work is certainly paying off. The leaves on the tall plant in the first mystery photo look like they could possibly be Elm of some variety. Maybe wrong though, but they do look to be of the correct shape and size.

    My bird photos HERE

  • The last update was only a fortnight ago, but since  then there has been a lot of sunshine and a lot of rain. As a result, the garden has become a jungle, but in a good way. The roses have exploded into bloom and are amazing to look at. The peas now have several pods and there is blossom on the runners.

    The first of the pea pods

    Blossom on the tomatoes

    A couple of weeks ago I accidentally pulled up an Alpine Strawberry plant with a weed. It came out by the stalk, so no roots, but I stuck it into some topsoil in a different part of the garden and just left it to see what would happen. There were one or two pieces of blossom at the time. Clearly these plants are quite hardy as there is now a lot of fruit.

    Runner bean blossom. These plants have grown from beans that I kept from the crop of 2015.

    The loganberries continue to grow

    As does the rhubarb

    Alpine strawberries

    More on the way

    Almost ready to be added to my breakfast cereal

    These are (or will be) regular sized straws

    Even more loganberries

    I hadn't noticed these ones which are growing on the top of the netting

    The Albertine rose continues to amaze me with its growth

    This is the same corner back in August 2014

    October 2014 shortly after planting

    This climbing rose is called 'Paul's Delight'

    The first Asiatic Lily has bloomed (it's behind netting)

    As I said... jungle!

    This rose was already in the garden, so I do not know the name of it. I cut it back to a stump back in 2014 and it has flourished ever since

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • Catching up with previous update MC ... could this one be Salvia Officianalis?

    Great updates, wonderfully busy garden!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Everything certainly has taken off in the last few weeks. I would love to have some of those Georgeous looking strawberries!!

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • WendyBartter said:

    Catching up with previous update MC ... could this one be Salvia Officianalis?

    Great updates, wonderfully busy garden!

    No. Not that...

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)