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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.)
I bought a sack of grit from somewhere like Homebase a few years ago MC and mix it up with compost if I'm planting out and its a bit heavy, just to put some air into the soil, it seems to work for me, but I've only had to do a little at a time, not a huge expanse as you have. It was really for the pond to put on top of pots to keep the soil down, but seems to work this way too. But I'm a little haphazard with my garden, nothing ordered I'm afraid.
Lot to learn
Horticultural grit is freely available from most garden centres so am sure that Home base will stock it!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Thanks
I nipped down to Homebase on Saturday morning and came back with three raspberry plants (two early and one late harvest), five Alpine plants and two Hebes. Nothing spectacular, but I wanted something to look at now, not in 6 months time. That will come later.
Only one ton of topsoil remains now. The bamboo canes to the left are marking out the small plot where I intend to plant the new Raspberries. I have another 6'x6' section of trellis to fit in the left hand bay, that will be for the Runner Beans. The area in front (to the left of the raspberries) will be for potatoes, carrots, beetroot etc.
More plants will follow in time, but I wanted something to get things going. The small Alpine plants are a start.
Still not sure exactly what will form the centre of the new garden. The flower beds will be one level higher, so the middle and pathways will most likely be grass with stepping stones forming the route. That could all change over the coming months. The Oak will most certainly be in the centre though.
The stepping stones are only there to give me access to the plants. They will no doubt be shifted about as time passes and the layout is tweaked.
The intention was to some more work yesterday evening, but my plans were scuppered as I managed to come down with a bad head cold overnight and I spent the day under the duvet, quaffing hot drinks. The only time I ventured into the garden was to put some mealies in GR's little bowl by the Chalet.
I see good progress is being made MC and you'll find the plants will spread out nicely given time; the grass you intend to sow will also soften the look around the planting. I found the rockery slopes around the base of the waterfall area needed an edging to finish it off and hold the base soil in place so found some nice wooden (paling) edging which is sold at garden centres - just an idea LOL !!
You can just see it on this photo - this is the wooden paling edge;
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Regards, Hazel
I have seen it at Homebase. I do have quite a few house bricks which I might use around the base of the rockery. I will improvise with other assorted offcuts of timber and feather edged fence panels until I have a better idea of where everything will end up. Once the grass begins to grow, it will help to define areas and add a sense of completion. The Pyracantha is to be planted at the spot from where most of the last set of photos were taken. I'd like to have a small area with wild flowers, but that will follow in time. Maybe at the base of the Pyracantha?
sounds great MC, a garden is something you can always add to or change around as a lot of it is trial and error as we go lol
If you're in London for Christmas, you can offer me your professional advice (nothing Cyril related though!).
Woodcote Green do Horticultural Grit, so I'll get a bag from there for the rockery (I have to use the bus, so no point buying more than one!).
I hope your head cold is departing now, MC. I'm sure it won't do any harm to let all the soil settle for a while. If the peat in the soil mix had dried out a little, it will take a while for it to become rehydrated.
Your garden is going to look so different; I've been too busy to look at the forum very often so I've had to look back in the thread and I'm amazed at the difference you've made in a very short time. I think your use of trellising is very creative.
Unknown said: (nothing Cyril related though!).