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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.)
Another chapter in the garden MC. adds a lovely splash of colour, has the foreman given his approval then?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
GR seems to be satisfied with the results. The trellis to the left is one of his favourite perching spots.
I recently purchased two gooseberry bushes (one a climber) and two loganberry plants. Of course it would have made more sense had I known where they were to go, but they were another impulse purchase! I have spent the past week removing the turf from the middle part of the 'new' garden and filling the area with topsoil. A section of trellis was required and a new crossing needed to be created. The work finished just after 8pm this evening. I have sown more grass seed around the new stepping stones, so that will take a few weeks to grow and emerge. I have fixed some screws to the trellis in an attempt to deter the Spadgers. I don't want them pooping all over the fruit in the same way that they have 'dotted' the rest of the garden!
Gooseberries at the front. The grass, as you can see, needs a bit of a trim. The potatoes (on the left) are getting out of control!
These are the Loganberries. 'New' path in the middle.
The Runner Beans are also growing rapidly.
One of the many roses that I purchased when I first created the garden. So many blooms.
Is this a rather large weed? If so, I shall relocate it. It stands about 5 feet high.
The first of the climbers to reach the trellis, which is six feet from the ground.
This one isn't far behind.
As far as blooms go, this rose is well ahead of any of the others. It is gradually working its way across the frame and I occasionally tie it off to keep it on track. Once it reaches the wall, I will divert it both left and right (sorry Friskies!)
The same rose, but viewed from below.
That is a lovely white rose MC and will look lovely when covering the frame. I am afraid that it is a weed, I think I have seen it grow from seed in the bird seed mix, had a quick look online but can't find the name. All coming along nicely, even the grass!
I like the new fruit area, MC. Your garden is thriving! Are you sharing the fruit with the birds? I had this dilemma growing strawberries but couldn't bear to net them. I'm growing blueberries instead because the birds are ignoring them so far.
I think it's a wildflower too. I let one grow in my old garden until it flowered; my books are still in boxes so I can't look it up. I discarded mine and I don't think it would transplant easily with that amount of leaf. Many wildflowers have a huge amount of leaf compared to the size of the flowers but insects love them.
The roses are really doing well for you and your vegetables are in advance of what's happening further north! Is the tallest climber so far a honeysuckle? It's going to be wonderful for insects and birds as it grows and matures.
I'm going to call you greenfingers from now on, lol you have done so well in your garden, and everything is blooming. Just check the yellow flower isn't ragwort, looks similar, otherwise it's just a weed. All you need now is a goat to keep the grass down and you'll be able to sit back and enjoy all your hard work.
Lot to learn
Thank you both for your kind comments. The two climbers are indeed Honeysuckle. The name of the one on the fence escapes me, but the one in the second photo is Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle). They are both thriving (as are most, if not all of the other plants). I have netting for the runner beans, mainly to stop the Spadgers from leaving little messages for me. They have enough to eat in the feeders without eating buds or blossom. I'll see if that large weed/wild flower can be relocated. It's a spectacular specimen and it seems a shame to just cut it down. However, it is covering one of the roses and it should be ok in the 'Wild Zone' with all the other weeds and oddities. There are various odd and exotic looking grasses that have grown from the fallen seed. They make for some interesting additions to the garden. I have left many of them in situ for the insects and also for the snails who tend to congregate against the wall until it rains.
gaynorsl said: Just check the yellow flower isn't ragwort, looks similar, otherwise it's just a weed.
Just check the yellow flower isn't ragwort, looks similar, otherwise it's just a weed.
No, it's not Ragwort. I'll take a close up of it tomorrow and post the image on 'Identify This'.
Everything is growing so quickly! Lots of blossom on the two tomato plants and now some actual tomatoes. The plums are going off the scale. They are in such large numbers that they look like bunches of grapes. The raspberries have plenty of fruit showing, the runner beans now have their own enclosure (to stop the Spadgers from leaving little messages!). Even the loganberries have some fruit showing. The beetroot is covered by the Kestrel potatoes and both veggies are doing well. The climbers are now spreading across the top trellis. It's non-stop!
The netting rolls down to cover the front and is secured by means of a series of small hooks down each side of the frame
I should have waited until the sun was slightly lower in the sky, but the climbers can be seen on the trellis
My oh my MC, it's riotous ... pretty & productive, everything is so happy in your new patch ... our very own 'Mr Bloom!'
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr