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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 would have finished this much sooner had it not been for the rainfall over the past week. The mild weather has helped though. The next part of the garden work is to rebuild the SBS. I started that this morning (that being Monday morning of course).
Looking forward to seeing that newly constructed MC! Along with the 100 spadgers of course!
BTW, had lightning strike from a Kestrel on Sunday!! It didn' t manage to grab any bird though & none still to be seen in quarry perching on TP or in trees ... was a bolt from the blue alright!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Glad the gang survived unscathed, but nice that you had a Kestrel drop by.
Was a bit exciting I have to admit but pleased it didn't get one of my mob! Such a brief view but think it was a female or maybe a youngster! Pure stroke of luck to be looking out at that precise moment, been playing at water features!! (Long boring story!)
fantastic work MC, goodness me you've worked hard and come springtime and summer it will be absolutely stunning, filled with colour, foliage cover and some lush grass ! You deserve to sit with your feet up, cuppa in hand and take pride in what you have achieved. Thanks for the great update :)
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Regards, Hazel
Tuesday morning and a sunny start to the day. More work in the garden...
This morning I removed the plastic mesh from the sides and top of the SBS. Most of it can probably be used again, once I have decided upon the design of the new area. I tend to dismantle things and then improvise until I am happy with the end result. I January 2013, it was just a couple of sections of plastic mesh suspended from the branches of the tree and tied with twine. It served its purpose and protected BR and Mrs BR from the marauding Sprawks. Since then, the SBS has changed as and when I have had new ideas as to how it could be improved. It's not an exact science, but I prefer these things to evolve rather than to be meticulously planned. The work occasionally has to stop because the Spadgers keep turning up en masse and I have to take a step back while they feed. Sometimes they feed while I am still working just a few feet away, so eventually there will be no need for me to stop.
Before the removal of the final section.
The entire left side of the pathway was protected by loosely tied sections of the plastic mesh. However, with the growth of the ceanothus, the sections had moved and the whole assembly had started to fall apart. The new SBS will have a timber frame, which will be attached to the existing section of trellis (once I have moved it) and also across the top, where I can attach it to the timber fixed to the top of the wall that previously formed the frame to the garage roof.
This rose is really quite wonderful and just continues to bloom. There are many more buds coming through too. It deserves to be a feature rather than just one of many roses. The re-built arch will hopefully help to serve that purpose.
The idea was to keep the overhead section in one piece and to relocate it along with the trellis frame (and gate). However, since the rose had grown through the mesh, I had to remove a large section of it. The wooden frame is intact, so it's just a case of re-attaching more mesh. The left side of the arch would be removed (see below).
When I first purchased the arch frame, it was designed to cover a wider span. However, due to the narrow pathway, I did not use the horizontal sections. Fortunately I kept them and they came in useful when it came to extending the frame across the path and onto the wall which backs on to the new garden. The idea is to have the rose grow across the frame and then along the top of the wall (in time).
Close up of the revamped arch.The roses has been pruned and tied to the frame to encourage growth towards the wall. Despite having been covered by a tree and the frame, the rose has been quite prolific and has grown well. The number of blooms, even now, is outstanding. Now that it is open to the light, I expect this to improve even more. The next stage is for the trellis frame and gate (in the background) to be moved to this side of the arch, to form the basis for the new and improved SBS.
wow, I'm tired just looking at all the work you have carried out MC, you are really transforming the whole area and can't wait to see it once springtime arrives with all the new foliage, you may not be able to find the birds as they tuck themselves happily into all those beautiful shrubs and flowers .... what a fantastic place for them - and you ! very well done and congrats on achieving so much in such a short time.
Thanks Hazy. I need to create at least 100 perching spots for the Spadgers, so there's plenty to be done!
I know 12 perches are winging their way as we type so you only need 88 more lol
You're going to need a bigger suitcase...