Helen's Garden Renovation Project

I’ve had some time off work, and the weather has been most suitable for going out and getting some vitamin D. I also went out and got some more plants from Whitewater Nursery, particularly ground cover. I chose some saxifraga, because I have been very successful with London Pride, and also some arabis, because the white variety given to me by my friend Sharon 18 years ago is still going strong. I bought some arenaria montana too. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it looked like it was game enough. Although these are all rock plants, and maybe shouldn’t be planted too near a pond, I have sandy soil and therefore good drainage. I will just have to see how they get on. I thought I would be able to split all the plants into two before planting, but actually only the saxifraga was easily splittable. If they survive a year, I can split them then.

I have left the compost bags over the bare soil, mainly to keep the cats and foxes off, but also to prevent weeds growing until I can fill in the gaps. I was pleased to be able to find a space for my hibiscus Blue Bird. It’s the bare-branched shrub at the right hand side, in front of the blackberry frame. I think it will get enough sun there.

Right hand side of garden, partially planted

I removed the branches I had strewn over the new lawn (the branches were there to deter animals from digging the lawn up) and the lawn looks quite convincing now.

New lawn

I haven’t yet planted the cherry tree. It is a full-size one, and if I am to find a place for it, I will have to limit its growth. I have been thinking about whether to plant it with a root barrier, or not use it and instead, plant a dwarf. I also want to get at least one more blueberry to replace the one which was cruelly eaten by vine weevil. I want to clean the concrete off the blackberry frame and stain it before I plant the blackberries. Apart from that, there is not much more to do.

It is spring and the sun is out and the frogs are up, and it is time to bring this ship into the shore. The last remaining stage is to plant up the right hand side of the garden.

Right hand side of the garden ready for planting

I have a few large plants to install first, and then I will go and buy some smaller ones for ground cover and for the smaller gaps.

I planted the holly J C Van der Tol just in front of the compost bins, at the right hand side. When I took the holly out of its pot, I found it had hardly any roots. There was no evidence of vine weevil, and it has been consistently treated for vine weevil anyway. The leaves look glossy and healthy apart from a bit of yellow, but there are not many leaves and growth has not been strong. I hope it will do better in the ground.

I also planted the cornus Alba Sibirica, which is the right hand one of the group. Two done, and five to go!