Since the path has been relaid (superbly by excellent workman Mario), we’ve been able to return to the front garden which has kept on flowering for the duration in spite of builders, scaffolding and god wot. So far we’ve had two days with volunteer work parties and one day’s worth of Chain Saw Man. This latter saw the main front flower bed extended by about a third as overgrown shrubs were cut back to the old wall. We now have a much larger space of full sun and look forward to the return of the hollyhocks which had rather been squeezed out by encroaching greenery.
We needed quite a lot of muscle as there were lots of unwilling roots to be hauled out. Our thanks to Andy and Jamie.
Although there will be a lot of plants in the garden still viable in spite of having been buried and trodden on, we’ve introduced a whole lot more ex-pats from one of The Shrubbery's flower beds.
The new entrance (which will be used by the punters using the Age
Concern Luncheon Club) was just asking to have a lavender hedge planted
there. We’ve used several different types of
lavender which doesn’t give such a neat hedge but prolongs the
flowering period.
We were quite concerned that the newly planted
lavender bushes might get yanked out. There is something strange in the
young male psyche especially when assisted by alcohol – they simply
can’t resist pulling up nicely rounded, newly planted greenery.
However, as an attempt to neutralise the effect of this, we have
instituted a cunning plan. The bushes are weighted down on
either side by cast iron fire escape steps covered with earth. So, a quick yank might turn out to be
a somewhat hernia inducing experience.
It
was delightful to be working in the garden and have passers by greeting
us and showing that they were pleased to see us back. It’s lovely to
know how much that little patch of garden means to many people.
Plans for the future
Some supersonic bearded irises will be planted under the bay window. An oversized shrub has been removed, giving this patch the full sun they need.
The wall – that lovely length of old wall exposed by Chain Saw Man is just asking to have old climbing roses scrambling up it. Since some of the wall came down during the rebuilding, the rebuilt section is light coloured whereas the rest is almost black. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to grow a cream or yellow rose against the black and a red against the light coloured bricks. It’s a gardener’s delight!