Plants in every space

-
I finished work early today (thank you flexi-time), to get home and into the garden as I wanted to finish this project that I began last week.  This is a nice idea for autumn (not mine admittedly) from the RHS magazine.  It involves planting shade-lovers in the empty space beneath a garden bench.  

Here is the bench made by my own fine hands last summer. It has become a place to dump empty pots and for lots of different types of weeds to establish themselves.  It is situated in-between the raised vegetable border, potting shed and stump border in the background giving it shady and sheltered attributes - it's also used as a bench being a nice private spot in the garden.


Last week I cleared the area, weeded by hand pulling up couch grass and nettles, following their roots in the soil to get as much out as possible and into the green bin.  Then followed a bit of a workout with a Dutch Hoe to rid the space of all other unwanted growth taking care not to damage the self-seeded verbena bonariensis.


Today the soil has been worked over with a garden fork and homemade compost has been introduced and dug into the soil to improve drainage and boost nutrients.


And there we have it, carefully planted up with some shade-loving ferns and heuchera's relocated from a sunny spot and some silvery lamium to eventually bridge the gaps, its been fed and watered well.  Whilst it doesn't look much at the moment I have learnt that this time next year It will be bursting with colour and texture.   


Eventually a brick path will pass in front of this space and I will look forward to the plants spilling out over the sides to soften the straight lines. 

Comments

Londoncottagegarden.com said…
I do admire your work to try and get every bit of couch grass out - a really thorough job, and reminds me yet again that it’s the goodness of the soil that really matters. With that, those plants will grow away happily and next year they will have covered every inch of ground. Do show us the progress.
2 October 2018 at 08:37
Patrick Coughlan said…
Thank you for your comment Julie, I will indeed provide an update next year. :)
2 October 2018 at 18:48
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Well overdue post - transforming a patio

-
Image
Having had a break from writing on these pages, I felt it was as good a time as any to return with transformative news, both in reinstating the original name of this blog 'SuburbanGaze' but also of the outside space.   Over the summer months of lockdown I began researched ideas around renewing the patio.  We had spent so much time concentrating on plants and nature that we had forgotten our own basic needs.   So many options to choose from, so many trawls through Google images to find inspiration.  I knew we needed a large flat area with a built in pergola for shade but all off-the-shelf models lacked the bold clean and dark masculine straight lines that I was looking for. I realised quickly that our needs were not catered for and I would need to design something from scratch.  So the process began, like so much in the outside space a lot of thought and planning has gone into it. The problem: A hideous eight...
Read more

Dark side

-
Image
Its always good to have a bit of a change, I guess life is a journey and we all move through different periods.  For now for me, everything shall be black with a splash of orange.  Have began by using some garden paint to coat the bird-boxes for a sheltered spot behind the potting shed, also painted black.   The bird-table has also been coated having been natural, cream, blue... The potting shed has also been transformed in the same colour, I love how this colour makes the boundaries and building disappear into the background.  All the plants appear front and centre the colour popping.  With new robust fences installed the garden has never been better for us.  And that splash or orange has been delivered in a spray-paint coat of the former white garden furniture and a new garden sofa in the al-fresco dining area.
Read more

Pond overhaul

-
Image
I love the wildlife pond area of the garden, its now hidden from view most of the year by a huge native hedge that was grown from whips.  There is almost a secret garden feeling now at the end of the garden, its an area to come to for contemplation.  I haven't got round to putting a bench down there maybe next year.  It looks lovely at the height of the summer, but I made a mistake in the choice of oxygenator and its unwieldiness (if that's even a word) has gone unchecked...That is until now.  Its autumn and the leaves of the Amelanchier are bright red, this has spurned me on to get the wildlife pond sorted for next years fresh load of frogspawn, apparently this is the perfect time - less wildlife to annoy! :)  It's been something to focus on away from the reality that is life.  Here is what the pond looked like in August/September, all super-green and abundant.  But, spot...
Read more