Excuse the mess and length of blog.

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I thought I’d shame myself into getting on in the garden by giving you all a walk round our plot.

Once inside the gate, and past the first hedge, we go up a few steps infront of the house.

The front garden is minimal and quite boring really.

We hope visitors take note and help themselves.

Here the leaves from the 2 large ash trees on the drive, makes the grass look messy, but it’s too wet to mow. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Through the round window we see the rose garden, the arbour and the boggery over the far side.

The view rises up to the back yard. Along the bank I plant to put a new Lonicera hedge with a border of Hellebores on the rose garden side.

We walk up the new steps from the rose garden up into the back yard.

We can see the summerhouse, and the field grass tended to as a lawn!

The site of the new head being constructed, from widening the border behind it. at the right of the border is a metal arch that leads to the wooden arch through to the plottie beyond. To the left of the seperating hedge, there is a path that goes up the side of the polyt1 and the fruit cage. Wide enough for me to drive the landy about, moving bags of compost etc. The boundary along this track is mainly bramble and the most wonderful fruits.

Here the Ornamental Cherry tree is centre stage with a circle bed round it and a tree seat, that needs sorting. I think what I want to do is get rid of the grass round the tree, widen the border inside and move a couple of the smaller shrubs from the shrubbery, then bark under the seat, but that’s a to think of in Jan.

From the circle bed, we look back to the rubbery under the pylon, and the route to the shrubbery round the back of the summerhouse.

Beyond the circle bed, we can see the main arch onto the ‘lawn’. Overgrown with a Clematis montana and my troublesome Akebia.

Here we can see the ’squiffy arch, the other entrance into the back yard.

Nearer the house, we turn back to see the pond with surrounded couched rockery. And the top of the steps.

Going back to the drive, we go past the house and turn towards the garden, here the squiffy arch can be seen better.

Then we spot the mess, the mountain of Clematis and Akebia hide the pergola. But that’s to be sorted.

Then we look up the plot, Right up the top is the bonfire site, where I’m supposed to building a bank round the fire pit, with turves I lift. Yeah right, I’m barrowing turves up there. That’s why I make features out of turves lifted. The site of the head is a darn sight easier than the new bank.

Here we have walked up past the garden and have reached the ‘Plottie’. A few brassicas and chards growing, not alot else, but I’ve mulched most beds with the hen bedding.

Walking back to the top of the garden along the hedge that breaks the plottie and back yard up, we can see the route to the duck pond.

On towards the top of the plot, we notice 2 hen houses at the plottie boundary. The one on the left is the retirement home for eggless birds and major Rocky. Behind them is the 1st fruit cage, full of rows of raspberries that need tending, a gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes. Polyt1 is used to feed the veg plot in the spring. In winter is houses the hay raked off hubbs field. Inside the plottie between the 2 hen houses is a new fruit cage. Here is where I put my bluberries in pots for the summer. Next year they will be planted inside, they will be mature enough to be planted out.

Here is the third and last hen run. And the orchard rising up the highest point of the plot. 25’ above the house.

The top corner looking back down to the house. With Cardigan bay on the horizon.

Another entrance into Hubbys field, with the maze and duck pond.

The bonfire site, with a small bank. The hedge is all bramble, but as it is north facing, the fruit isn’t terrific.

Here is proof that my son lives with us. Behind his workshop is his disco graveyard, used for spares for both our landy’s.

Through the entrance into Hubbs field we can see the beds dotted around with his shrubs. and the lower corner of the maze.

Turning to the left we look up into the top of ‘Acre wood’. Our bbq site with fire pit. But as I used to have shuttle food, crockery, cushions for the furniture (now moved) in the landy, we gave up and haven’t used it lately (3yrs) but the weather hasn’t been up to much over the last 3 summers.

Here we can see the side of the woods. Mostly beech and alder. A previous owner got a grant to plant the woods, but the last owner put their goats in the wood paddock and quite a few trees have since died. (We removed all the internal fencing of 5 paddocks)

From the bbq site the east side of the field, the duck house then polyt2 are the only things on this side of the hedge I use.

Here the young maze can be seen ‘just’ above the tall grass. In a couple of years the grass won’t grow so high as the maze will be taller and the trimmings will be left to mulch the paths.

We have arrived at the other side of the pond. We could have come direct from the bbq site, stepping over the maze as we walked or down the side of the wood, but the ducks have reduced that path to slime, or we could have walked through the woods, following the path, over a little bridge that crosses a spring.

We can see the top of the wood and bbq site area with the “oh so butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths” ducks and Spike, who loves being photographed.

Then we turn to the house and see polyt2.

walking to the front of the pond, we can see hubbs bain of his life. His Moles. He just can’t catch this one.

From the lowest corner, diagonally opposite the orchard, we look up the pond. This area is peat bog and ankle deep in water. All the Gunnera and rheums love it here.

Looking up to the drive and house, The rows of tyres with strawberry’s growing in them can be seen, admittedly not well.

This is one of Hubbs borders. We garden differently. He shoves shrubs and ground cover plants into the grass, and they grow, for him.

Here is a pond hubs built this year. He was given the pump, and wanted to make a feature of it. I think he did very well. Beyond is another of his borders with another cow in it. (Not me)

Here we look back at the gate to the entrance of the field and of course Spike again. To the right of the picture is the start of the furniture heap, covered for winter protection.

• 7 Nov, 2010
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