Barbara's Retirement Garden(s)
By barbarak
14 comments
This is my first go at a gardening blog. I had a nice private message wondering what my new garden might look like as I had never posted photos, so I thought I would post a few photos of the renovation.
The first photo is of the front garden in 2013. The hedge is about 10ft tall and made the inside of the house dark.
The surrounds were of borders of overgrown cotoneasters, a few alchemilla mollis and some unidentified plants.
The first job was to get rid of the hedge and assess the state of the wall. It was falling over as the roots of the conifers had pushed it over. There was a tangle of brambles as well.
Next job was rebuilding a retaining wall and wall in front to make a narrow border. Interesting removing the stumps as I tried cutting through a telephone cable with loppers thinking it was root! we spent all of summer 2014 clearing the stumps and hedging. The wall went in October 2014
With permission of the neighbours we removed all the overgrown shrubs, erected a fence and constructed box beds to account for the height difference between us and next door.
Over the course of the summer we managed the hard landscaping with a deconstructed stone circle and gravel paths.
I sacrificed the pot which contained the magnolia to plant it in the garden. I placed obelisks at each side. There’s a crab apple in the larger circle surrounded by a lavender circle and a standard rose in the centre of the small circle. The smaller circle is surrounded by a mix of HT and shrub roses.
Fast forward a year to Aug 2016.
16 Jan, 2018
14 likes
Comments
what a transformation. This is beautiful Barbara. also love the choice of trees :o)
16 Jan, 2018
That's terrific Barbara! A real inspiration. It must be a real joy for your neighbours too. Well done indeed.
16 Jan, 2018
You've worked hard at transforming your garden. It looks interesting now with the circles and all the different plants :)
16 Jan, 2018
A great record of all your hard work and imagination.
17 Jan, 2018
What a great transformation! It looks so much better. All that hard work has paid off.
17 Jan, 2018
Thank you for sharing the results of your hard work ... it really does look lovely now ... well done to you both!
17 Jan, 2018
How do they put it on the telly, " I feel as though I've been on a journey" well that's how I feel following your transformation and you certainly have turned it into a very attractive garden, lots of work went into doing it but my!! you must be pleased at how it looks now.
Well done both of you , I really like it....
17 Jan, 2018
That is wonderful.....what a difference. I bet your neighbours are very pleased you moved next door.
17 Jan, 2018
I was just thinking exactly the same as Linda. It is a fabulous garden and to see how it was at the beginning and to see it now is just like watching Alan Titchmarsh when he used to transform gardens!
Such lovely shapes and so much colour.
18 Jan, 2018
I might have missed this if Steragram had not advised another member to look at it. I love everything about. You will have colour all year and plenty of interest. I especially like those raised beds along the edges. I often wonder how those instant gardens we see transformed in a few days, on tv programmes, stand the test of time. Your hard work should last as you have been meticulous in your preparation and inspired in your choices of plants and hard landscaping.
19 Jan, 2018
Thank you all for the lovely comments. As with all garden projects its never finished.
21 Jan, 2018
Thanks for all the pics... lovely to see a complete transformation as it progresses, attractive end result too...
13 Jan, 2019
That deconstructed circle works beautifully. I do like your bed along the top of the wall. It makes it easy to care for and adds another dimension.
13 Jan, 2019
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Oh my! I’m so glad you did this Barbara! Its absolutely fantastic! I was so surprised to see the difference after removing the hedge, but that was only the start wasn’t it? You have both worked so hard. The result is a transformation from ‘no prying eyes please’ to ‘look at all this wonderful colour’. I bet you’ve had no end of compliments from everyone passing by, and made some new friends too! I like your choice of trees...I have five Crab Applles myself. They are such a joy. One of mine ‘Red Sentinel’ is still covered with deep red crab apples and adds colour all winter. In spring they are breathtaking with all their blossoms, and they never get too big for their boots. Congratulations!
16 Jan, 2018