Have a look round.

All looking really good Nick - I particularly like the colour of your Aquilegia - it's a very pretty blue.
I have collared doves that regularly visit my garden - you are so lucky to have birds nesting in your Ivy.

very nice - especially the red gravel part , looks lovely

A marvellous selection of plants- lets hope the insects all find them and appreciate your thoughtfulness. I would think twice about including the plantain and the herb robert though, unless you want a takeover! What a lovely photo of the aquilegia -it's such a beautiful colour. Do keep us up to date as it all matures.

Thank you Scottish - I do love the colour of the aquilegia, it was a lucky find at a market stall I've recently found and started visiting. Agree we are very lucky, I think watching birds is good for the soul!

Thanks Paulspond, I'm hoping to eventually get rid of the concrete path and have gravel there too.

Steragram, thanks for your kind words and good advice! I recently noticed herb robert growing wild nearby and it did concern me how much space it had covered. Would you suggest getting rid of them now or leaving it till autumn/winter?

Congratulations. Well done !

That's a lovely garden you have made so many pretty areas and of course a table for your wine what more could you want :o)

You've got a lovely garden, and I like the arch :o)
Thanks for showing us around.
I have some Pulmonaria if you'd like some. It will grow in shade. I'll be digging some up soon, to send other people, so if you want a bit, let me know in a PM ...

I think the concrete path is nice and well worth keeping it highlights the shingle areas more too - looks very tidy .

what a lovely walk around your little piece of heaven, I thoroughly enjoyed that walk, great pictures and well planted up. You have done a very good job changing it from what you had to this beautiful garden. :O)

Herb Robert - well it doesn't do any harm and its a pretty little thing, but it does seed around. If you love it you could keep it and just watch out for the seedlings. Otherwise remove it before it sets seed. There are heaps of other geraniums you can have instead. The plantain will tend to seed itself into the path edges and become a nuisance so I would get rid of that one.
Just out of interest, it can apparently be used medicinally - an infusion for coughs, an ointment or poultice for hemorrhoids (just what you wanted to know) a gargle for sore throats and a compress for inflamed eyelids.I didn't know any of that until I started preparing a talk on medicinal uses of plants - its on Tuesday so wish me luck!

Great blog Nick and nice to see photos of your garden transformation. I love the garden dictionary definition! Zen gardening book also looks interesting! I would go for Choiysa Ternata for shady spot, if there is room.

Thanks Diane!

Kidsgran, thank you - yes the decking has worked out brilliantly, lovely sunny spot to sit back and enjoy :)

Hywel, thank you and yes that would be wonderful! I'll drop you a PM.

Thanks Paulspond - to me it almost doesn't go with the space, but I do see your point about how it highlights other areas. One to mull over!

Oliveoil, thanks so much for your kind words - its been a lot of hard work but I've loved every minute :)

Steragram - yes that was one of the things that led me to plant it, I had read of its medicinal uses and attractiveness to insects, based on that it seemed perfect for the "naturalistic" feel I want - but not if its going to take over! Thanks again for the advice. Best of luck with your talk too, sounds fascinating, wish I could attend!

Thank you Sarahm - the book is a good read, was a lucky find in a second hand shop. I do love a bargain book :) Thanks for the tip also, I'll look that up!

So many kind words, thank you all, what a wonderful place GoY really is :)

Fab... :o)

Thanks Terra :)

:o)))
Added to GoYpedia ..

Wow! Thanks! :) :)

Your garden is maturing nicely and I think your mom would be proud of all the work you`ve put in. The entrance Arch makes you want to get in there to see what lies beyond and friends will not be disappointed as you have some lovely plants, I think you have done really well.

Thank you Stroller really appreciate that! :)

Excellent job well done

Thanks Bjs!

lovely little garden and some nice plants you have, will check out your other blogs but seems your doing a good job :o)

Thank you Sanbaz! I'm enjoying it so much and learning so much all the time - helped by the good people of GOY of course :)

Great blog Nick. I love the design of your circular beds in the gravel, and those gorgeous Aquilegias: don't forget to save seed from them! I have a few spare seedlings of Night-Scented Stock (which won't flower until next year as they're biennial) . . . would you like some?

Love browsing in second-hand bookshops - I'll look out for that one!

Thanks Sheilabub! I haven't collected seed yet, thanks for the reminder! The circular beds are coming on well, I'll post some new pics soon. The book is a good read, ideal for sitting in the sun with.

I'd love some seedlings if that would be ok? Thanks so much :)