Changes to my back garden - part two.
By jenlewis
16 comments
Our back garden was divided into 2 parts by a very large conifer hedge. We had the main lawn area and then behind the workshop was an area that mostly had been covered with concrete. Here was where the greenhouse and 2 sheds and 2 very unloved compost piles. I say compost very loosely as when I started to clear the 1st pile I found it had broken glass, tins, bits of metal, plastic and nails and screws all mixed up in it as well, so I didn’t feel I could even use it on the garden. Back in the summer, we had one of the sheds taken away as it was so rotten, it leaked like a sieve and your foot went through the floor everytime you went in there.
Last week we had the hedge taken down. This is what it looked like before, with the hedge.
And this is after.
Hubby used to find it hard work getting the lawn mower through the gate that was at the end of the hedge so he has started to double the width of the path up to this area. The end of the workshop, at some point had a outhouse which someone has very badly knocked down and needs sorting out, but in the meantime, I have had a trellis put up to help hide it. Well thats what I told hubby anyway, really it just gave me a good excuse to add more planting area :-).
Shirley had notice that I had mentioned on a photo of another member that I had wanted to grow a Passion Flower up this trellis, so bless her, contacted me to tell me that she a had cutting from her one and very kindly sent it up. It is now planted and I will post a picture of it in it’s new home. :-).
As you can see, the edge of the concrete is not very nice looking so we plan to make it a sort of a rockery to neaten it up. You can also see the remaining shed. This one also is not in a very good condition so hubby is planning to build a storage area down the side of the workshop where the chicken coop was and then we will get rid of that shed as well.
Unfortunately the hedge that runs along the side of the greenhouse does not belong to us. I say unfortunately as they do not want to cut it and want to allow it to grow as tall as possible so I might have to use the High Hedge Act in the end but I am still holding out hope that it won’t come to that. They have allowed me to cut most of the top but want the last line of trees left to block seeing our workshop building and the building next door. I have cut our side just over 2m but as you can see the ones left are getting very tall and not very nice to look at from our side. The trouble is these are starting to block the afternoon sun from the rest of our garden.
The bottom of the hedge doesn’t look very nice and there is a ton of rubbish pushed under it, then chicken wire to stop their dog getting through to our garden put up our side by them before we moved in. We have seen some short ready made fence panels that we plan to get and put along there.
Once the 2nd shed is gone, it will leave a fairly big area. We plan to make some raised beds and grow vegetables there.
At the same time as we had the hedge removed, hubby also got them to cut the holly/hawthorn hedge the other end of the garden as it had got out of hand and due to my eye problem and so a ban on heavy lifting for a while which I would have had to do taking it to the tip.
This is before:-
And this is after:-
They have straighten the side and it now should be much easier for me to manage.
Well that is all that we have been up to this year. I don’t know when the finishing touches will be done as most of these are hubby’s jobs and we want to get some jobs done in the house but we are getting there. :-).
12 Oct, 2017
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Comments
I am living in hope Seaburngirl. At 2m they will still have privacy in their garden but unfortunately we are having quite a few problems with them. Their drive runs along the holly hedge as well which is a 8ft brick wall at the front of our garden. Along their side they have drilled holes into the wall and hung lights and things on it without a word to us and the wall is not a party wall, solely ours. We have left that but now they are fitting a LPG tank less then a metre from it, using our wall as the safety fire wall needed for it to be fitted, again without a word to us. Hubby really not happy about that. There are a few more things, like when their builders worked on the roof, they swept all the old big bits on concrete over into our garden. When we told our neighbours, they were very much, we weren't there so didn't see it. Unfortunately I think it will end out having to use the hedge act as they have fallen out with the land owner at the end of their garden and also with the owner of the building next to us.
12 Oct, 2017
What a difference but hard work I'm sure.
12 Oct, 2017
Linda, lol We did cheat and got a local firm to do the heavy bits. They also did all the work that I showed in previous blog. I have now just got to tidy it all up and start to make it look nicer.
12 Oct, 2017
You are doing great Jen! I must say you have some really weird neighbours! Why on earth didnt they put the unsightly chicken wire on their side if its to stop their dog? So cheeky! Anyway, the garden looks great. The hedge always looks great after its haircut doesn’t it! I hope your passion flower thrives. X
12 Oct, 2017
Thanks Karen. I know about chicken wire. Maybe as the compost piles were in front of were they put it that maybe they didn't think it mattered. She told me they put it up when heard we were moving in and had a dog as well. I will be giving the Passion Flower lots of TLC as I had one in one of my other gardens and loved it so hoping it does really well.
12 Oct, 2017
There's always lots to do in a 'new' garden in order to get it as you want, but it will all be worth it in the end. You've made lots of improvements already :)
12 Oct, 2017
Thank you Hywel. I blame GOY lol. I see so many ideas on here. We were lucky with our last garden and didn't need to change things and just look after it and add a few plants that we liked. :-)
13 Oct, 2017
GoY has a lot to answer for :D
13 Oct, 2017
Lol, it sure does :-)
13 Oct, 2017
A lot of progress there Jen its looking good so far hope you get it as you ve planed it sounds great.
13 Oct, 2017
Gosh, Jen, after reading all that planning and hard work I felt like a lie-down! :O)
We have a long, thick Thuja hedge which Charlie trims beautifully every year. Our (old) neighbour let him work on her side of the hedge and she cleared up after him, which was great.
We have new neighbours moving in there later this month and wondered what they would be like. Now we've met them we think we are going to be fortunate again, touch wood, and they are half our age!!
On our other side we have a neighbour with (some) OCD
traits so the lawn has to be Hoovered,(!!) but it works for us as he sacked the gardeners who blew leaves into our garden. It helps having largish gardens in some ways as we can all hide. :O)
Seriously having awkward neighbours can be really upsetting. I think your neighbours should be pleased to have your lovely garden next door to them.
13 Oct, 2017
Thanks Dawn. It will take a while to start to get it how we want it but we will get there (unfortunately money comes into it :-(.) And the house needs a lot of work as well. We found a place in Telford that only sells garden landscape things that is a good price, better the DIY store which is going to help.:-).
14 Oct, 2017
Eirlys, pleased that your new neighbours are nice. It is a worry when you get new ones. Luckly, the owners of the building next door are nice with the attitude that neighbours look after each other. There is one other house across the road that has just been bought and they seem nice, so it's just the ones behind us. She has said before that she would love to have a house with no neighbours at all so I think that is what she is trying to create with growing the hedge so tall. When we moved in, she made it clear that she didn't want any talking over the fence, which I have respected.
Hoovering the lawn, think I have heard it all now! It's good that your OH does neighbours side of hedge. We did that for our old neighbours, will admit it was mainly due to it being their hedge and they didn't cut it but where happy if we did.
14 Oct, 2017
Yes house must come first you live in that bit by bit you ll get there.
14 Oct, 2017
Hi Jen, I've only just caught up with your blog and I'm staggering at the amount of work you've undertaken, with help or not.
I also have a little problems with one of my neighbours, so I was interested to read you mention the High Hedge Act. I've not heard about this, but as we have problem with a very large tree blocking lots of sun/light into our garden I need to look into it.
If your neighbours put the chicken wire on your side of the hedge, does that mean they trespassed onto your garden? Cheeky beggers.
The trimmed Holly/Hawthorn hedge looks so much better now and I do hope your Passion Flower blooms...I managed to kill one of mine!!
17 Oct, 2017
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Gosh lots of transformations going on there. Its a shame about the neighbours view on hedge height but hopefully they will see sense for the sake of harmony. the passionflower will look wonderful when it gets going.
12 Oct, 2017