The Final Move
By tony1247
18 comments
This is a new experience for us – telling everybody what we’re up to – so i thought i would dive in full tilt and share our final moving experience with anyone who wants to look.
We’re not “proper gardeners” – (‘cos we don’t speak latin) – but we enjoy creating an environment to live in and enjoying the wonderful benefits that nature can provide.
I thought we’d start by showing you what we left behind after 27 years of tending our previous little plot.
The pond had over 50 fish in it by the way – of which 8 were Koi. Unfortunately we had to leave them behind as there was no pond where we moved to. YET!!!
So on June the 17th 2010 we moved into our bungalow – which chose us – we had only looked at the back garden when we both said we wanted it.
When we first viewed it, it was late 2009 so the garden was well groomed albeit fairly bare.
Below is what greeted us on the day we moved in. Needless to say as soon as the removal van had gone we were in the garden mowing the lawn.
However, after 3 days of fairly intensive work it looked like this …..
A fairly decent blank canvass to work with we thought.
We had reservations about bringing our apple tree with us as it was just starting to bear fruit and we had only planted it the year before. Everyone said dont move it as it would probably die.
Well, as it was birthday present we decided whatever it did after the move we would prefer it did it in our new garden rather than be left possibly unattended to in the old.
The next picture was taken in late september this year….
Who says you can’t move a fruiting tree and still get decent fruit from it the same year.
The next job was to get some fruit bushes established for 2011 so we rushed out and got some from a local DIY store – not the best place in the world to buy plants from but hey, they were cheap and readily available.
Only time will tell.
We planted Raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, rhubarb and 4 grape vines. 2 in the green house and 2 in the garden.
We thought that as we are a completely south facing garden we might get away with good grape crops in the garden as well as the greenhouse.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
We spent a bit of time digging out a small border all the way down the right hand side.
We haven’t got a clue what we’re going to do with this bit yet though.
Ok, so now we have to think about growing things.
We decided to buy a greenhouse that was large enough to do quite a bit in and set about errecting it.
Once the green house was up we set about putting in a log cabin to use as part office and part garden storage. We ran armour cable the length of the garden and put in power.
Next, i played crafty and invited my son to stay for a weekend. He is over 6’ 2" and built like a tank.
The result you can see below. It only took him 3 hours to completely dig this area. We now call him “Mr rotorvator”.
Kelly, our german shepherd, seems to quite like her new garden
Unfortunately, as she is a bitch i doubt that we will ever have bowling green lawn but we will try the best we can.
As winter approached and everywhere became sodden with rain, the grass area between the house and the woods at the back of the garden became very muddy so we had to lay a path of intermittent slabs to try to protect the grass a bit.
As we had no intention of keeping the old wooden shed closest to the house – ( a view blocker if ever i saw one) – we let my son “Mr Rotovator” have it.
Mind you he had to make a 500 mile round trip to collect it as he lives in North Wales.
He still maintains that it was cheaper than buying one.
So this is the view that we are now left with until next year when the weather picks up a bit.
Still don’t have any idea what i’m going to do with that area yet though.
Well that’s as far as we have got in the six months since we moved in.
Now i have started and also put pictures up here, i hope it will give us the incentive to keep going and hopefully acheive the dreams that we had about the garden when we first saw it.
If your interested in seeing how we get on then please feel free to follow our bloggs as and when we add to them.
In the meantime, the compliments of the season to each and all and if you wonder where i am in January, i will be in the potting shed/office/storage/my space/peace and quiet chitting my potatoes for 2011.
16 Dec, 2010
14 likes
Next post: What a little Gem .....
Comments
Merry Christmas to you both, and your lovely Kelly...
You've already made amazing improvements to your new garden... must have been tough leaving your previous home...
good luck with your gardening in 2011 :o)
16 Dec, 2010
Fantastic blog, Tony, what a great garden space you have and have already made an impression on. I love your 'workshop', my hubbie would love a place like that to escape to. I suggest where you old shed was is to put your new pond, but I suspect that you may have thought of that already! All the best for Christmas to you and welcome to Goy.
16 Dec, 2010
Thanks Littlelegs and Terratoonie for your comments and Grandmage i had thought about the pond but then i also thought about the expense and i'm still not sure. From scratch it's an expensive hobby and time consuming cleaning it on a regular basis. I'm sort of favouring an alpine garden with water feature ... but hey.... watch this space.
16 Dec, 2010
Will do !!
16 Dec, 2010
Your last garden looked like a little paradise and so I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this one! Looks wonderful so far and you did so much in such a short period of time.
16 Dec, 2010
Brilliant Blog Tony.....really nice to see your garden change......You've worked hard there. Hope you have a wonderful christmas holiday break, and while you down the potting shed having a beer, maybe you'll gome up with some ideas......Have a good one........Lol
16 Dec, 2010
that was a marvellous read ~ thank you ~ now thats the sort of thing i would like to see on gardeners world!!
you have most certainly achieved a garden makeover! i love that wooden chalet ~ i would dearly like one myself
no pond yet tho?? ~ maybe thats what you will do with the empty part???
i shall watch with interest to see what develops
it must have been hard to leave your other perfect garden?
16 Dec, 2010
Welcome to GoY Tony, and a very interesting blog. Really enjoyed hearing all about your two gardens. I think you have made a wonderful start on the new one. Happy Christmas to you and yours.
16 Dec, 2010
welcome and thanks for a lovely blog. Please keep up with your diary and yes do share.
dont forget to browse all the lovely gardens on here. I have picked up some lovely ideas over the last 2 yrs.
16 Dec, 2010
Congratulations on what you've achieved so far, and good luck for the future. It will be interesting to see what develops.
Merry Christmas !
16 Dec, 2010
From your previous garden, and seeing what you have done so far, I reckon you ARE proper gardeners Tony! Welcome, and there are plenty of design ideas on here to get you going (not sure that you need them though) . . . have a look at some of Anchorman's designs - you'll be spoilt for choice.
16 Dec, 2010
Welcome to GoY ,Tony,what a brilliant blog,and lovely pics.
Your previous garden was lovely,and I'm sure your new project will be just the same,in time,although you have done a great job already...hope you are enjoying living in your new home..Have a lovely Christmas...:o)))
16 Dec, 2010
This is really why I joined GoY - to see other members' lovely gardens and all the work they put in to them. Your last one was wonderful Tony and I can see that this one will be too. As for Latin, who cares - a rose is a rose is a rose....... surely. Welcome to GoY and Happy Christmas.
16 Dec, 2010
Welcome from me too, a great blog. You must be looking forward to the spring like the rest of us.
16 Dec, 2010
Well done!
Good job that you have all winter to think about what to do with all that space!
16 Dec, 2010
I'm impressed, Tony, you have achieved a lot in a short time. I noticed who does the skilled work, camera, and who the grass cutting and pond clearing!;-)
17 Dec, 2010
Wow...!!!! really wasn't expecting that level of interest. Thank you all so much for your kind comments. We crammed an awful lot into 6 months as we wanted to be as ready as possible for the spring as that is really when the hard work will start. Bulbaholic ... your so wrong .... margy's job is to make the garden look pretty. She acheives that by sitting in it all day admiring my handywork...lol!! I have to admit that we had a lot of help from friends and family when we first moved in so it wasn't all down to us. I did cheat and employ someone to errect the shed but i put in the footings for the greenhouse and errected that. Hardest part was full size sheets of glass for the roof. I am now scouring this site and all of your entries for ideas and advice and yes really looking forward to see how it looks by the summer of next year. One of the joys of not having any real plans. It will just take shape ... but which one? .... just keep watching. Merry Christmas all and once again your comments are greatly appreciated by us both.
17 Dec, 2010
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What a great blog Tony, Welcome to GOY. Youv'e worked very hard and Im looking forward to the next episode. Happy Christmas.
16 Dec, 2010