Still cliff faces, Karen, but at least they’re now the right way up. In the setting you have here maybe rugged gorse would help to stabilise the soil and fit in with the landscape.
I’d like to see a photographic update from @All4Seasons
I think the rock structure is lovely, it can be inspiring to have an 'out of the ordinary' garden
A Cotoneaster horizontalis might be persuaded to grow in front of that barer patch to the right of the chair and would give you some green in summer and interesting branch structure in winter, plus flowers, berries, red autumn leaves and a degree of protection for the bank.
Lots of alpines will be suitable of course, not often you get to
see a proper rock garden, as opposed to a pile of rocks!
Start with
small things, match them to your rocks in regards to acid/alkaline and
sun/shade and help them settle in and then they will take off. If they are happy some will spread and others may seed into cracks you could never have planted and you will end up with something unique
If it gets a reasonable amount of sun you could grow Helianthemums to trail down the rock face, and shrubby Potentillas will do that too. I've one growing right on the edge of a retaining wall and it cascades down the front. Deciduous, so bare in winter, but it leafs up early and flowers all summer. Both come in a choice of colours.
If it is more shady then many ferns will grow quite happily there.
Lots to think about, hope it can be enjoyable for you
I’d forgotten all about this post! So I haven’t done anything too drastic but I’m much happier with it. We did get rid of the two conifers (thanks Keith92) and I drastically pruned (1/2ed) the willow-leaf hebe. I try to clamber around a couple times a year to weed the bramble and St. John’s wort. There’s some lovely primroses, heathers and loads of crocosmia which are good ground cover and lovely in flower. I was really happy with the changes with the bed above wall (top picture). With a lot of hard work and lots of mulch got it under control. 3 nice David Austin’s in, cranesbills and a few more perennials. However last summer we got the ubiquitous lockdown hot tub which now lives in front of the bed under a geodesic dome with a luminous parachute covering (sun screen for small child). So view of bed isn’t great nice but I know roots are growing and shrubs maturing. Other half put up fencing all around which is much better for safety and also makes it look better I think.
Pollarded the overgrown hawthorns hedge and felled a massive ash tree which wasn’t that nice and had die back. In another part of garden we had a retaining wall added. And felled more conifers. Like all gardening I’ve lots of ideas but not enough time.
I’m planning on getting rid of the strip of grass atop the wall as it’s a real pain to get the mower there any doesn’t really add anything except work. I think will be better paved or gravelled with a few nice pots.
I’ll add some pictures but ignore the mess - pressure washing path means everything’s out of place.
Most importantly I haven’t yet broken a bone gardening here - but I think I’ve just been lucky so far!
Good luck Karen Peel - I have learnt the really appreciate the rocks in my garden - we have found fossils in the outcrops and it makes me feel grounded and bedded in the the landscape. We certainly don’t have boring rectangular box gardens!!
This is the area in my original top picture - I think the hot tub dome is very subtle. You can just see the many many primroses, and one the m6 roses just in bud. At the top on slope above dome is a wisteria which has responded well to merciless but necessary hacking.
This is same area looking other way (same direction as original lower pic). Another wisteria seen at top of bank which flowers spectacularly and twice last year.
Posts
Still cliff faces, Karen, but at least they’re now the right way up. In the setting you have here maybe rugged gorse would help to stabilise the soil and fit in with the landscape.
I’d like to see a photographic update from @All4Seasons