Thank you both, this is really helpful. I would say the layer of multi purpose compost is approx 20-30 cm deep (the height of ground level to the height of the decking) and then it's soil underneath - so there is soil there, I just needed to build it up a bit with compost as I was worried about people falling down the holes when walking around!
Might be a red herring but I've just realised (face palm moment) that the little water meter I'd been using to test the soil has been switched onto PH mode and not Moist! When switching it on to Moist mode, most of my garden is coming up as the top of Wet gauge, including the Honeysuckle and Rose. I did water the garden last night, but not for the first time I am wondering whether I could be watering everything too much - i water it every other day in the summer as we have no rain and it's a hot south facing site with no shade. I often kill things with love rather than neglect!
Not sure I'd having constantly wet soil would matter / be relevant for the Honeysuckle and Rose situation though??
Forget these water meters and check the soil manually, and also look at how the plants are displaying. If a plant is wilting, and the soil feels dry when you poke a finger in, it needs watered. If it's nice and upright and bouncy, and the soil's damp, it doesn't
I was going to ask if the bits at the posts were open to the ground, so that's helpful. However, it's soil, or a soil based compost you need to fill them in, so that it has more heft to support the plants. We did a similar thing at a previous house where we had a raised deck out from the house. The end where the deck met one house wall, was left open to create a bed about 3 or 4 feet by about 2 feet approx. I sectioned it all off below, and we waterproofed it and the house wall, and filled it [soil] so that we could plant there. It was about a metre in depth, but I had a Fatsia and a clematis in there. It was ideal for both of them, and I was able to train the clem out and around the back door on some trellis.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
gilla-, where do you live? You said you haven't had any rain in the summers for the past 5 years. Nothing to add really, ladies (maybe some gentleman, apologies) have it nailed. The honeysuckle is a woodland, shade lover. My back garden faces north, the honeysuckles on the right,east facing,even one at the side of our bungalow,that only gets a little sun midday,ain't happy! We got a hosepipe ban 😞
I'm on the Essex / Cambridgeshire border @Nanny Beach - the norm these days is barely any rain from late April to September. I'm starting to learn that when I see "Full sun" written on plants that it usually means someone else's full sun and not my kind!
@Fairygirl I would say that when I stick my finger in the soil it feels damp but not sodden - it certainly doesn't feel over wet, but I am aware that I'm watering a lot.
@Fairygirl that sounds beautiful at your previous house.
I think what I've decided to do is buy an extra cheap parasol (I already have a spare base) and use that to dhade it for the summer. Then I'll move it in the Autumn. I don't have anywhere else for it to go at the moment it terms of support to climb up, I'll need to figure that out! If I wanted to try and remove some of the compost and refill with soil based Compost, what kind of thing would I go for? I only know multi purpose compost and top soil!
Also an unrelated question while I've got you... what is eating my other new rambling rose?!
If you go to a GC or any DIY store you'll see John Innes mixes. That's basically a formula and there are various types according to the intended use, but they're all soil based. I've never used them, as I've never needed to, but they're the alternative for anything that isn't just an annual, and is going to be in a container or restricted area. You could just use topsoil though, but it's worth adding some compost as well and mixing it through it, just so it isn't solid when it gets wet. A bit of slow release food added as well is ideal. You could also use rotted manure which you can get in bags too. I use that for my sweet peas, and also for the dahlias since I've started growing them again. Both of those are very greedy types of plant, but the manure is also good at retaining moisture and they also need plenty of that. The other alternative, if you don't have a few shovelfuls of soil you can take from your garden, is to get some molehill soil if you have any moles nearby. I've been doing that this year as the nearby park has loads on the outer edges. I've had a few funny looks when I'm shovelling it into bags, but the soil is great for adding to containers for plants that need more oomph, instead of buying more products.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you very much @Fairygirl I'll have a look and see what I can find!
Ahh that is good news @GardenerSuze - it's something I haven't seen before and reminded me of the pictures from the Hungry Catterpillar book! Lovely to hear it's a bee
The trouble is, although an umbrella will block direct sunlight,it won't actually bring the heat from the air. Keep it soaked. I would also say spray the foliage in the evening,you might get lucky. Oh, I have this picture of Fairygirl,feritting in molehills!! People giving her funny looks, probably thing she's a mole eating poachet. Yes, gilla, you have "the wrong type of sun"
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Might be a red herring but I've just realised (face palm moment) that the little water meter I'd been using to test the soil has been switched onto PH mode and not Moist! When switching it on to Moist mode, most of my garden is coming up as the top of Wet gauge, including the Honeysuckle and Rose. I did water the garden last night, but not for the first time I am wondering whether I could be watering everything too much - i water it every other day in the summer as we have no rain and it's a hot south facing site with no shade. I often kill things with love rather than neglect!
Not sure I'd having constantly wet soil would matter / be relevant for the Honeysuckle and Rose situation though??
I was going to ask if the bits at the posts were open to the ground, so that's helpful. However, it's soil, or a soil based compost you need to fill them in, so that it has more heft to support the plants.
We did a similar thing at a previous house where we had a raised deck out from the house. The end where the deck met one house wall, was left open to create a bed about 3 or 4 feet by about 2 feet approx. I sectioned it all off below, and we waterproofed it and the house wall, and filled it [soil] so that we could plant there. It was about a metre in depth, but I had a Fatsia and a clematis in there. It was ideal for both of them, and I was able to train the clem out and around the back door on some trellis.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl I would say that when I stick my finger in the soil it feels damp but not sodden - it certainly doesn't feel over wet, but I am aware that I'm watering a lot.
@Fairygirl that sounds beautiful at your previous house.
I think what I've decided to do is buy an extra cheap parasol (I already have a spare base) and use that to dhade it for the summer. Then I'll move it in the Autumn. I don't have anywhere else for it to go at the moment it terms of support to climb up, I'll need to figure that out! If I wanted to try and remove some of the compost and refill with soil based Compost, what kind of thing would I go for? I only know multi purpose compost and top soil!
Also an unrelated question while I've got you... what is eating my other new rambling rose?!
You could just use topsoil though, but it's worth adding some compost as well and mixing it through it, just so it isn't solid when it gets wet. A bit of slow release food added as well is ideal. You could also use rotted manure which you can get in bags too. I use that for my sweet peas, and also for the dahlias since I've started growing them again. Both of those are very greedy types of plant, but the manure is also good at retaining moisture and they also need plenty of that.
The other alternative, if you don't have a few shovelfuls of soil you can take from your garden, is to get some molehill soil if you have any moles nearby. I've been doing that this year as the nearby park has loads on the outer edges. I've had a few funny looks when I'm shovelling it into bags, but the soil is great for adding to containers for plants that need more oomph, instead of buying more products.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ahh that is good news @GardenerSuze - it's something I haven't seen before and reminded me of the pictures from the Hungry Catterpillar book! Lovely to hear it's a bee
Good idea on the misting - will start doing that this evening. We're promised rain tomorrow, but it never materialises!