After 4 years of largely messing about with the house renovation i'm hoping to finally improve on my back garden infrastructure and utility next year.
In no particular order...
Build delayed shed/office - currently on hold because of the unprecedented wet weather.
Build 4nr Raised beds for veg. Lay gravel grid surround for year round access.
Install pleached floating hedge along rear / side boundary (subject to outcome of planning next door).
Relaying of path from the house to the rear garden.
Decked area and pergola for entertaining area to be built.
Turn garden room into games/entertaining room (darts, sports, bar)
Garage floor to be painted and then racked out for workshop.
If I get any two of these done over the summer months then I'll be happy, although it will be tricky with a 1yr old and OH back at work...
Oh, and continue embellishment of planting which is an ongoing project largely guided by successes (and failures) from my cutting/division/seed nursery. Lots of exciting prospects here.
Quite understandable @Busy-Lizzie. I hope he's doing well now.
@McRazz - don't forget a playable area for the little 'un. They don't need much, mostly just time, and mine loved anything with water - buckets, paddling pool, sprinkler...........
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Quite understandable @Busy-Lizzie. I hope he's doing well now.
@McRazz - don't forget a playable area for the little 'un. They don't need much, mostly just time, and mine loved anything with water - buckets, paddling pool, sprinkler...........
I'll keep the lawn for another couple of years then
I've got some fun projects lined up for when she's a bit older;
-Wildlife pond, -Wendy house/rustic shack next to Dads shed -Build a Heligan'esqe giants head in the front garden.
Inspiring McR. I feel quiet tired just reading the list. Lol.
My front garden had its best year. The window-box-pond worked very well - with small pump. Better than I could have hoped. I saw frogs in it for the first time today. Happy Day! I will try red cannas in it again next summer. They seemed very happy. The back of the raised bed will be in shade/partial shade next year, through out, so I am going to try, for the first time front of house, milk parsley, erigeron annuus and thalictrum album. I find that all re-bloom if cut back after the first flush.
I have three mini ponds in and will look for a space to put in one more. Smallish metal dustbins (30-40cm deep) are easy to sink and great for pond plants.
I tried a mini-irrigation system for the first time this year, too, and it was a godsend - opening up a lot of possibilities. I always ponder some kind of irrigation for the back.
There are about 30 types of plants in the pic below. Lol. Far too many in 2x2m. I will edit when I see what makes it through the winter.
Inspiring McR. I feel quiet tired just reading the list. Lol.
My front garden had its best year. The window-box-pond worked very well - with small pump. Better than I could have hoped. I saw frogs in it for the first time today. Happy Day! I will try red cannas in it again next summer. They seemed very happy. The back of the raised bed will be in shade/partial shade next year, through out, so I am going to try, for the first time front of house, milk parsley, erigeron annuus and thalictrum album. I find that all re-bloom if cut back after the first flush.
I have three mini ponds in and will look for a space to put in one more. Smallish metal dustbins (30-40cm deep) are easy to sink and great for pond plants.
I tried a mini-irrigation system for the first time this year, too, and it was a godsend - opening up a lot of possibilities. I always ponder some kind of irrigation for the back.
There are about 30 types of plants in the pic below. Lol. Far too many in 2x2m. I will edit when I see what makes it through the winter.
I love the idea of three mini ponds (and possibly more!) - Why stop at one?!
One of my first projects was irrigating the greenhouse. Its a game changer during the summer months as it has freed up more of my time to concentrate on other matters. Its also much more efficient than hurling water about from a can or hose.
Yes, its a long list and i suspect two years worth of work there which will be greatly influenced by what surplus materials i can scavenge from our works yard...
Impressive list @McRazz with a lot of hard landscaping and DIY.
I'm hoping to have a path put it from the barn/garage to the house and more surfacing on the drive but a man with a mini digger will deal with it. I only do digging and planting nowadays.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Impressive list @McRazz with a lot of hard landscaping and DIY.
I'm hoping to have a path put it from the barn/garage to the house and more surfacing on the drive but a man with a mini digger will deal with it. I only do digging and planting nowadays.
Very wise.
Funnily enough it's the soft landscaping that needs a digger here - re-grading my lawn, installing land drainage and shaping in some nice borders. I reckon I can do much of the hard by hand.
I find it fascinating and highly useful to hear from forum members working in the garden/horticulture etc fields. There is so much high level expertise here, gathered from decades of working in the industry. It's invaluable to share this as a learning resource. Unique insights and lessons learned. Thanks to all those who generously share their learning.
Posts
After 4 years of largely messing about with the house renovation i'm hoping to finally improve on my back garden infrastructure and utility next year.
In no particular order...
Build delayed shed/office - currently on hold because of the unprecedented wet weather.
Build 4nr Raised beds for veg. Lay gravel grid surround for year round access.
Install pleached floating hedge along rear / side boundary (subject to outcome of planning next door).
Relaying of path from the house to the rear garden.
Decked area and pergola for entertaining area to be built.
Turn garden room into games/entertaining room (darts, sports, bar)
Garage floor to be painted and then racked out for workshop.
If I get any two of these done over the summer months then I'll be happy, although it will be tricky with a 1yr old and OH back at work...
Oh, and continue embellishment of planting which is an ongoing project largely guided by successes (and failures) from my cutting/division/seed nursery. Lots of exciting prospects here.
@McRazz - don't forget a playable area for the little 'un. They don't need much, mostly just time, and mine loved anything with water - buckets, paddling pool, sprinkler...........
I've got some fun projects lined up for when she's a bit older;
-Wildlife pond,
-Wendy house/rustic shack next to Dads shed
-Build a Heligan'esqe giants head in the front garden.
That's what I thought. Just got up, read @m@McRazz post, needed a lie down
One of my first projects was irrigating the greenhouse. Its a game changer during the summer months as it has freed up more of my time to concentrate on other matters. Its also much more efficient than hurling water about from a can or hose.
Yes, its a long list and i suspect two years worth of work there which will be greatly influenced by what surplus materials i can scavenge from our works yard...
I'm hoping to have a path put it from the barn/garage to the house and more surfacing on the drive but a man with a mini digger will deal with it. I only do digging and planting nowadays.
Funnily enough it's the soft landscaping that needs a digger here - re-grading my lawn, installing land drainage and shaping in some nice borders. I reckon I can do much of the hard by hand.