I can hardly believe it's the same patch of land shown in the first photo. It looks so natural, like it's been there for years. Love the ground cover planting coming down the slope and creeping onto the path, is it a saxifrage?
You should be very proud of yourself, don't know how you found the time as you always seem so busy.
(must be those extra hours in the day you have over there)
I am really pleased it is getting somewhere but I am so impatient, I wish the ground cover was further on, it seems to be very slow progress, but like you say when you see the 'before' picture it has changed dramatically.
I have an Open Day on Sunday and am very conscious it is not perfect and not where I want it to be, I hope the visitors realise it is all work in progress.
I think the ground cover coming down the slope is creeping thyme btw.
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
Don't mean to pry but I'd be interested to know what age group your are DD. And did you do it all yourself? A great transformation. I don't get impatient any more, the gardens always changing
Thanks again for all the compliments, it is by no means perfect but on the right track.
@, I am 52. I more or less did it all myself; the previous owners had planned to have a large pond there and then realised how expensive a pond liner for such an area would be and then used it as a dumping ground/bonfire area.
I spent 6 months filling it with garden rubbish to get it level and then finally found a man with some free (hurrah) hard core. Unfortunately he dumped more than I needed (way more) and from a hole in the ground I suddenly had a mountain to climb.
With some help from a friend and a certain amount of panic (just weeks before last year's Open Day) we tried to make the shape I had in my head. In all honesty my friend's help sort of messed up my plans because his idea of a natural curved/stepped slope was somewhat different to mine and on the day he came over to help I had to go out to a meeting, I arrived back to a fait accompli with the topsoil spread beautifully on on 'his' gentle slope (NOT).
Anyway, from there I have managed as best I can to get what I originally intended, there has been a certain amount of 'soil erosion' as the slope was always too steep but now the plants are starting to spread and cover the damage and hopefully in another 12 months all the 'tricky' bits will be well hidden.
The little path which until now had been a muddy track has at least made it look more like I intended. As you say " the gardens always changing". Ever onwards.
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
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What an amazing transformation Dordogne Damsel.
I can hardly believe it's the same patch of land shown in the first photo. It looks so natural, like it's been there for years. Love the ground cover planting coming down the slope and creeping onto the path, is it a saxifrage?
You should be very proud of yourself, don't know how you found the time as you always seem so busy.
Thank you Kitty,
I am really pleased it is getting somewhere but I am so impatient, I wish the ground cover was further on, it seems to be very slow progress, but like you say when you see the 'before' picture it has changed dramatically.
I have an Open Day on Sunday and am very conscious it is not perfect and not where I want it to be, I hope the visitors realise it is all work in progress.
I think the ground cover coming down the slope is creeping thyme btw.
What a good idea to use creeping thyme, bet it smells lovely when you tread on it walking through the pathway.
Good luck for your open day ?, I'm sure your visitors will love it.
It's lovely! Worth all the nagging, though I prefer to think of it as reminding....
Wow, that is stunning!
That looks fab DD- good luck with your Open Day!
Wonderful DD - looks so settled in already
Don't mean to pry but I'd be interested to know what age group your are DD. And did you do it all yourself? A great transformation. I don't get impatient any more, the gardens always changing
Thanks again for all the compliments, it is by no means perfect but on the right track.
@, I am 52. I more or less did it all myself; the previous owners had planned to have a large pond there and then realised how expensive a pond liner for such an area would be and then used it as a dumping ground/bonfire area.
I spent 6 months filling it with garden rubbish to get it level and then finally found a man with some free (hurrah) hard core. Unfortunately he dumped more than I needed (way more) and from a hole in the ground I suddenly had a mountain to climb.
With some help from a friend and a certain amount of panic (just weeks before last year's Open Day) we tried to make the shape I had in my head. In all honesty my friend's help sort of messed up my plans because his idea of a natural curved/stepped slope was somewhat different to mine and on the day he came over to help I had to go out to a meeting, I arrived back to a fait accompli with the topsoil spread beautifully on on 'his' gentle slope (NOT).
Anyway, from there I have managed as best I can to get what I originally intended, there has been a certain amount of 'soil erosion' as the slope was always too steep but now the plants are starting to spread and cover the damage and hopefully in another 12 months all the 'tricky' bits will be well hidden.
The little path which until now had been a muddy track has at least made it look more like I intended. As you say " the gardens always changing". Ever onwards.
Fantastic, maybe give us some more photos next year