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re designing a newly cleared area
Turtledancer
Posts: 9
The area is extensive, and was overgrown. Was over run with scrub and ivy. Needs stability as is steep and clay based. Soil not that good. Ferns grow well, as does ground elder. Major mental block on what to do. Would love to create a terraced, interesting area.
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Are you in the UK?
That bank looks like a project and a half. I would be very inclined(?) to let it return to nature but if you are adamant that it needs to be a thing of beauty, it would help if we knew if it is in sun or shade, dry or moist etc. Do the wooden logs we see in the pic, are they a path of some description?
I hope you have A: lots of money, or B: lots of energy or C: both.
Could be stunning,but it's a big job.
Stunning is what we are aiming at, even if it takes a while. We did have the idea of creating a water fall???
A tumbling stream will be easier. You could make a stream that zig zags and a path that zag zigs? Plant big bushy shrubs (depends how sunny it is as to what sort they may be) to the outer edges to make a sheltered space between and put small interesting plants between the stream and the path so as you look down (which you have to do when walking on a steepish path) you see unexpected spots of colour and interest.
Last edited: 26 June 2017 20:46:55
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
A tumbling stream coming down there would be lovely. The bank, in the first pic, looks really quite steep. I think you may need the help of a structural engineer to get information on how to terrace it. I'm not sure us gardeners have the experience to deal with such a steep slope especially as it has run-off from adjacent fields and so could 'move'. It may be a worthwhile investment for the future. . .
The ground has plenty of root matter, which should help to keep it stable. There is already embedded timbers interspaced up the bank, so as long as we don't disturb it too much, we should be OK. We may end up putting a retaining wall along the bottom. Not sure yet.
Thanks