A saner man might
have run a mile or more. Not only by the size of the garden, but also the level
of neglect when I first met him. Maybe he liked a challenge? On his first visit
to Orchards, an ancient double butler sink leant against the dry sandstone
wall on the north side of the house, as if to hold back the sandstone that was
popping out at awkward angles. What Philip thought I never asked. The hard work
was obvious! Signs of neglect were all around. The top long border behind the
sandstone wall was full of grass. A solitary Mahonia flowered bravely at the edge of
the sandstone steps. Kolkwitzia
amabilis - the Beauty Bush - stood naked in the middle of the long
back border, slowly peeling last years' bark. Variegated Vinca smothered the wall. Saxifraga urbinum - London Pride - dripped in and
out of the undulating crevices of sandstone. The crazy-paved area at the top of
the steps was awash with weeds and grass.
This was the first
major project that Philip undertook.
Not content with rebuilding the wall, we set-to with digger and dumper and removed lorry loads of soil to make a rear paved area. The excavations were taken back as far as the Kolkwitzia (the pale twiggy shrub). The narrow central steps were removed and new wider curved steps were built.
The above photograph shows the first stage of the project. You can see the shallow level of topsoil above the yellow clay.
The Haphazard Gardener - www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781764131
I can understand the appeal of taking on a neglected garden. Unlike a brand new one there would be treasures to discover and possibly a few good mature plants to form a framework. Unlike a garden in good order there'd be no fear of making things worse and no reluctance to make changes and personalise the garden to your own tastes.
ReplyDeleteExactly so Patsy. But I must admit to a great deal of sentimentality too. Leaving an ailing tree because Mother had grown it from a seed. Or a straggly old misshapen hebe that had featured in photograph when I was about 9 years old. (I'll post that one another day!) However once I met Philip the garden was rescued from neglect, redesigned, redeveloped and replanted at a steady pace.
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