The trouble with inheriting a garden designer’s plot is their love of shrubs. Or I should say her love of shrubs! They just don’t work for me! Uniformity in my book is not to be desired. Mother Nature isn’t into manicured, snipped, trimmed and tortured.
We have been here ten months and up until now my small but beautifully formed garden has been very definitely in the driving seat. I’ve walked the plot, peered, pondered, scratched my head looked a lot more and until fairly recently haven’t had a clue as to the way forward. We have more balls in the garden than is seen on a stag night in Magaluf. We have box, yew and standard holly balls. Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with an artistically placed ball or
two. How many do you want or come to that need? As a consequence out go the yew balls which in my no-nothing gardening knowledge I thought grew really slowly... not these ‘little’ jobbies they have doubled in size in the time we’ve been here. I’ll say it quietly... they are for the snip in order to make way for a small greenhouse. I might allow the next two box balls to flank the greenhouse door although they might be in the way?
No worries the next two in line will step up or failing that the two after... you get my drift? As I wait for the green house to arrive I sit and plan my wildlife friendly garden. The steps up into my tiny patch of bug, bird, mammal and amphibian idyll I plan to make hedgehog friendly by putting artistically placed logs for their little legs. That way they can be my first-line slug attack. A small pond will be worked in for the frogs. This time next year our ears will be assaulted by not only the sound of the weir burbling but by the call of amorous frogs.
two. How many do you want or come to that need? As a consequence out go the yew balls which in my no-nothing gardening knowledge I thought grew really slowly... not these ‘little’ jobbies they have doubled in size in the time we’ve been here. I’ll say it quietly... they are for the snip in order to make way for a small greenhouse. I might allow the next two box balls to flank the greenhouse door although they might be in the way?
No worries the next two in line will step up or failing that the two after... you get my drift? As I wait for the green house to arrive I sit and plan my wildlife friendly garden. The steps up into my tiny patch of bug, bird, mammal and amphibian idyll I plan to make hedgehog friendly by putting artistically placed logs for their little legs. That way they can be my first-line slug attack. A small pond will be worked in for the frogs. This time next year our ears will be assaulted by not only the sound of the weir burbling but by the call of amorous frogs.
Hedgehog friendly and the call of amorous frogs sounds like my kind of garden.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both Terra, beats a Chelsea show shrubby garden every time. One of the first things I said to my lovely neighbour by way of introduction was as I watched him spraying something... ‘Don’t to go spraying that in our direction!’ I have a way with words! Strange to say we get on fine, he obviously got the mark of me straight off.
DeleteLX
Oh Good, you're back!! I'm not sure why email is less satisfying. Dont get me wrong, I love emailing too but I feel with blogs you want to comment as soon as you've read it and not have to open up the email account then mess about trying to get the email address etc etc. Yes, I know thats just me because others may be able to click on your email link, but if I do that it opens my email in a different format (don't ask) and I find it harder to use!! (I suspect its an old lady thing :D ) Anyway, I was going to say yesterday WOOHOO on Ellie being on hubbys knee. She's settling down and becoming the dog you knew she could be. I'm really chuffed for you.
ReplyDeleteAs for the balls, who needs more than two anyway ;D I like a wild garden although not full of wild flowers. There's a house near us which has only wild flowers in the front garden and while they are in bloom its wonderful but then it looks dreadful till they cut it back which isn't till well into autumn. I like ordered chaos and have achieved it in my own garden! I wanted to get rid of my wee pond when it got pond weed from a new plant I bought. Nothing in the world seems to get rid of it and I get fed up fishing it out, however, I have 5 frogs in it and every spring they produce frog spawn and every year I get little tadpoles and I never seem to get little froglets thereafter! I suppose something else in the food chain must eat them but I don't know who it is! Anyway, I wanted rid of it but my conscience won't let me take away the 5 frogs home. I feel really bad for them so every year it stays and I say 'next year!!' It will probably be there forever. Actually come to think of it I should probably check if it overflowed in all the ridiculous amount of rain we've recently had. Apparently we've now to have some snow! I need a nap, wake me when its spring please. Aren't you glad I'm back and taking up half your page lol. xx
You are the reason I have reinstated comments MG, I did miss the comments, so onwards and upwards. Although even for you this is a whopper!
DeleteHave you got fish in your pond? That will be why the froglets are not getting to maturity. In our pond I used to see the blackbirds fishing, the grass surrounding the pond was alive with baby frogs, I miss that! Although here the garden is sadly too small for a lawn. Yes the wildflower meadow look is fleeting I agree. My aim is nectar rich flowers and a riot of colour, rather than a tightly controlled ‘you will do as I say!’ garden. I’ll save that for the dog...oh and the man!?!
LX
This is exciting! Look, two are embracing your sidewalk. Aren't they in for a surprise.
ReplyDeleteAah, maybe that is why there are so many of the blooming things, they are quietly reproducing and having baby balls... I never knew?
DeleteLX
I think that your garden looks very interesting.....lots of lovely plants!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Marksgran said about the email link....(that luckily I don't need to use if I email you)...it just comes up with a box that says " choose a mail account provider" and then a list of google yahoo etc to click on. From previous experience it then wants you to start up a new email address!! Not very useful.
I would love to have hedgehogs in the garden, but if Alexi finds one he goes nuts, growling and snuffling at it!
Sorry about the email thing, well the comments are back and that is where they’ll stay. We had a hedgehog in the Wrenery obviously eating the spilt bird seed. Ellie just drew my attention to it, nothing more. She pays zilch notice of the birds in and out feeding, I am very lucky she is so chilled about her fellow animals, even humans she is tolerating so much better, as a consequence... all good here.
DeleteLX
Clipping balls must be very boring. Go for the wild look it works well, though frogs mating habits can end in death, ask any poor female frog.
ReplyDeleteYup, a chore, added to which some are looking ropey with this box blight thingy. Mother Nature might be doing the job for me, natural wastage sort of thing. The frog love-in was anything but, talk about rape and pillage and the NOISE!
DeleteLX
Many gardeners don't seem to have read the label that tells them how big or tall things grow!
ReplyDeleteGood to be back communicating!
Tell me about it. In our small garden we have a HUMUNGOUS silver birch. A tall willowy thing of about 40’. In the storms I sat in my armchair and looked up through the glass roof to see it being buffeted in the strong gale force wind. Not for the faint hearted!
DeleteGood to have you back.
LX