For some time now I have been ruminating about the front garden, looking with a jaundiced eye at the scrap of lawn left after the first changes I made here a couple of years ago. I have also been giving the forsythia scornful looks, and the laburnum tree has been living on borrowed time.
Well, over the last few weeks I have taken steps.
First to come out was the forsythia thicket. Some love its jaunty yellow, a harbinger of spring. I think it’s nasty and have always hated it. It was quite fast work to remove the bulk of the material, slightly longer to remove the stumps, but clear it I did. It is now performing much more useful duty, shredded on my compost heap.
The laburnum tree was next, it was a fairly ugly tree and bang on the boundary with next door. That came out in short order but required the services of a tree surgeon to achieve. I have it in mind to replace with a nice tree. Liquidambar, perhaps.
All that cleared the way for a new fence which I did all by my lonesome. In a minor DIY miracle, it is fairly straight and almost exactly level.
One reason I was so annoyed by the forsythia is that it was riddled with bindweed, next to impossible to clear from among the roots. Fence finished with then, there was a period of much effing and jeffing as I dug out bucket after bucket of bindweed roots from the surrounding area. It is strangely satisfying, I must say, but ultimately futile – I know I won’t have got it all.
The final preparatory step was to remove the lawn, or what remains of it. I have bagged up the lifted turf in the expectation that it will break down into some nice loam.
Some time back I sketched out a very rough idea of what I am aiming for in terms of the finished layout. The planting plan is a memory jogger rather than a hard and fast plan.
I have put in the path using bits and bobs of paving I had kicking about. This will facilitate access to what will in effect be a fairly large border. I should be able to see, admire and reach everything from the path, or no more than one carefully placed step from the path.
Finally, the fun part, the planting out. I was reminded as I went that the soil in this front garden is largely unimproved and is extremely sandy and stony. It was not easy planting, certainly when compared to the back garden which has the same basic soil but has been improved over the last few years with a good amount of organic matter. This last weekend I put about 20 plants in.
abelia grandiflora (moved from a too-shady spot in the back garden)
aquilegia ‘nora barlow’ x2
poppy (unknown) x5
geranium ‘salome’ x2
geranium ‘orion’ x1
geranium ‘beth chatto’ x2
geranium ‘bevans variety’ x2
penstemon ‘patio wine’ x1
fuchsia x1
salvia ‘hot lips’ x1
salvia ‘heatwave glitter’ x1
gladiolus ‘mon amore’ x1
aster ‘bahamas’ x1
I also moved a few things around. I am aiming to have some gradation in the height in each of the planting areas. I have more plants in reserve that I can use on the fenceline – roses, clematis and abutilon. I also have some penstemon, gaura, hosta, anemone, helenium and some more salvia waiting to go out. Plus I will soon have plants of garden ready size from this year’s seed sowing, a mix of perennials and annuals. Many of those are earmarked for the back garden but a good few can go in the front. I have a lot of planting still to do then, but I think I can get quite a show out of this garden this year.
You can follow the development of this new patch in the monthly Border Patrol series.
I’ll be back soon with more garden gadding.
A brill job. Great fence, look forward to updates.
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That fence looks the business…and now it has rained, your plants will be ready to fill out. You are a few steps ahead of me….front turf will be removed in the next couple of weeks. Planting plant looks good….looking forward to seeing it in a few weeks time.
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I already know I won’t regret it. You won’t either.
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What a fantastic job – just reminds us that sometimes it’s best to be drastic and make a big change rather than tiddlying around the edges of something we don’t really like. Look forward to seeing how those plants thrive Jon.
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Yep, no room in our loves (or gardens) for plants we dont at least like.
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What a great job. How is your back feeling now!?
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Ha, ok now, bit stiff for a day or two. The work was spread over a few weeks so not too onerous.
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Oh and I hope there’s no bind weed root in the turf or you’ll be propagating it everywhere.
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Shouldn’t be, no, it was far enough away. Good point though, I’ll sieve it when I use it eventually.
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Yes do be careful bind weed is vile almost as much as ground elder
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I think that forsythia is rude in a garden and rather too high vis. Hooray it’s gone!
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Brash, even. All brass and no class!
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Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and then it’s like redecorating. Looking forward to seeing its progress.
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Thanks Linda. Still a work in progress but hopeful.
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Exciting to have all that room for plants. I did the same several years ago as have been very pleased. It needs a bit of a re-jig now though.
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Thanks, yes the back lawn gets a short reprieve!
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Looking good! At least you will have more spaces to plant all those seedlings and cuttings!
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You have seen through my cunning plan!
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Looking good. A total transformation.
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Ta, on its way. Yes.
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Fingers crossed that the bindweed won’t come back! Good work. It’s nice to get some plants in the ground. I’m still clearing my drive bank, but like you have lots of plants ready to go in!
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It will definitely come back. 100%. It’s impossible to get all of it. Hopefully less of it next year…
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Looks good and like it was a lot of work. You will be happy you did it when it is all done.
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It’ll never be all done! But yes, I think this summer should be pretty good.
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I love that you’re putting in gaura. It’s such a substantial but delicate plant and fills in gaps with subtlety. I think you’ve done a fab job in a short space of time. Can’t wait to see everything grow out.
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Thanks, the gaura are cuttings from last year. Sadly the parent plant did not make it through the winter.
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Coincidentally, I replanted my front garden about a month ago. I went for a prairie look and mulched it all with woodchips from a friendly local tree surgeon. Look forward to seeing how yours develops
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That sounds like it should be fairly low maintenance. I should have considered that as I spend much less time on the front garden. Never mind, I needed the space for the plant backlog…
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