at last my own garden ......Steel edging, new lawn and planting commences

As a garden designer it's tough making decisions about how to lay out my own garden, all week I'm creating gardens for others but to knuckle down and make decisions for my 1/2 acre plot which has been neglected for 6 years whilst getting the house fully refurbished as well as working 6 days a week has been difficult.

I have trialled many plants in the garden over the last 6 years and have decided to choose a majority of drought tolerant plants for my sandy soil but have improved the soil for the borders with a very generous layer of mushroom compost and Alpaca poo straight from the field behind us, which has improved the retention of water, thus reducing the watering during the summer months. We have now set out to landscape the 3 gardens with a phased approach. Garden 1, phase 1 a large triangle with some established Birch, Laurel and a Pine tree, mostly sunny aspect with shady border to boundary.

A little help from a digger and driver, a load of help and hard work from my husband, some 30 x 3 metre tall Laurels imported from France to screen the far boundary have been planted. My favourite metal fabricators T & S have made some very sturdy edging to the lawns. This phase has been relatively easy, no real hard landscaping apart from the edge to drive which has been cut to a new shape and a grey sandstone block laid. Mike installed the edging beautifully and the topsoil was smoothed to perfection.

Digger starts clearance, leveling and moving the large Laurels into place

Hard work has started and most weekends given up to get our garden looking great!

Structural cubes of Buxus with Clamagrostis Grasses, create the skeletal framework of the border

Soil leveled ready for turfing

Lawn laid, now need to complete planting and add sculptural pots that will be placed in the inlets

planting includes Verbena, Anthemis EC Buxton, Achillea, Rudbeckia, Salvia argentea,
Aster Munch, Diascia 'Daydream', Eremerus 'Cleopatra', Salvia Caradonna, Gaura lindmeiri

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greencube garden and landscape design, UK

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