A PAST GARDEN

Way back at the beginning of the 80s, I moved into a house with a relatively large garden area but it was like a bombsite with fallen trees, broken panes of glass, and even a buried bathroom suite!  It took me two long years to turn it into anything like a garden and it would have taken it much longer for the trees to mature. 

I thought I would share some of my photos...

The garden was on a bit of a slope, with two levels, and it changed all the time.  Initially, I had a big lawn that ran from top to bottom, surrounded by borders.  This bench was very lovely, teak, but then it also lacked something. 

So, I dug a hole and put in a fish pond which I had to protect against herons with net...

 I've always loved roses, and still grow them...

But my real passion is for trees.  For this garden, I sought out relatively small trees such as silver birch (betula pendula); acer griseum (paperbark maple); prunus serrula;  and several Japanese maples. 

Silver birch, lilac, & pieris forestii (front)

I cannot recall how many varieties of herbaceous plants I grew.  The top of the garden was sunny and dry and the bottom of the garden was shady and damp - so I was blessed with being able to grow a great variety.

But I don't think any garden is good without height and so, as well as trees, I had a pergola over which grew a wisteria and a climbing rose (Paul's Scarlet) and I suspended hanging baskets filled with fuchsias, etc. 

And always, always, there has to be fragrance...

Roses, lavender, and sweet peas. 

I hope you like my garden of the past.  I certainly do miss it sometimes.