Yes I should take some pictures. I keep forgetting photos! My garden always looks better in the early part of the year, from late March through to early June. I have a flowering Oleander bush (huge) a Hydrangea, Fuchsias, and masses of Primroses. MASSES of Primroses, and they look splendid until the real summer heat comes. There is also a Dwarf Rhododendron which has beautiful lilac-mauve flowers every April. Far too many Montbretia -but their flame-coloured flowers are lovely from July to early September
But my garden is very overshadowed by big trees -a bit beyond me to prune or attend to. So it's like a tiny woodland glade. Nice -but it means some things refuse to grow. However in high summer when the sun is higher in the sky, good light comes into the centre part. Nasturtiums and Marigolds do well, but almost every other flower I have tried to plant gets eaten by something. In the past I spent money buying plants to see them eaten away the next morning....
So I gave that up!
I actually have 2 gardens -one on each side of the house. The other side was a complete wilderness for years. Wild things (hardy native species) grew there just fine....but that meant Hogweed, Nettle, Bramble. Although Nettles are good food/good medicine/ and have lovely flowers, I decided to clear it this year, built a bird bath for water, and laid a woodland lawn. The lawn has not done well. It is too shady there. I cut the meandering 'hedge' (saplings by now!) all down one side for about 60 yards, and hedge-laid it all along. I found Laburnum, Privet, Lilac, Ash, Hawthorn and Hazel in there so hopefully it will make a good varied hedge when it re-establishes itself. But that lets little more in the way of light in, as just across my lane there is a huge unruly 'hedge' belonging to the Orchard property, which I cannot cut. Never mind. I like it, it has a sense of secret wildness in there.
But my garden is very overshadowed by big trees -a bit beyond me to prune or attend to. So it's like a tiny woodland glade. Nice -but it means some things refuse to grow. However in high summer when the sun is higher in the sky, good light comes into the centre part. Nasturtiums and Marigolds do well, but almost every other flower I have tried to plant gets eaten by something. In the past I spent money buying plants to see them eaten away the next morning....
So I gave that up!
I actually have 2 gardens -one on each side of the house. The other side was a complete wilderness for years. Wild things (hardy native species) grew there just fine....but that meant Hogweed, Nettle, Bramble. Although Nettles are good food/good medicine/ and have lovely flowers, I decided to clear it this year, built a bird bath for water, and laid a woodland lawn. The lawn has not done well. It is too shady there. I cut the meandering 'hedge' (saplings by now!) all down one side for about 60 yards, and hedge-laid it all along. I found Laburnum, Privet, Lilac, Ash, Hawthorn and Hazel in there so hopefully it will make a good varied hedge when it re-establishes itself. But that lets little more in the way of light in, as just across my lane there is a huge unruly 'hedge' belonging to the Orchard property, which I cannot cut. Never mind. I like it, it has a sense of secret wildness in there.
