lockdown gardening

It is absolutely ages since I last posted and I have no excuses. I haven't stopped gardening, or breathing either, for that matter. I've published two more Historical Fiction novels and made a few historical gowns in that time as well as ordinary life things. There have been some changes in the garden too.

The area near the greenhouse is now a very well established with soothing English country garden style planting. We added a central bed a few years ago and that is now chock full of plants that will need thining next spring. We also made a raised pond with planting area either side that adds another dimension to the space and added a pergola to the shed so that, having run out of ground, we can grow vertical climbers.

                             

I've also begun to experiment with jungle planting. I keep them in pots mainly. Our patio is shaded all morning and baking sun in the afternoon and into the evening, and I was at a loss to find anything that would thrive there. I began with a few things last year and have added to them now. So far I have a few palm, some bananas (babies yet) and exotic looking things that aren't strictly speaking jungle. I have discovered a love of succulents which do really well as underplanting and thrive on the quantity of feed required for jungle plants.

                                                     

The most exciting new addition is still a work in progress. I saw photographs of my sister's rose walk and immediately began to think where I could have one myself. I grow a lot of roses but the shadier side of the garden has far fewer. I began to envisage it festooned with glorious blooms, roses, clematis, underplanted with hardy geraniums, aquilega - it looks fantastic in my head but whether or not we will pull it off is another matter.

                                         

I persauded my OH to build the structure. I didn't want anything fancy for it will be covered with roses in summer. It is just a row of linked timber arches which will have rope at waist height (quite low when you are only 5ft tall) that I can train short climbers and clematis along. We are still waiting for the rope and (ahem) the new roses to be delivered. In the mean time, we have removed the turf and dug out the area to be planted, improved the soil with organic matter and horse manure. We are very sandy here on the Welsh coast and have to use skip loads of manure and mulch heavily every spring. We also have to water a lot, and often.
                                             

There is an existing rambler in that corner. I am not sure which one but it could be Kiftsgate or Kew Rambler (something like that).  It had grown huge so I have thinned it out and will train it  to gently follow the arbour in that corner. I have The Generous Gardener, Tottering Gently By and Rambling Rosie on order from David Austin and a recent visit to Penrallt Garden centre resulted in the addition of Madam Alfred Carrier, Banksiae Lutea and a red climber called Jive that I haven't grown before. There are also several clematis on their way from Taylor's Clematis mail order website. I highly recommend Taylor's plants - a long wait for them but they are so healthy and well grown, as you'd expect from Chelsea Gold medal winners. Clearly, I have over-ordered and we will have to consider carefully what plants will go where. I am sure I can find space for them all somewhere in the garden. You can NEVER have too many roses or clematis.


When the rose walk is complete I will blog again and show you the pictures.