09/05/2013

Evolution

If there's one thing that draws me into a gardening blog or website, it's photos that show how a garden has changed and evolved over time. I love to see large areas of gardens, the heights and layers people achieve with planting and the combinations of plants, and then how it all blends into the garden as a whole. Without the aid of a helicopter, photographing mine in one go is impossible, not that it's big of course, but there are obstacles in the way. So I content myself with snapshots of areas, trying to capture the scene from different angles so I can see the changes throughout the seasons and throughout the years. Sometimes, the difference in just a fortnight is startling, and looking back over the years, it's amazing just how much has changed in my garden, and how much back breaking, hard work has gone into it.

There is so much lush green growth at the moment. The spring bulbs have mostly gone now, and the perennials are bursting forth.



You can see Clematis Pixie along the back wall here, climbing up the Pyracantha. It's an evergreen, has the most beautiful flowers and amazing scent. It's a real star in the garden at the moment. It's grown quite quickly in the couple of years since I bought it, and my hope is it will spread out all along this half of the wall.



My borrowed view of Hawthorn from the nature reserve is in full bloom. Soon, my garden will look like a churchyard after a wedding, with hawthorn confetti. 


I'm fine with this though, as it looks incredible and is currently housing a magpie nest. I've been watching the pair fly back and forth over the last few weeks with twigs, patiently building their new house, and hopefully, the eggs may now have been laid.




My bamboo sits in my shady area, along with masses of ferns, hardy geraniums and other perennials that don't appear to mind being kept in the dark for a lot of the day.


It's turned into quite the monster, and every year it just gets bigger and bigger! I adore watching it sway in the wind, it's quite mesmerising. I'm not so fond of the mess the leaves make when they drop though. There's a little work still to do in this area, as builders trampled on and destroyed some plants last year. 



My coldframe, which was on my patio until two years ago, sits against the shed now. Always bursting with pots of this and that, so many in fact, that they end up spilling over onto the garden. My Lilac next to it is in bud now. I'll be growing a climber up it this year, as the trunk is now quite bare. Any recommendations for this shady little corner? Preferably something evergreen that doesn't need pruning and will cover the shed wall too. 




I can hardly believe myself that the whole of the back wall here was covered in Leylandii a few years ago, until I decided enough was enough and had them removed. It made such a difference, as they came right up to the first lamp you can see here on the fence. I had to dig out hundreds of bindweed roots, improve the soil with compost and manure and resist from planting anything for 6 months. Torture I tell you! But it's now starting to pack out nicely. More work to fill in the gaps will commence soon.




Yikes! Were they really that big and ugly!! Good riddance to them!


The space here, in front of the shed is also new, having been planted up just last year. It's coming along rather nicely.



Last year, it looked like this. We had a garage that was falling down taken away. More space to play with :-)


I've put a lot of plants in that mirror those on the right side for a bit of uniformity, but I can never resist going a bit mad with plants that are new to me. Watch this space!


I've tried many things here, behind the shed on the left of the garden, that runs along the fence. It's been a vegetable patch, a jungle of plants and a twee little planting space. None have looked right, so my new plan, that began to evolve last year, was to create a triangular bed to the right (with the obelisk in), add a path immediately to the left of it, then pack this border out with my favourite perennials. 




I made a start last week by adding some young plants, the path will be added later in the year and I'll no doubt be tweaking the area throughout the year.

I hope you've enjoyed the little tour of my garden at the start of May. I'll be adding 'overview' photos of my garden regularly, so that even subtle changes will be remembered. You can compare how it looked on the 11th April by visiting my post HERE. 

44 comments:

  1. You've packed so much in to your garden, and it's lovely how you have created individual areas. I love clematis Pixie, such an abundance of flowers.

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    1. Packed is the word Jo, and yet there always seems to be room for more!

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  2. A lovely climber for a shady spot is a climbing hydrangea - Hydrangea petiolaris - but I'm afraid it isn't evergreen and it take a little while to get going. The new spring growth is a lovely green and it then has white flowers.

    Loved the look around.

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    1. Hydrangeas are lovely climbers, Sue, but I'm really looking for something evergreen as the trunk and shed wall are so bare otherwise.

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  3. Enjoyed the garden tour Paula. What fabulous forms, foliage, flowers and a fine feline specimen too. Was thinking that a clematis armandii may look good in that spot but don't know which direction your shed faces and you would have to do some pruning :( Belated birthday greetings to you. Glad to read that you celebrated the occasion with a special outing :)

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    1. Aah yes, Misty strolling down the path, lol. I hadn't spotted her there, but bring the camera out and at least one of the cats appears! I think it may have to be another clematis there, I do love them, but just thought there may be something different I could plant.

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  4. I love seeing how your garden has evolved - a garden never stays the same two years running does it. You have certainly packed a lot into a small space which is now a bigger space since you got rid of those hateful leylandii. I had a hedge a few years ago (didn't everyone) but after we had it chopped down the garden looked so much better.

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    1. No, never the same two years running, Elaine. Especially given how I'm always chopping and changing my mind about plants ;-)

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  5. Paula, I love your garden and more your energy to re-plant in new space.
    Thank you for stopping by my blog!

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    1. I always seem to find extra energy where gardening is concerned, Nadezda. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts on your blog :-)

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  6. I like the way you have the stepping stones laid out in the garden with wood chip mulch around; it's very effective. You've done a great job.

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    1. Thanks, Kelli. The bark chippings are great for keeping the weeds out and the moisture in. Come summer, you can barely see them as the plants spread out.

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  7. How wonderful to see how your garden has grown, you have so much in there. I do like that lovely little path.

    I had about 20 60ft leylandi trees when I moved here, it took years to get rid of them, they were great for the birds but far to dangerous in strong winds. We only have one giant left now and everything nests in it.

    I'd keep an eye on the bamboo, ours spread everywhere and ended up growing through the path and lawn. In the end I had to dog it up and keep it in wheel barrows and pots. xxxx

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    1. 20 of them, phew, we had 9 and that was quite enough! Our neighbours at the far end of the street still have several enormous ones in their garden, so I still get to watch the wood pigeons making their nests in there.

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  8. I loved the tour of your garden; you've certainly created a beautiful one. And the Clematis Pixie is lovely.

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    1. Thanks, Wendy. I was never that much of a Clematis fan, but Pixie was the one that changed my mind.

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  9. A most enjoyable post and terrific pictures.
    I think that I've said before that if I had a garden this is how I would like it to look. Flighty xx

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    1. I take that as a great compliment, Flighty. So glad you like it :-)

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  10. Hi Paula...your garden is just wonderful!! I really like your stepping stone path. I also saw what I think is a tall mushroom...it looked really cute (I love decorations like that.) Looking forward to seeing it evolve through summer.

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    1. Thanks Christy. The ornament is indeed a giant mushroom. I spotted it last year and fell in love with it, so my other half bought it for my birthday. I'm hoping all the ferns and foxgloves will grow up around it soon.

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  11. Your garden is beautiful, you have worked so hard on it, well done. I am also enjoying reading your blog, I think another hot drink is in order so I can read some more (any excuse).

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    1. As long as it's a hot drink and not an alcoholic one ;-)

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  12. Thanks for the tour of your garden, lovely to see it all like this, with nice long shots, it is so much easier to understand the layout. Love your stepping stones, I have a few but you have really gone to town with them!

    I agree with getting rid of the leylandii, and so much space you got to grow something new :-)
    As for something nice in a shady spot, if you are OK with something growing up to 1.2 -1.3m tall, and not covering the whole shed, I would warmly recommend a Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna. It is evergreen and has the most incredibly scented flowers in the middle of winter. You can see photos of mine on my blog here: http://graphicality-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/february-flowers.html You can prune it to keep it in shape and when mature you can dig up suckers and get new plants for free. (It is not invasive, stays nicely in place.) A lovely plant, there are several other types, I have confusa too, a bit smaller bush, with glossy leaves.

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion, Helene. It is a beautiful looking plant, but I don't think it will twine around the trunk of my lilac and up the shed the way I would want it too as it appears to be more of a bushy shrub.

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  13. I really enjoyed walking round your garden and seeing how much you have done. How sensible to get rid of the Leylandii, they can spread so far into the border, never mind the height! There are quite a few roses and clematis that will be quite happy in the shade of your shed, I have a Clematis alpins White Moth over a shady archway into the woodland and it seems quite happy.

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    1. Now why didn't I think of a rose, Pauline?! A rambling one would probably work well.

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  14. I loved seeing the broader view of your garden. That clematis is just stunning! How fun to have a new space to play with, too! I look forward to seeing its evolution!

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    1. I think I'll be adding another of those Clematis to my list, it really is a beauty isn't it.

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  15. Reading some of the comments - you could combine a leafy evergreen with a flowering plant - then your rose would fit in as long as it was a shade lover alternatively a shade loving clematis.

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    1. That's my thinking as well Sue, to combine two climbers, one to twine up the lilac and another to go up and over the shed. Hopefully they will meet up at some point.

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  16. Your garden is so lush with plants and filled with interesting details, certainly a space to be studied and absorbed! I also appreciate the broad views. I can tell a lot of loving work and soul has gone into it.

    Also, thanks for visiting and commenting on my own blog! I will surely visit yours again!

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    1. Thank you for returning the visit. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your garden :-)

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  17. There is something about curving paths that make me want to wander down them... just lovely! It is amazing how quickly things change and plants grow. I love the mushrooms too!!

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    1. I think there are a lot of mushroom fans out there :-)

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  18. Your garden is lovely, Paula, thank you for the tour. Also, thank you for coming to my blog, I am glad to have met you.

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    1. Thank you for returning the visit, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your garden :-)

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  19. I love your garden! Your curvy path and full growth makes it seem so removed from the rest of the buildings, as if you have your own little world back there. But that's the whole point, isn't it? :o)

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    1. Oh yes, I certainly get lost out there, for hours and hours!

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  20. I'm so excited to see your garden, Paula! Especially love the Carex which is an accent of the path. Clematis Pixie is gorgeous in bloom!! Thank you for your sweet comment on my blog. If you wouldn't visit my blog, I couldn't have found your blog.

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    1. Thank you so much for returning the visit, Keity. I'm really looking forward to reading more of your lovely blog.

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  21. Your garden really is starting to fill out now Paula, and it's looking lovely. What a difference a bit of warm weather makes!

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    1. Yes, a bit of heat has really helped, it just needs to come back again and finish it's job!

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  22. Paula thank you for stopping by my blog : )
    I am in love with that clematis Pixie ! .. Your garden transitions have been amazing .. one day I will have to scan my before and after pictures from 13 years ago .. when we moved into this house all there was , was two dead trees and dead looking grass back and front .. a Bleeding Heart plant though .. so some one wanted to try ? haha
    I am a sucker for new breeds of plants too .. so I understand how hard it is to hold back from planting .. I have gone a wee bit over board this year with mail order .. I swear no more like this again ?LOL .. until the hard cold Canadian winter drives me insane !!
    Enjoyed this post very much !
    Joy

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    1. So glad to have found your blog, Joy. We could be twins, as the winter drives me into a frenzy of mail order buying too. Oh, what am I saying, I'm just as bad in spring, summer and autumn ;-).

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