Developing a Garden in Bo'ness, Scotland

[Tim Ingram]

Two days isn't much of a trial David! Personally I find it interesting because of the people as much as the plants - something that has never happened on the AGS website despite my naive expectations that it might. Plants are interesting and people who really know about them are interesting - but I am biased. I agree with you though - seeing projects develop is much more real. The anarchy is more to do with a journalistic freedom of expression, hence my reference to Alistair Cooke.

[angie]

Angela and I understand that - our husbands say much the same about us!

How right you are Maggi

Graham I thought I worked hard last week , but not as hard as you. I got rid of all my veg and strawberry raised beds. Too much work and anyone that knows me knows that I can't cook so whats the point of growing these things  Not sure what I am going to do with the space now. Might leave it as it is and watch and pinch some of your ideas 

Angie 

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Angie I 'm sorry I missed your reply. You don't need to look for ideas from me - I aspire to have a garden like yours.

[Graham Catlow]

Next steps,
I took the corners off the patch of grass to take away the harsh rectangular look.
I then added compost to the bed. In spite of adverse comments in the 'Compost' thread I decided to use the local councils free compost. The amount I required was too expensive to buy so I took numerous trips to the councils depot and all it cost me was a lot of hard work and a few litres of petrol. It looked like reasonable compost so I just now have to hope it was.

I have buried 30m of leakey pipe to irrigate the area when it requires it. So much easier than standing with a hose. There are four channels spread across the bed.

[Graham Catlow]

Then the good part.
I had a lot of material to plant from the old garden but I also purchased some more exciting things.
I have for some time wanted Betula utilis jaquemontii so I purchased three for this bed. The idea is to try to create some light shade. These added to an Acer from my old garden and a trio of Phyllostachys nigra will go some way to doing this.
The bed also contains a selection of my Hostas, Ferns, Acers, Azaleas, and will be filled with other herbaceous perennials.

The title of the thread is 'developing' a garden and whilst the trees will form the backbone to this bed it isn't yet designed so is likely to change and develop over the next years. I needed somewhere to plant out the plants I brought with me. I think I have left the Azaleas a little too long as they don't look very healthy at the moment. I will need to see how well they recover in the Spring.

[angie]

Looking good Graham. I wish I would have buried some irrigation pipes as I hate watering my garden. Haven't had to do much of that this year. It's not the watering that bothers me it's the hose pipe, it either gets snagged or kinks . I really get annoyed with hose pipes.

Really going to enjoy seeing the garden grow.

Angie 

[Graham Catlow]

Have spent some time moving and tidying some troughs. I have added some plants from how they were in the old garden.
Thought this would be a respite from the hard graft of the borders but manoeuvering them was just as hard as digging.
These are all along the front of the house. The first set are in the shadiest part of the whole garden but even then it gets sun in the evenings.
The last two photos are also on the front of the house but in a brighter spot.

[astragalus]

So glad to see you have started positioning the troughs in the garden, though I can only imagine the amount of work involved.  The two that are catty-cornered together are wonderful, especially with the vertical rocks.

[Graham Catlow]

Thanks Anne. I'm pleased they are appealing to others and not just myself.

[Graham Catlow]

Back to the toil of renovating another border. In the back garden now.
The first photo is the view before work commenced.
The first task was to remove the large very old and poorly pruned cornus.
The job took several hours over a couple of days but the removal of the root stock was surprisingly easy. There were very few roots large enough to require the axe to cut through them.
There is a semi mature sycamore, that has been cut back many times by the previous owners, to remove next which may prove difficult and a lot of spiraea but that shouldn't be too troublesome.
The final photo is after the cornus has been removed

[johnw]

A marvelous job on the troughs Graham.  Is that Rhododendron grande or sinogrange in the last set of photos of the back garden?

john

[Graham Catlow]

Hi John, the Rhododendron is R. montroseanum as identified by you in 2014.

[johnw]

That monty has made the transition rather well!  Glad you didn't leave that one behind.

john

[Graham Catlow]

The large border in the back garden is now cleared. As predicted the sycamore was quite difficult to remove.
Discovered a raised area in the corner - which will be removed. The lower edging is formed by four large sandstone coping stones which I will remove from their current position and try to utilise them somewhere else in the garden.

[Graham Catlow]

Work continued in the front also.
When we moved in (5 months ago now) the hedge was above head height and I lowered it to open up the front. The intention was always to remove it and replace it with wrought iron fence.
We removed the fence from around the borders and utilised it on the wall.
The next task was to remove the hedge. I spent a whole day and managed to get half of it out, but spent the next couple of days regretting my efforts I'm not as young as I used to be.
The second half was removed today - by two men and neither of them was me . It did cost but I decided the cost was better than the pain I would have suffered. I am a little disappointed as I would have liked to do the whole thing myself but it just wasn't worth it.
The last photo shows just how deep the hedge was. The border is nearly 1.5m wide now.