Show us your garden

[Halcyon]

Lets see your garden....
Whether it is a pile of rubble or a landscaped masterpiece with waterfall and pond..... or a few plant pots.



Please share it here.

Hopefully we can help get ideas, discuss plants or what makes the perfect garden lawn, etc.


I recently moved house to a pile of gravel and brambles.

Decided to put in a lawn and two apple trees that will hopefully grow year by year. Nothing extroadinary but I like it.




How about you...

[joglynne]

Hi Halcyon, looking good.

When we bought our house 50+ years ago it was like Sleeping Beauty's castle, brambles 6ft tall and a hedge nearly twice as big. Unloved for many years it took an army of friends to clear a wide enough path for us to be able to get our furniture to the front door.

Here's a couple of photos of parts of our gardens now.

The first is of my slice of heaven. It's where I have spent a lot of time over the last couple of years. So peaceful and hidden away from the world. It gets the sun from sunrise to sundown. Thankfully being in Manchester we get a fair bit of liquid sunshine which helps to keep it watered seeing as all of the plants are either in pots or in brick planters.

The second photo is the front section of our side garden, lots of shrubs to give us some privacy and some shade The tree is a Nana Catalpa biggest leaves going and branches that snap off in high winds but we love it.

[Jimmy-J]

Mine is a wild garden, when I say wild, I mean bombsite wild... It's embarrassing.

[Carth]

Originally Posted by Jimmy-J

Mine is a wild garden, when I say wild, I mean bombsite wild... It's embarrassing.

no no no . . what you mean is, it's an area of natural beauty where plants and wildlife can thrive in a perfect eco friendly haven.

[joglynne]

Originally Posted by Jimmy-J

Mine is a wild garden, when I say wild, I mean bombsite wild... It's embarrassing.

Originally Posted by Carth

no no no . . what you mean is, it's an area of natural beauty where plants and wildlife can thrive in a perfect eco friendly haven.

WOW We have an eco warrior on the site. Good on you Jimmy-J Build on what you have, get a packet of wild flower seed mix and scatter it about with wild abandon. Next year you will have a fantastic show of native flowers and lots of visiting insects.

[Jimmy-J]

Originally Posted by Carth

no no no . . what you mean is, it's an area of natural beauty where plants and wildlife can thrive in a perfect eco friendly haven.

I got away with saying something like that for ages, but there comes a time when such words will no longer help. I dread to think what kind of life exists in the deepest parts of it, I was thinking of maybe contacting a wildlife team brave enough to have a look, but I can't give them any guarantees of getting out alive.

---------- Post added at 21:21 ---------- Previous post was at 21:16 ----------

Originally Posted by joglynne

WOW We have an eco warrior on the site. Good on you Jimmy-J Build on what you have, get a packet of wild flower seed mix and scatter it about with wild abandon. Next year you will have a fantastic show of native flowers and lots of visiting insects.

I wish, but what I really want is to dig everything up and concrete over the bloody lot of it.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by joglynne

Here's a couple of photos of parts of our gardens now.

Loving the red geraniums. And I like how the shrubs are at the front.

I see so many gardens these days being slabbed over. It's good to see a planted or lawn garden and ofcourse the wildlife enjoy it too.

---------- Post added at 14:35 ---------- Previous post was at 14:33 ----------

Originally Posted by Jimmy-J

Mine is a wild garden, when I say wild, I mean bombsite wild... It's embarrassing.

That would be awersome for playing hide and seek in then.


Have you got any plans for it?

[Jimmy-J]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

---------- Post added at 14:35 ---------- Previous post was at 14:33 ----------
Have you got any plans for it?

Not really. It used to be pretty tidy some years ago, but I lost all interest in it. It does attract some wildlife... squirrels' hedgehog's frogs, lots of different species of birds. I spend quite a bit of time sat at the kitchen window with a hot cup of tea watching what they get up to. I think the squirrels have moved into my old shed through the huge hole in the roof. I've only seen the one rat though and that was almost a year ago.

All being well, I might wait another month for most of the foliage to disappear so I can get in there with my machete. As for the front garden, my privets are alive with the sound of hundreds of sparrows! Talk about Halfred Hitchycock and the birds!!

[Tinky]

Old garden 7 years ago

[joglynne]

Originally Posted by Jimmy-J

Not really. It used to be pretty tidy some years ago, but I lost all interest in it. It does attract some wildlife... squirrels' hedgehog's frogs, lots of different species of birds. I spend quite a bit of time sat at the kitchen window with a hot cup of tea watching what they get up to. I think the squirrels have moved into my old shed through the huge hole in the roof. I've only seen the one rat though and that was almost a year ago.

All being well, I might wait another month for most of the foliage to disappear so I can get in there with my machete. As for the front garden, my privets are alive with the sound of hundreds of sparrows! Talk about Halfred Hitchycock and the birds!!

When we moved into our home we had a front hedge just like yours, so many sparrows!. We cut it right down and we planted a cherry tree which has been home lots of other species of bids ever since.

The range of visitors you get in your back garden is fantastic and I think you would miss them if all you ended up with was concrete Maybe a little selective sort out would be enough? Time it right and you could get rid of the less attractive elements and build up the areas that provide you with an interesting view whilst you are drinking you tea.

Originally Posted by Tinky

Old garden 7 years ago

Love the mixture of plants and veg. The runner beans? look like you had a good crop that year.

Off topic add/ love seeing your name crop up on the forum. Hope you are keeping well and still enjoying the odd Vimto. xx

[Halcyon]

Loving the garden Tinky. Looks great. It is lovely when you can grow your own vegetables and fruit.



I've put a lawn down as the kids run around and it was orignally just random slabs, gravel, and brambles. Took ages to clear and I think I probably did my back in moving slabs! But it looks nice now.



I've added two apple trees which are still young but hopefully make some nice fruit in a few years time.
Luckily the path behind us has a hedge with blackberry bushes so I was there collecting a few months back.


I'd love a water feature at some point.

[joglynne]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

snippet......

I'd love a water feature at some point.

We had a largish pond between the front and side gardens. Used to get lots of frogs and toads and we even had a newt ... goodness where he came from and he used to sunbathe on the rocks. Our son loved the pond and we never worried it would be dangerous.

Move forward to 7 years ago and we had a grandson who was more of a worry. The pond liner needed replacing so rather than all the hassle replacing it and fitting a custom made childproof cover we made the decision to punch a lot of holes in the liner for drainage then fill it in. A neighbour suggested that rather than do that we fill it in allowing the slow leak keep it from being completely waterlogged. We now have a bog garden. It's been a great addition, had a lot of frogs and toads over wintering and the slug population never over took my Hostas. Next year we are thinking of adding a Gunnera.

Sorry for the long screed.

[Tinky]

Originally Posted by joglynne

The first is of my slice of heaven.
.

Halcyon and Jo love both your gardens. Jo who would not want to spend time in your serine and peaceful sanctuary? I can also imagine how it would look with solar lighting and sitting there on a barmy summer night enjoying a glass or two of vimto with Mr T. x


A small corner of our new garden...

[spiderplant]

Spot the mouse

[joglynne]

Originally Posted by Tinky

Halcyon and Jo love both your gardens. Jo who would not want to spend time in your serine and peaceful sanctuary? I can also imagine how it would look with solar lighting and sitting there on a barmy summer night enjoying a glass or two of vimto with Mr T. x


A small corner of our new garden...

What a lovely welcoming display for visitors.

We have lots of solar lights around our small patio. They draw months to the area and sometimes we are treated to the sight of bats swooping down to enjoy their first feed of the evening.

Originally Posted by spiderplant

Spot the mouse

Not sure if It's where I think but is that the mouse at the foot of your bird table? If it is I claim my reward, as long as you keep your mouse friends to yourself.

Love the way your garden is terraced and would love your barrel water feature.