New Project

Last month we bounced the trampoline, it has gone to a good and loving home, where three little girls will give it the love that it deserves.

I had been mounding soil around the trampoline, soil taken from clearing sods when making beds in the garden. With the trampoline moved it looks like a ring fort, but they are so old-fashioned, too BC, and a fake one would be too, well, fake.

So, I revised the plan, and started remodelling the mound, smoothing the inclines and raising adjacent areas with even more soil that I had stored from previous garden developments such as the creation of the Patio Garden that started it all.

The central part is 5 metres in diameter, and the plant is to have a dome or similar greenhouse construction in place, something modern, a place to sit in and grow less hardy plants.

I have been acquiring plants over the last few months in preparation for planting, and most have been planted, but more will be needed.

I am using a weed control membrane, the entire area will be covered in stone chippings. I looked for an affordable alternative to woven plastic membrane, one from a plastic alternative that would still last 5 years until ground cover plants had covered the surface, but none were to be found. 

In places around the inner circle I am using reclaimed brick from a friend’s garden to help retain stone chippings on more acute slopes, the intention is that they will look like remnants of an old wall. I am also breaking some of them up with a lump hammer to scatter around in the stone chippings.  I use the lump hammer to break their edges and corners too, to make them more distressed looking.

As for the plants: I have planted a number of  shrubs. Cornus ‘Summer Flair, Staphylea ‘Black Tower’, Cornus kousa ‘Flower Tower’ three different varieties of Arbutus unedo, a couple of Pseudopanax, Acacia pravissima, Catapla bignonioides ‘Nana’. These compliment some existing trees.

There are a number of Hedychium, restios, Yucca, Beschorneria yucciodes, Cannas, Phormium, Astelia, kniphofia and other exotics that are pushing the boundaries of hardiness, experiments that may fail.

The aim is to have a mix of strong structural plants, bright flowers and year round interest. A new area to plant is fun and exciting, and I enjoy taking a bit of a risk with the plant range to learn what can be grown, and to try new plants combinations and styles.