Is anyone else waiting impatiently for things to just die?

[Scarlet]

Its worn me out just reading how much you've done...it looks stunning Kristen, really special. I think I've got a long way to get my borders anywhere near those! Feeling mighty jealous.

[Bigmallly]

Its worn me out just reading how much you've done...it looks stunning Kristen, really special. I think I've got a long way to get my borders anywhere near those! Feeling mighty jealous.

I bet you wish you hadn't asked for pics now..............

[Noosner]

What a beautiful, amazing, splendiforous garden, Kristen. Red and shades thereof obviously your favourite colour...

[gardening_gal]

Can only agree with everyone else Kristen, your garden is very beautiful. It must be a lovely place to spend time in (even if you have to work whilst you're there! ).

[Scarlet]

I bet you wish you hadn't asked for pics now..............

Yes (insert embarrassed smilie...forgotten it) I think the boys toys help though, I've decided on a mini digger (for a week) for my Christmas list ......not sure I'll get one cos my OH won't let me lose with a chain saw but if it came with a man too I'd be even happier!

[Kristen]

Thanks all

Its worn me out just reading how much you've done

Hey, its a hobby, eh? I work from home, no commute time, I am in the garden from the moment I finish work - early if I choose to / when the garden needs me to. I don't play / pay for Golf et al ...

Obsession I hear you say?

It must be a lovely place to spend time in

That has been more of a surprise to me than I had expected.

We're lucky to have plenty of space, but had intended to leave all the bit-down-the-end rough grass with a few trees. Low maintenance ....

There was a tired tennis court, right in the middle of nowhere within the plot, which I wanted to take out. Couldn't persuade my two that learning tennis would be handy in adolescence ... so looking on T'internet for suitable topiary for a tennis-court sized area I stumbled over East Ruston Old Vicarage, which is near me but at the time I had never heard of. This is the photo I saw:



Anyways, we trogged off for an outing and were amazed. Bought as a weekend-place 30 years ago, the owners started making a garden and it is now 32 acres. Absolutely stunning and my favouritest garden of all the ones I have seen, anywhere in the world.

Chatting to the owner he said that his original thought was to be able to walk his dogs each day within his own garden; no doubt his garden has turned into an obsession too.

So on the way back in the car Mrs K and I are chatting and decided we were being a bit light-weight! and so here we are now!

But you are right, there is huge joy, and as I said not in a way I had envisaged, walking round each day and seeing something come into flower / change / whatever. I always walk round with secateurs and its is easy to get carried away - bit of weeding or trimming and before I know it an hour has passed!

The view of the "garden" when we moved in:



and similar shot taken in 2012:

[gardening_gal]

I've just looked/am still looking at your blog. I can't even begin to imagine getting my head around gardening on that scale. I'd be so overwhelmed by it all I wouldn't know where to start.

To say you've done very well seems such an understatement. I truly envy you your surroundings, I'm sure my wellbeing would increase tenfold simply by being amongst the beauty and peaceful charm you have developed.

When I win the lottery can I hire you to sort out the garden on my house I'll be building?

[Kristen]

When I win the lottery can I hire you to sort out the garden on my house I'll be building?

Done although I think I would be pants trying to work to someone else's brief ... perhaps best just to use me as a sounding board?

My garden has grown like topsy, so it isn't as difficult to plan as it might seem. We've radically changed the layout as our thinking has evolved and as we have lived with the changing seasons. Of course it helps if you don't then decide to move a major path, or rip up a planting that has now got 5 or 10 years maturity, so we have had to compromise in order to work around some features.

For example I'm still undecided what to do with the final "room" that needs developing / planting. We planted a hedge, partitioned into "rooms", a few years ago. It is flat around here, and exposed, so my approach is to plant hedge-first and then the plants have a hope of growing. That left the final room waiting for a plan.



Mrs K wanted to have a go at some topiary (the abstract sort, rather than uniform and obvious shapes), so that remained the plan for a while ... Box plants were propagated and growing on slowly ... Then this Spring we visited Compton Acres, in Dorset (well worth a visit) and that has a lovely Japanese garden - a large lake, surrounded by Rhododendrons and Azaleas (which I can't grow, as we are alkaline here) which were fit-to-bust in flower. The planting around the lake, and winding path, was banked up so it was all enclosed and tranquil

[Kristen]

Anyways, at one end were some steep slopes up to an Obelisk



- with a lovely elevated view back down to the lake and banked Rhodies. Looked smashing.





But whilst I was stood up there it became obvious that all the banking was artificial - indeed, peering just over the edge, through the bushes, I could see the tops or roofs of adjacent buildings.

When we got home I looked at it on Google Earth, made some rough measurements and ... discovered it was much smaller than it appeared when we were stood there and would in effect fit in my Spare Room

As it happens we have a significant amount of left over broken up concrete from a hideous pond we removed years ago, and lots of clay that came out of footings for an extension, both of which I was too mean to pay to have carted away! so I'm now thinking to build a reinforced bank around the area, excavate a pond, and spread the topsoil over the banks and plant it up.

I also found a rootstock for Rhododendrons which will grow on alkaline soil ... just need to hire the JCB and take a week off work!