Spring efforts in the garden

Spring is a time for doing things in the garden! This year is not an exception. And Easter in particular seems to be a fair time for it. So when I suddenly, after a very busy time, had some days off, one of the things I did was indeed hit the garden.

I had made the last attempt at finding a gardener. Or rather; a garden designer. But it seems that practically no one does planting design. The only suggestions you get if you put out a call for recommendations are for people who are willing to build raised beds, fences, paths, et cetera. That's not what I need! So I decided to try myself after all.

I didn't get very far over Easter! There were lots of other things going on as well. And I didn't really know where to start.

The place where I started, in the end, was just cutting the grass. It was really needed by now! And the next thing on the to-do list was my ceanothus. I had bought it years ago, and I should have pruned it every year to keep it within boundaries, but I have never done that. And it was getting way too big. And now I decided that I just had to cut it back rigorously. I suspected it would recover. And if it doesn't, I have just learned the hard way.

Difficult to get a good picture of the Coneathus

I also started to clear a lot of ivy from the raised bed closest to the river. Some of it is completely overgrown. But I had been tackling the trees in that corner, which opened up the space considerably, and now I thought I should do something with that space. Clearing ivy is hard work! I didn't get very far. But a start has been made.

Before

Not quite yet after

I also went to the garden centre. If I would create a new bed, I needed plants for it. And that raised bed has heather and conifers. So I bought a few more! I also bought some replacements for plants that had been growing in pots at the front of the house. Sometimes one dies. And I bought some ground covering plants for my rockery.

With the clocks having been changed to BST, I do expect sometimes be able to do a bit of after work gardening. I started a job, and now I need to continue with it! But I think that even though it would be untalented old me doing the planting, I will at least be able to make some good progress on the heather bed and the potted plants on the north side of the house. And that will feel good.