Discovering the Garden

 Oddly enough when we came to look at the house, I didn't really notice the garden. That might sound an odd thing to say considering that we had been living in a townhouse with a 'garden' of some 17 feet by 25. 

We arrived to view the house on a cold and wet day in early March. Peering through the front hedge, I looked to see if the estate agent had arrived.(He hadn't) The rain grew grew heavier so the garden was viewed from inside the house. I remember being more concerned about the closeness of the houses behind us than what was actually growing.

Side access led to the front garden which was long and wedge shaped. Bordered on one side by a strip of woodland and over hung with native woodland trees. In fact the entire plot, if you were to draw it is like an isosceles triangle. The garage is plonked in the middle of the front garden, facing the house and leaving an area behind which is totally unseen from the house. A truly 'secret' garden. 

Fast forward two months to allow for the house sale to proceed and we moved in on a hot and sunny May day. The intervening months of sunshine had accelerated the growth of ....everything !!
This was a probate sale and there was no one to keep the garden in check so nature began to reclaim the garden.

When we first moved in there was a myriad of things to be done. Most tasks in the garden involved cutting back so that we could gain access to the gate/shed/garage. Pulling out over enthusiastic creepers from gutters, clearing blocked drains and cutting back so that windows could be opened.

They say that you should live with a garden for a year before doing anything, so you can see what nature reveals.

Having waited so long for a 'proper' garden, I was far too impatient to wait another moment, much less a year !  I hurried off to the garden centre and bought tomato and runner bean plants, keen to start on my 'veggie' patch. 

Photos from March 2020, pre house purchase, pre builders and before the tree surgeons arrived.

That fir tree was taller than the house and completely hid the garage !

One of our early tasks during our first summer was to clear some of the unwanted trees from the front garden. A number of conifers were dominating the light and creating too much dry shade. Our priority was the conifer right outside the house which was at roof height. It effectively blocked all the sunlight from what would become my mum's bedroom. It had to go.

I dislike removing healthy trees but when I examined the trunk, the tree looked to be far older than the house (which is less than 20 years old) so that made me feel better. As did the fact that the tree surgeons 'chipped' all the tree debris which was going to be used in mulches. Watching tree surgeons at work is quite fascinating. It's a skilled job, pruning, felling and safely removing large plant material.

And of course, once the land is cleared you can then start on the fun part of creating something new.