Before and after Garden Pictures

Thank you @Victoria. Yes, the lawn is on the top level. I love your overgrown look too .

 

It's a fair old transformation @Plantminded . You must be very, very pleased with it all.
My garden is about the same age as yours, as we moved here in early 2013. There wasn't really anything - part of the garden [at the back] was fenced off, and it was all largely large slabs, gravel, and then just grass on the outside and round to the front. There was a red Berberis and a couple of other things, and I've kept a few of those for the boundaries. I'll sort some pix out - maybe later on today as it's to be pretty wet here.
This is the pergola though


I'll look back and find some of the pix that showed how it all looked before I ripped everything out [the cotonester was a hellish job!] but that whole fence was raised beds, of varying sizes, with a variety of planting. The bit of fence you can see is the original one, but I had to re concrete some of the posts, and then had difficulty getting into the ground for pergola posts. I couldn't make it as wide as I'd have liked because of the ground.
The planters have nasturtiums in them for the summer - T. Milkmaid, and they've grown quite a bit since I took that pic. The fence continues to the right for about another 10 - 12 feet. Part of that is a new fence I did the first year we were here, to grow clematis on, as the neighbour's garage formed part of the boundary. The other new bit is further left, out of the pic. The left hand bed is a new one, with plants replaced from other sites. The clem [macropetala Lemon Dream] is the one that was already roughly in that site along, with the Philadelphus. That spent about 6 weeks sitting in a builders' bag, but is absolutely fine. I had to dig out 3 large concrete blocks and two pieces of kerbstone edging to get the new bed in place though.
My rubbish back did not appreciate that!

 

Thank you @fairygirl. I think I've just about got there now! Your pergola and fencing are very smart . Good to see that your Phormium has recovered too .

 

@fairygirl I am impressed indeed with your pergola. Well done. Funny isn't it, I thought you lived in an old place with wild country garden

 

I bought this house in SW France in January 2021. There was a large area of rough grass and some trees.



End of May this year.



I started with the beds either side of the Veg garden gate.



May last year, can't find the better more recent photo.



I'll post more later as I have to cook dinner!

 

Orchard fence bed.





Making the shrub bed



Shrub bed now



Patio bed



Now

 

I wonder why you though that @Victoria ! My last house was semi rural, but this one is on the edge of a small town. I used to live round the corner from here many years ago. We do have the NT garden near by, and farmland etc, but it's certainly not what I'd call rural in any way. Perhaps some of my photos when out walking have suggested it though
I still have a fair bit to sort out, but the bulk of it is done. What you can't tell from the photo is how wonky the original fence is. The left side is worst - it slopes back towards the neighbouring property, and certainly isn't vertical in any direction! I've re concreted posts on the bit you can't see [to the left] and I also put a new bit of fence in front of it that should last a good while. It was getting very dodgy in rough weather, which we get quite a lot of round here. I was struggling to find a photo of the 'before' but I'll have another look, as today isn't going to be great for outdoor stuff. I might load the original photos when I first built everything 12 years ago which might be easier.
Thanks @Plantminded . The phormium is still not brilliant, but it should get a bit better - fingers crossed! I even sat on the bench for a while yesterday [ sun wasn't too hot for me ] pricking out a few plants, potting on and watching the birds going daft in the pond. Very entertaining - and noisy.
You've done such a lot there @Busy-Lizzie. Your garden style wouldn't work easily here- too cold, wet and windy, but I like seeing your photos.

 

I'm glad you like the photos @Fairy though I think we like different things. I like pastel colours, pale blue and pink, which you don't, but I like bright colours too. I don't like grasses, though I do like @Plantminded's garden which has a lot of them.

There are so many articles about making small gardens, in magazines and on TV, but rarely do they feature large gardens on a small budget. I can't afford much in the way of hard landscaping and I have a lot of ground to cover so I use plants, shrubs and roses. I rarely buy them from garden centres, I use nurseries, buy at open gardens and I look for offers online. I used to grow a lot from seeds and cuttings but that is harder now as 2nd OH lives in England so we to and 'fro between France and the UK.

 

Yes - we definitely like different plants @Busy-Lizzie - I also don't like roses which you love!
It's always about suiting the plot and climate though. When I look at the photos people have posted of what's looking good just now, or in May, our gardens are still much further behind, despite the mild winter and the hot, dry spring. Some things are miles ahed of what they would normall be though.
Grass is always a great way of avoiding hard landscaping - especially if it's drier. It does have the problem then of turning brown, but it can be easier if you're working on beds/borders etc, or just for sitting. At the worst, you can always get someone to cut it too.
Or get some sheep....

 

The Donkey Paddock Fence bed. There were clematis group 3 on special offer at the small garden centre in my local town so I bought them and planted them while I had the chance. The donkey, who belonged to the previous owner had been re-homed at last. I looked after him for 9 months.



Now



The Jewel Bed. I wanted a bed with some bright colours. They aren't all out yet in the Now photo as there are later summer flowers there, such as rudbeckias and dahlias.

 

@fairygirl the grass has loads of weeds in it which help to keep it green, the daisies are pretty when in flower and the bees like the clover. It's coarse grass, not like the soft green grass of England.

The soil is thick clay and the middle of the lawn gets very wet as I think there is a water course underground on its way to the little river.

 

@Busy-Lizzy I couldn't handle a large garden as yours. In fact, when we bought this one I specified no land, just in the orchards. I knew it would be me tending to it as T'other Half has never had any interests in our gardens (yards as he calls them) in the US, England nor here. He says its a British thing. In 57 years of marriage, nothing will change. I love both your gardens.

 

Your garden is lovely, Victoria, just right for where you live. Mine is probably too English for SW France, but then I am English! So is my other half and he likes looking at gardens and he's happy to deadhead and mow.

 

@fairygirl I don't know where I got the idea. I have in my head a small pond! By the way I love your Avatar. I had a book on fairies, and a large coffee table Wind in the Wilows and Winnie the Pooh.

 

I have a few little fairies around the garden which my daughter bought, but they get a bit covered up. The username just came out of nowhere, as I have no real interest in fairies! I looked around on lots of sites for the pic, and settled on that one. Winnie the Pooh was always a favourite when I was young, and I often played Poohsticks with my girls when they were young. When I'm out on hills, and there's a burn to cross, I have to admit....I still do it
Have you heard about the girls who created a whole story around seeing fairies in their garden? I'm sure you'd be able to find it. I think it may have been in the Victorian era [there's irony for you!] and they did a brilliant job of fooling people. Cameras were in their infancy so they really were incredible.