My Garden Progress

Hello @ARMANDII

That looks eerily familiar

Kevin

 

Hello all

I hope you are well.

I thought I would add some Photos of the Garden showing its progress since it was planted last September:













To be honest, there seems to be more growth than I expected for the relatively short time they have been in.

I must be doing something right

I just have to do some weeding, unfortunately, I have not been up to it at the moment so I have just been pulling the larger weeds for now.

Thanks for looking.

Kevin

 

Very nice @Kevin Cowans ! It is amazing how fast things will grow when treated properly

 

Wow, @Kevin Cowans , that is impressive. Your water feature is especially good, is it mains or solar powered? Do you have to refill often?

The plants look very healthy and I really like the different shapes and habits you have combined together. The hard paving and edging look very good, something I do need to look into in my shabby garden. It just sets the borders off so well.

It'll be great to follow your garden maturing year after year. Thanks for posting

 

Hello

Thanks for the replies.

@Selleri , I really like the Water Feature too, it is solid Basalt, 900mm tall and weighs 75Kg, it took two of us to move it into position

The Water Feature is actually mains powered, you can see the grey box in the corner, on the wall, which houses a 4 way mains extension which is then connected to an outside mains socket at the side of the house, the Water Feature also has a Blue LED that illuminates the water from 16:00 to 21:00.

The Reservoir holds approximately 150L and I usually only need to top it up once during the year, however, I do drain it down in early Spring to clean the Reservoir and then refill it so maintenance is not too bad, at the moment.

Admittedly, I have only drained it once so far as I have only had the Water Feature since 2018, however, I am going to be buying a Solids Handling Pump to help with emptying the Reservoir as the way I have been doing it thus far takes too long.

The Paving and the Edging are both Kandla Grey Indian Sandstone, the Paving being Sawn and Honed.

I am looking at getting it Sealed, probably next year now, to protect it, especially since the birds seem to like messing on it, especially the Wood Pidgeon's

Thanks for the comments on the planting, however, I did have help from a Garden Designer, I have been wondering whether I should move the planting forward so that it is closer to the edging since, to me, it looks as if there is too much empty space between the planting and the edging.

The Patio and Edging was laid in March this year, after the planting, done in September last year, ideally I guess it should of been planted after the Patio and Edging was laid.

I will continue to update this Thread as things progress.

Thanks

Kevin

 

@Kevin Cowans your garden looks wonderful - and the hard landscaping looks immaculate! I wouldn't bother about moving the plants - if they're growing that well, they'll soon start getting closer to the edges! You could always put some small annuals (and bulbs) or violas, primroses near the edges to fill in - and remove them as the others grow

 

Hello @CarolineL

Thanks for the reply and the kind words.

I will take your advice and leave the plants where they are, hopefully they will fill out sufficiently to get to the edging.

This is my first true garden and so I am eager to see it fill out

Also, I have got the first flowers on a few of the Clematis, Montana Mayleen, Rouge Cardinal and Daniel Deronda, which is a nice surprise.

It also turns out that one Clematis that I thought was the Nelly Moser is in fact a Daniel Deronda, I must have mixed up the labels.

Thanks

Kevin

 

Hello all

I hope you are well.

I have finally begun installing the Drip Irrigation Drippers which I was planning to do earlier this year.

I put it off as I thought it would be easier to punch the holes in the 13mm Supply Hose in the warmer weather as the hose would be softer, yeah, not so much.

Because the hose is softer due to the warmer weather, when using the Hole Punch Tool the Hose just compresses making punching the holes nigh on impossible

I have managed to punch the holes in the Hose around the Water Feature, albeit later in the day once the Sun had moved around enough to leave the area in shade and have installed 8lph PC Drippers for those plants since they like more moisture than the other plants in the garden.

I am running the Water Timer at 05:00 for 15 Minutes so the 4lph Drippers supply 1 Litre and the 8lph Drippers provide 2 Litres directly to the roots.

At the moment I am running the Drip Irrigation every day but that may change, I will see how the plants react.

I have just got to wait now until the weather cools enough to allow me to be able to punch the holes in the rest of the Supply Hose successfully.

By the time I get the installation finished it is going to be the end of the Season, typical.

Talking of Seasons, a beginners question, how is the Growing Season defined?

I have tried looking it up but there seems to be contradictory information around.

Thanks

Kevin

 

I fink the growing season varies depending on your own area.
For me in the south west I'd be surprised if much happens after mid September..
All the apples removed, leaves turning yellow, nights in single figures. The hedges showing no new growth after their last trim.
But years can vary can't they.. with an "Indian" summer we can get a couple of extra weeks..

 

Hello @Jymi riddler

Thanks for the reply.

I am in Doncaster, the reason I ask about the Growing Season is that I am trying to work out when I should start watering the Garden and when I should stop.

I assume that it is a given that I would start in March when things start sprouting but it is when I should stop watering which is the unknown variable, at least to me, at the moment.

All fun

Thanks

Kevin

 

I see Kev,
Well with watering it certainly won't be an exact science with our UK weather!
In Doncaster I'd dare to guess that you could safely turn off the tap during or early September.

 

Hello @Jymi riddler

Thanks for the reply.

As you say, not an exact Science in the UK.

However, you have given me a Ball Park of September which is very helpful, I shall look at reducing watering then with the aim of shutting it off completely in Late September, hopefully that will work.

Thanks

Kevin

 

Hello all

I hope you are well.

Moan incoming

I have finally found a Landscaper willing to correct some issues with the Patio which the original installers said they would correct but they never got back to me.

I was going to have the same people in to do the Driveway (Resin Bound) but seeing their attention to detail with the Patio that is never going to happen

It has not been easy to find a Landscaper willing to put right the work of another

Basically, the issues relate to the left and right edges of the Patio.

When the Patio was originally laid in March I was told by the Owner that they would use a piece of wood and a string line to ensure that, on the Back left side, the result would be a smooth curve, something they obviously did not do as the 'Curve' straightens in the middle, which, for me, stands out like a sore thumb

On the Front Left Side the 'Mirrored Curve' is anything but, it is more like two curves put together.

So, the Pavers that make up the Curve on the Left Side, Front and Back, are being replaced and the Curve is going to be Re-Cut.

On the Right Side, where the 'Curve' is cut there are Circular Saw Marks on the face of the Pavers, so, again, the Pavers that make up the Curve are being replaced and the Curve Re-Cut.

The small offcut in front the the Shed is being removed, maybe if it was cut from the Long Edge I would keep it but it was cut from the Short Edge and just looks 'Wrong'.

In the gap left I plan on planting some low growing plants, I just do not know what, yet.

And finally, in the Back Garden, the line of Setts between the Paving and the Lawn near the House are being removed, they should never of been laid, and the gap filled with Turf.

That is it for the Back Garden, I think that is enough

In the Front Garden I am having the Lawn Edged using the same Kandla Grey Indian Sandstone Setts as the Back so they match.

I just have to wait for a Date for the work now

It will be nice to get everything sorted so I can finally move on to other things in the Garden without worrying (everyone needs a Hobby) about the Patio.

Once the Patio is sorted the next job will be to finally get it Sealed so it is protected.

Sorry for the moan

Thanks

Kevin

 

And there i was thinking how nice your paving looked in the original pics Kevin.
Mind you I'm accessing the view from a 5" phone and a 3" picture lol.