Garden Update

Three years in our home and it was about time to get things really moving with the garden. We started this project in 2019 and had every intention to finish it then but it turned out to be a long drawn out with our gardener showing up unannounced every few weeks and putting in 30 minutes here and 15 minutes there. You may recall that we had grand plans (see previous post) – however, we decided to scale back and break it down to two phases for various reasons. Our plans remain simple – to create a low maintenance, all season, modern family garden. With the lockdown restrictions and the makeover long overdue, I finally had enough! The fence eventually collapsed, the lawn was patchy and the garden was a complete eyesore. Here’s what it looked like – brace yourselves!

I know, I know! I can’t believe this was our view for almost a year! I was determined to get things moving over the summer. With the  fantastic weather we had, I really wanted to have a garden we could enjoy particularly because we were spending so much time at home.

Phase 1 was simple. Here’s what we did

• Replaced the fencing and painted it black.
• Got rid of all shrubs, trees and flowers around the borders and repaired the patches on the lawn.
• Planted some new trees and plants (flamingo salix, lilacs, ilex crenata, agapanthus, roses and jasmine).

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I didn’t take photos in the summer while the agapanthus were in full bloom. However here’s what the garden’s currently looking like.

I think you would agree that it is looking remarkably better now that we’ve tackled these jobs. We are so pleased with it – I can’t tell you how much joy it has brought us – we often find ourselves just hanging out in the garden enjoying the fragrance from the roses and jasmine, watching the bees and simply enjoying our modest garden. We still have work to do that will involve installing trellis, extending the patio to create a larger seating area, creating a slabbed path to the garage and possibly installing artificial grass (I know it is controversial….). As much as I would like to have a fully renovated garden by summer 2021, I think we may have to turn our attention to renovating our ensuite which desperately needs updating and is the worst part of our home.