A small change to the garden

[Chrisg]

I haven't been around much lately as the work on the house has started and it is all a bit hectic. The builders have decided to help out with the garden re-design. They must have overheard me saying I would like to introduce some height into the front garden


frontgarden-remodel-01

And obviously i needed a rock garden in the back for the succulents


backgarden-01-2feb

Apparently they will be clearing the mess at some point next week (I am guessing so they can mess it all up again). On the plus side, they have spotted my desire to have unusual planters and when they took down the chimney they saved the top part for me.


chimney-01


chimney-02

I will have to decide to to plant it up with, I like the holes in the sides

[charlie]

You seem to have got lucky - builders with soul, so many would have smashed the old pot, replacing the Lichens and aging a newer one would take years.

Anyway I am just pleased to see someone else up to their armpits in crap :lol:

[LONGK]

I've just planted the chimney up for you - Lotus berthelotii through the holes with Salvia discolor in the top.

[Chrisg]

I've just planted the chimney up for you - Lotus berthelotii through the holes with Salvia discolor in the top.

I am sure that would look great, but there is one major flaw in your planting. I am sure you can guess where I am heading with this :lol: :lol:

I was thinking variegated agave parryi in the holes and a nice compact agave parryi in the top. Actually, I am undecided as I like the top and feel in some respects it would be a shame to hide it by turning it over and drilling drainage hole through it.

Charlie, amazing the builders have been great so far, no only are they ahead of schedule, but despite doing all the noisy work all the neighbours love them. It will be interesting to see if that continues once they get onto the inside work as this tends to be where they vanish leaving everything half finished.

[LONGK]

I am sure that would look great, but there is one major flaw in your planting. I am sure you can guess where I am heading with this :lol: :lol:

I was thinking variegated agave parryi in the holes and a nice compact agave parryi in the top. Actually, I am undecided as I like the top and feel in some respects it would be a shame to hide it by turning it over and drilling drainage hole through it.

I was just trying to turn you to the dark side of non-spikey!
The biggest flaw in my plan is the lack of hardiness.............

The top is a tricky one though. Maybe lean it against the front of the chimney, fill the space behind with t'other halfs stockings filled with moss and grit and plant up with Sempervivums?

[Chrisg]

I know have a whole roof worth of 1930s concrete roof tiles. apart from all the neighbours coming around to claim the best ones as spares for their houses, I am thinking of using them to form a bank for my succulents. I can break them up and form a good well draining bank instead of having to buy stuff in. And can then just plant into them with a top layer.

Apart from causing the next person who lives in the house a nightmare if they don't want an agave bank :twisted: is there any reason not to use them? I take it tiles back then were not coated with anything nasty, or it will have washed away by now given their age.

Just thought I would check before I pay the my nephew to stack them neatly at the back of the garden instead of just chucking them in a skip.

[charlie]

Not 100% sure, but I have not noticed any I'll effects near concrete and most of my new walls contain a lot of it and some of the plants are sensitive to lime.
I suppose it is possible that the previous owner may have been using moss killer on the roof but it seems unlikely and it washes away pretty quickly anyway

[Chrisg]

Not 100% sure, but I have not noticed any I'll effects near concrete and most of my new walls contain a lot of it and some of the plants are sensitive to lime.
I suppose it is possible that the previous owner may have been using moss killer on the roof but it seems unlikely and it washes away pretty quickly anyway

No need to worry about them using moss killer Charlie, I have been trying to get the builder to bring down the best moss covered tiles to use else where. I'll have to check for any of the succulents that don't like lime, but no plants will be planted directly into the tiles, they are purely used to ensure a good drainage base layer.

[Chrisg]

It is getting very close to the time when I actually get the garden back, they have pretty much cleared the front

Then the back is getting there

This is the time when I start asking really stupid questions. The whole reason I got into growing succulents as that they don't require care, in fact for many the less care you give them the better. Sadly the whole garden can not be succulents and I am going to have to add some other plants and this is where it all goes hideously wrong.

This where you lot come in, in helping me with gardening 101 :lol: No doubt I will ask lots of simple questions over the next few months.

There is a bit of garden 3m wide by 8 meters long along the side of house that I am either going to use as a Mediterranean garden or a shade garden (The idea of me creating a shade garden, who would have thought it :lol: ). This photo was taken at around 7pm, so you can see it will get direct sun in the morning, with the wall being south facing and the fence facing north.

First up the soil, I have been led to believe is quite important. I am guessing I will have two problems perfectly highlighted in the second photo. The soil has been HEAVILY compacted, it will also no doubt be full of various builders rubble. So if you were starting from this, what would you do to the soil.

[JonK]

It will be worth it in the end and a few months of living on a bomb site will soon be forgotten. Nice extension on the back! have you gone for an open plan kitchen/living room?
My soil is heavily compacted. One easy answer, JCB. If your builder is using one to clear the crap, get him to maybe turn over the soil (top 2ft) in the areas you know are going to be planted.

My builder finishes tomorrow and the last of the crap goes :lol: so you've not been alone. Lots of gardening to do now including hard landscaping.