My garden has been a tame field with a bit of flat football grass for the past 23 years. I’m finally getting around to doing something with it so the garden is going to be developed in 5 distinct areas. Anticlockwise from the red tree these are:
- a totally wild bit above the driveway
- the bank above the house
- Jax’s garden
- a wildlife garden in front to the house (that bit is mapped out below)
- a forest garden between the house and the road.
The wild part is already completed, it was planted 20 years ago and allowed to go completely feral. It has a mix of hazel, ash, alder and birch fronted with a hawthorn ‘hedge’ which is just faced every winter to keep it out of the driveway. A couple of trees have died due to being crowded out and have been allowed to fall and rot in place to provide habitat and shelter for insects and animals.
The bank has never really been developed. It has a cherry tree and a berberis on it plus some dogwood near the garage and that’s pretty much is. Not sure what I’m going to do with this bit.
Jax’s garden belongs to Jax so will look however he wants it to.
The wildlife bit of the garden is dominated by a huge conker tree that is at least 120 years old, probably a good bit older! I’ve added 6 trees around the edge over the years – crab apple, plum, alder, ash and 2 hazels. I’m hoping to put in a winding path, some unmowed meadow areas and a wildlife pond.
The last part of the garden is going to be a Forest Garden. It has quite a few trees already along with some fungi and a huge fallen tree that has been slowly rotting for over 20 years and has been clambered on by many children and dogs. It has a well established trio of hazels with some birch that I am planning to extend the garden out from.
The whole project is probably going to take me around 5 years to do, bit at a time as time and finances allow.