Very Quick Garden Update!

We won't ever win prizes for speed (life gets in the way too often!) but the garden is progressing, one baby-step at a time.

David has begun to dig out the raised lawn at the front of the house, which will eventually provide a pull in off the road for the car. As we've dug over the narrow border and dug out some of the earth, we have discovered some lovely smooth, weathered sandstone rocks, small boulders really, so I've put them to use as the beginnings of a mini rockery which will conveniently provide a demarcation zone between the raised level of the narrow side border and the lower ground level.

Ivy, Thrift and Campanula, to be joined by London Pride and grasses later.

 We've also levelled the 'path' somewhat, and dug out half-bricks, cobbles, coal and what must have been some of the original 80 year old builders rubble in the process. We've had to use some of the earth we've dug out at the front in an attempt to bring it up to something approaching level. A layer of weed-suppressant membrane has gone down to help prevent walking dirt into the house.

These concrete steps have so far failed to yield to all mere physical attempts to demolish them, but their end is nigh - David is determined to take a steel saw to them and lay in a gentle slope alongside that of our neighbours which will lead up to the front door.

The borders look pretty nondescript at the moment, but they will provide an area of permanent planting round the edge of the pull in, and some containers will add a splash of colour under the windows, while some little friends (yes, I realise that I will never be allowed to exhibit at Chelsea, ha ha!) make me smile and David shake his head in disbelief...!

 

 

Mini Me and Mini Him!

Meanwhile, in the back garden, the fence along the right-hand side is now complete, and we have an area to swallow up some of the earth from the front diggings to bring up the levels and reduce the slope towards the house.

It might not look like very much at the moment, but it represents a vast improvement from three years ago when this was an expanse of overgrown bushes, dying trees and neglected privet hedging. in fact, when we bought the house, we assumed that the garden was at least a third shorter than this because you could neither see nor get through the undergrowth to the back wall! 
Hopefully, it will improve further in time, and at least Bacchus/Dionysus has found his rightful place on the far wall, having travelled to this, his third home with me!