Inspiration please - round bed
Good snowy afternoon
I wonder if anyone could come up with some creative ideas for anything we could do with a round bed in the middle of the lawn. It's about 2 metres across, raised about 2 brick height (though it's actually surrounded by dry stones). In previous years I've stuck a shrub in the middle with various odd things around but nothing seems to quite work - or even survive!. The main problem I think, is that it's in a part of the garden that's about 1000ft above sea level, very exposed to wind and sun from every direction, Pennines. And a long way from the water supply so it gets very dry in the summer. I've dug in some nice new soil taken from somewhere else, and a big bag of rotted cow manure, and - well, now what? We did think of just getting rid of it and seeding over, but it's potentially a nice little feature next to a footpath that goes through that part of the garden, and could look nice for ramblers. There are a few old bulbs, probably daffs, struggling through but that's all. Thanks very much Liz |
Inspiration please - round bed
On 12/3/06 18:12, in article , "EN"
wrote: Good snowy afternoon I wonder if anyone could come up with some creative ideas for anything we could do with a round bed in the middle of the lawn. It's about 2 metres across, raised about 2 brick height (though it's actually surrounded by dry stones). In previous years I've stuck a shrub in the middle with various odd things around but nothing seems to quite work - or even survive!. The main problem I think, is that it's in a part of the garden that's about 1000ft above sea level, very exposed to wind and sun from every direction, Pennines. And a long way from the water supply so it gets very dry in the summer. I've dug in some nice new soil taken from somewhere else, and a big bag of rotted cow manure, and - well, now what? We did think of just getting rid of it and seeding over, but it's potentially a nice little feature next to a footpath that goes through that part of the garden, and could look nice for ramblers. There are a few old bulbs, probably daffs, struggling through but that's all. If you made it into a pond, would it be very difficult to top up with a hosepipe? Failing that, how about a bench seat and a collection of interesting stones, to be topped up by everyone rambling past. Sort of a 'start your own cairn' thing? If you have money to spare, I'd install something by Joe Smith - I love his work which is one of those shown here, the slate urn: http://tinyurl.com/s4esu -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon ) |
Inspiration please - round bed
EN wrote:
Good snowy afternoon I wonder if anyone could come up with some creative ideas for anything we could do with a round bed in the middle of the lawn. It's about 2 metres across, raised about 2 brick height (though it's actually surrounded by dry stones). In previous years I've stuck a shrub in the middle with various odd things around but nothing seems to quite work - or even survive!. The main problem I think, is that it's in a part of the garden that's about 1000ft above sea level, very exposed to wind and sun from every direction, Pennines. And a long way from the water supply so it gets very dry in the summer. I've dug in some nice new soil taken from somewhere else, and a big bag of rotted cow manure, and - well, now what? We did think of just getting rid of it and seeding over, but it's potentially a nice little feature next to a footpath that goes through that part of the garden, and could look nice for ramblers. There are a few old bulbs, probably daffs, struggling through but that's all. Sounds as though you could usefully start with your boundaries rather than the bed in the middle. How about a good wind-break? Geoffrey Smith, in a similar situation, says he couldn't garden without his Leylandii hedge to create a micro-climate. I'm sure you could put together something more interesting and natural-looking than Mr Leyland's uinfortunate discovery: if this interests you, try Buckingham Nurseries' website, http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/guide-h-js.html Even in the short term, Buckingham's site suggests trees for particular situations, and has some ideas for a windy position. To my surprise, they mention Philadelphus as wind-resistant; but it would look a bit feeble on its own in the winter. If you don't insist on height, heaths and heathers will do in such a position. If you can make it look natural, a dirty great chunk of the local stone will flourish in the middle: they're generally free of pests and diseases, don't seem to mind an exposed site, and never need pruning. If the pocket is deep enough, a statue? -- Mike. |
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