Evening all

Not posted here for ages as I lost all enthusiasm for gardening due to
having to sell the house (and obviously the attached garden).

Now in the new house and today was the first real chance to get outside
(boxes not yet unpacked but you know how it is...)

Garden is about 120' long overall and 60' wide (with a two bedroom bungalow
squatting at the top end). On a slope with most of the garden at the back
of the house facing west down the slope across the valley. To the south - a
row of sycamores (pesky things - I will have to discuss making them smaller
and possibly having less of them when I get to know the neighbours). To the
North fairly open across next door's garden. To the East at the front of
the house an open plan bit which does get the sun for a large part of the
day. This front bit also has the sunny garage wall - I have plans for this.

Soil seems well-drained - apparently we're on greensand. Definitely not
clay, lovely to dig. Not tested the pH yet.

Previous owners were keen on fish and there is a large fibreglass fishpond
(sunk into the ground) - about 20' by 12' by 4' deep with a proper wooden
bridge across the middle. It's fed by a little stream leading down from the
filter system and in turn feeds a second pond lower down via a waterfall.
There's also an extensive wooden deck at the rear of the house, above the
garden.

Lots of little paths - gravel and stone connect the garden at all levels and
split it into little flower beds.

There are almost no plants worth keeping - this suits me as I have brought
about 100 pots with me from the old place! Among the highlights (!) are
three massive clumps of pampas grass (yuk), half a dozen assorted spirea
(not pruned for years), half a dozen assorted boring shrubs (i.e. don't
appear to have flowered and have no autumn colour) and a massive laurel
hedge.

Also unfortunately quite a lot of bindweed.

Today I've dug up loads of bindweed, planted hellebores and primroses and
put in the spring bulbs.

So finally a few questions if I may.

The pond has koi in it as well as goldfish. I do not want to fiddle around
with filters and UV lights. I do want to put plants in my pond. Am I
better off getting rid of the koi to a good home? (people have said to me
"koi don't like plants in their pond". Excuse me - it's not THEIR pond it's
MINE)

Now that it's really too late to put weedkiller on the bindweed, is my best
bet to dig up the plants that seem to be infested with it and then plant
nothing more serious than bulbs in the ground and wait for spring to dose
the emerging bindweed with weedkiller?

Anyone got any experience of making leafmould with sycamore leaves? I was
going to put them all in black bags and stack them for next year. Don't say
mow them first - since there's no grass in the garden I have no mower!

Thanks for listening if you managed to get this far

Heather

Gardening (again) in Wiltshire


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