As I'm without a camera instead I'm posting some pictures from my archives starting with the development of my favourite part of the garden, the scree garden.
When we first moved here 17 years ago we became the proud owners of a swimming pool, 40ft x 20ft x 3- 12 ft. Each year we spent many hours cleaning the pool but we didn't use it that much as the weather in Devon is not outdoor pool weather and the beach is less than 1/2 hour away. Some years later several boat /raft building projects and various mishaps had punctured the liner and we lost most of the water apart from some at the deep end. Not having water pressure in the pool allowed some of the sides to slump and it was a bit of a sad sight. As we were quoted £35,000 to drop in a smaller more economical pool but keeping the same pipe work, pump etc we decided to to look at other options. A sunken Italian garden sounded good until we costed out the blockwork to form the sides. Then I spotted my neighbour dumping subsoil (from the footings of the house he was building) on the adjacent piece of ground. Soil + sad pool = new garden , I thought and for a reasonable amount of money he agreed to fill the pool with subsoil, soil and well rotted compost from his stables' muck heap.
Included in this mix were stones ranging from gravel size to 3ft and LOTS of bindweed roots. I started trenching at one end of the pool, digging on my hands & knees (or sitting down) to save my back. The clay was broken up and mixed with the soil and compost, every bindweed root dug out and given to the dustmen and each stone removed and graded for later use.
It took 18 months and during that time I allowed the design of the garden to emerge. It was based on flowing lines with swirls and circles delineated by different sizes of stones and the planting of aromatic plants (mostly grown from cuttings) and grasses.
By 1994 the garden was fully established with many nectar plants for the butterflies and bees and plants that provided summer height.
April 2010 during a shower.
When we first moved here 17 years ago we became the proud owners of a swimming pool, 40ft x 20ft x 3- 12 ft. Each year we spent many hours cleaning the pool but we didn't use it that much as the weather in Devon is not outdoor pool weather and the beach is less than 1/2 hour away. Some years later several boat /raft building projects and various mishaps had punctured the liner and we lost most of the water apart from some at the deep end. Not having water pressure in the pool allowed some of the sides to slump and it was a bit of a sad sight. As we were quoted £35,000 to drop in a smaller more economical pool but keeping the same pipe work, pump etc we decided to to look at other options. A sunken Italian garden sounded good until we costed out the blockwork to form the sides. Then I spotted my neighbour dumping subsoil (from the footings of the house he was building) on the adjacent piece of ground. Soil + sad pool = new garden , I thought and for a reasonable amount of money he agreed to fill the pool with subsoil, soil and well rotted compost from his stables' muck heap.
Included in this mix were stones ranging from gravel size to 3ft and LOTS of bindweed roots. I started trenching at one end of the pool, digging on my hands & knees (or sitting down) to save my back. The clay was broken up and mixed with the soil and compost, every bindweed root dug out and given to the dustmen and each stone removed and graded for later use.
It took 18 months and during that time I allowed the design of the garden to emerge. It was based on flowing lines with swirls and circles delineated by different sizes of stones and the planting of aromatic plants (mostly grown from cuttings) and grasses.
By 1994 the garden was fully established with many nectar plants for the butterflies and bees and plants that provided summer height.
April 2010 during a shower.Even in the winter it is my favourite place to sit and enjoy the beauty of our valley, the wonderful cloudscapes and the stones and grasses of the winter garden.
As the seasons progress the green plants begin to take over providing more shape and colour.
While in late summer the sedums and the different varieties of crocosmia still provide plenty of colour.
This summer I pressure washed the stones around the garden, built some steps and completely refurbished the grass bed at the end of the scree garden.
Today I managed to spend a few hours in the garden cutting back the last of the sedums and buddliea while remembering how things looked in the summer.
As the seasons progress the green plants begin to take over providing more shape and colour.
While in late summer the sedums and the different varieties of crocosmia still provide plenty of colour.
This summer I pressure washed the stones around the garden, built some steps and completely refurbished the grass bed at the end of the scree garden.
Today I managed to spend a few hours in the garden cutting back the last of the sedums and buddliea while remembering how things looked in the summer.
2 comments:
I believe I would call your post The Secret Garden, Ruta! Who would have believed that such beauty would come from a swimming pool! I am so admiring of your handiwork! In fact, your descriptions of where it all began brought tears to my eyes. And I stand humbled and amazed at your energy and artistry. You are a wonder, girl! Thank you for sharing the tale of the transition. How absolutely lovely!
Elora
You've done wonders with that old pool. It looks beautiful. I can see why it is your favorite place now!
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