Front Garden Makeover - Ashford, Kent
Every now and then, a project comes along that you know that within a couple of days you can transform a garden. I feel lucky I have a job I enjoy doing, but it’s these days when you can get a bit creative and improve a garden, that I really feel a sense of job satisfaction.
New Lawn
Colonised by moss, bulbs and weeds, there was only one solution for this tired looking lawn and that was to dig it up and start again.
Once the ground was cleared I put a mini tiller through it and then raked through some new top soil.
The new turf transformed this side of the garden and the tree is now a wonderful feature.
Garden Clearance
The client desired the left hand side area to be low maintenance but with some interest and colour.
It was a mini jungle, shrubs and plants were entwined with brambles and the ground was covered with weeds and an unruly covering of various bulbs.
With much digging and pruning for most of a day, removing unwanted plants and a pot bound Bay tree was replanted near the window.
Finally you could see soil and space for planting.
Planting
With a budget for plants and a request for a couple of plants by the client, they were happy to let me choose the remaining planting design.
Planting List.
Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ (not visible) This evergreen shrub will display yellow flowers through summer to autumn.
Vinca Periwinkle. These shade loving small evergreen specimens were planted throughout the area, offering excellent ground cover overtime, With various colours of flowers through spring to autumn.
Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ A favourite of mine. Will flower from April until October and you only have trim the dead flowers at the end of the season.
Hebe ‘Caledonia’ This replaced a large woody Hebe that had to be removed.
Fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’ Grass – Festuca glauca ‘Elijah. Blue’. These grasses added a different form and shape to the garden bed.
Finally a generous layer of bark chippings were laid to keep the weeds away and to retain the moisture in the soil.
A really satisfying 2 days work and the client was very overjoyed at the transformation.
They asked me to return to tidy the back garden a couple of weeks later.
It gave me the chance to check on the new lawn and the new plants were establishing themselves.
If your garden needs a tidy or makeover why not give us a call.