Front Garden

That is looking great,Hywel,and when you get it planted up,it will be beautiful..What a transformation.I love the colours of all the houses in your street..so clean and fresh looking..a job well done by your Builder,too..such a lot of work there..Really looking forward to seeing it planted up..will you give us an ongoing report,so we can see how it prgresses in it's stages ? X

I'll certainly do that Sandra ...
Thanks for your comment :o)

That just looks so very much better. The wall looks fabulous now with those red bricks. It fits in much better with the red bricks on the house wall. I bet you're itching to get things planted in your new garden bed now.

The area looks really nice now, Hywel.
The view from your front door is lovely, with those hills in the background !
Added to GoYpedia. :o) x

Quite a transformation there Hywel, lots of hard work been done. Looking forward to seeing it all planted up, its quite exciting isnt it.

That looks great Hywel, what are you going to plant in it? I love your views it must be great to see them 24/7

Hi Cinders and Denise ...
:o)))

looking really good Hywel, great views you have :-)

I agree, the views are splendid Hywel....I love having a new area to plant up...It will look beautiful by next Summer...:>)

I,m pleased that you did before and after shots, it explains it so well, I,m looking forwards to see how it develops

Like the others I think your street looks really smart and with such a lovely view

That's a wonderful improvement already Hywel, and the new bricks don't look at all out of place with the house bricks. I can also see that you have already got a trellis on the wall too! Looking forward to seeing the next phase! :o)))

its looking great Hywel, I love the new wall and steps,are you going to slab it again or plants in there, whatever it will be pretty, well done,

A job well done Hywel ,it looks really great and so smart ,I like the colour of the houses they look warm and cosy , I shall look forward to seeing the planting in the spring :o) x

What a difference your new wall and steps have made, it really matches in with the house brickwork too. I will look forward to seeing it planted up in Spring, love the view of the hills too;0))

It looks a lot better already. I bet you are already planning what to plant ~ i find that the most exciting bit! Can't wait to see it when it's all planted up.

Hi TT. Be back soon.

lovely job

Ooh, I just love the colour of your house Hywel and what a difference this new wall has made. Looking forward to seeing it in the spring with all the lovely bulbs you will put in. That view from your house is amazing! Soooo jealous! lol

Thats really improved the front of your house Hywel, job well done, will be interesting to see what you plant there, I think the age of your house doesn`t matter when you have the pleasure of views like that as soon as you step outside the doors....

Hi all , thanks for all your comments about my front garden (and the house lol)

Denise, I have a few ideas for small shrubs, and I'm going to plant bulbs in between them, and some annuals in the summer.

Petaltracey, the trellis had a climbing rose growing in a pot on the slabs. I'm going to grow something else there now.

Yorkshire I'm going to plant things there :o) I have a few ideas.

Paul It's nice to see you back :o))

Sue the house is over 100 yrs old :o) but the old cottage was prettier ...

Goodness me Hywel - you've got great views out the front too!! gorgeous!!
I think you've got the poshest front wall in the street now :)
We will be looking forward to seeing your progress in springtime Hywel.

The new wall and step look so much better - the changes improve the look of the houses round as well! I can just imagine a blue clematis on that trellis... looking forward to the "after" pics next year!

Great job done by your builder Hywel, bet he gets lots of work locally. We all have something to look forward to now Hywel, your new front garden. That little square will look fab. when its finished. I love your front view too.:)

Looks very smart Hywel. You'll be amazed how many plants will fit into that space!!

I love red bricks, Hywel. I think it looks really good. I bet you get a thrill every time you look at it! Now you've got the winter to plan what you're going to plant. Exciting!

Thank you all for your comments :o)

Steragram, I may think of a clematis for the trellis. Thanks for the suggestion :o)

Super job by the builder your front door looks very welcoming already, even more so in the spring when you plant your garden, what a nice time you will have planning it during the coming months, nice to see your street and the lovely view from your front door :o)

Looks great Hywel I too can see it looking wonderful in the spring shall look forward to seeing it planted up

Looking really smart now, Hywel! I can just imagine your fingers twitching with their eagerness to get soil and plants in there! ;o)

Thank you all. I'll show photos of what I plant there.
Can't wait lol :D

Neither can I hehe :o))

:D

What a difference! You must be so relieved to have things cleared and improved. I echo the plea from others here..pics on the progress as you plant it up. I love the view from your door step.

Thank you Waddy. I'll be keeping you all posted :o)

What a change, Hywel! That front piece is a 100x better than it was before! I'm looking forward, like the rest of our friends above, to seeing what you plant in your new space!

Thank you :o) I only have some vague idea so far ...

how exciting Hywel. look forward to it watching it grow. is it a sunny spot or shady?

Thanks Sandra :o)
It faces east, and gets sun on a summer's morning from very early, until mid day. It can get very hot there on a sunny summer's morning, but in winter it gets rather cold and wiindy.

Oh I enjoyed seeing this Hywel and what a massive improvement you have made! It will look an absolute treat when you have planted it up and it gets established. Love the look of the house and what amazing views you have. Really enjoyed this my friend..\0/x

Hi Hywel, dont want to be a killjoy, but the bricks at the bottom of the wall of your house look rotten too.
We are all detectives on this site !
Wonder if you should get them replaced by a blue brick dampcourse ?

Hi Flori :o)
Thanks for your comment. It's a big improvement isn't it lol ... and I'm pleased you like the house and view. x

No Diane, You're not a killjoy... just a concerned human being - thanks :o)
The bricks you mention are just the lower ones in the wall. They look dirty and may be a bit worne, but they are quite solid. There is a damp course in between them...
When I fill the soil in, they'll be out of sight.

Thanks for all your comments :o)

What a transformation Hywell, your builders did a treat!and what a stunning view you have. If i lived there i'd spend my time on your new steps admiring the scenery.Are you going to put some of your fuschias into your planting scheme? keep us informed won't you :)

Thank you Gralew :o) I may plant some fuchsias there. I'm going to take my time to decide what to put there exactly. I'll certainly be giving an update when I do it :o)

What a difference Hywel! can't wait to see what you plant there....and yes ...I'm still jealous of your views:-)

Thank you BA - It's a relief to have it done at last :o)

I know what you mean, I bet you had to close your eyes when you passed it. My front door and garage need painting, have done for a couple of years and I try not to look and my drive need power cleaning...ok and weeding too lol:-)

It takes such a time to get things done, but you'll get there one day :o)
I keep telling people it's 'work in progress' lol

enjoyed your blog Hywel and it may be a small area but now with the new wall its transformed and it will look lovely all planted up in spring, will make such a difference to your property, think i should be a presenter on location location lol
:o))) x

Lol. Sandra ...
Phil and Sandra instead of Phil and Kirstie ;o) x

hahah i could cope with that Terra haha :o)) x

Thank you Sandra :o)x
When you're a TV celeb, my claim to fame will be that you nearly sold my house lol

You would not get me away from the front step with such a lovely view, it all looks so much better, the builder has made an excellent job of the wall, looking forward to seeing your new spring garden now....

Thanks. Sometimes I don't look at the view lol. It's funny how you get so used to something that you don't notice it any more.
It is a nice view though, and I'm glad it's there for when I do look at it :o)

What a difference the new wall has made. Your neighbours must love you. How about an evergreen climber like a pyracantha for against the wall. It will grow quite quickly and can be kept narrow (front to back) It will give colour all year round. You could have a clematis as well growing up through it. You get ones which only grow to about 6 feet which would save you having to put trellis further up. I like the idea of shrubs like lavendar and sarcococca confusa which will scent the air around the front door very early in the year. I'll look forward to seeing what you choose.

Thanks :o)
Scented shrubs are a good idea ... I've got a Pyracantha which I'm thinking of planting there. I think it might be a bit windy for clematis though. I used to have one on the trellis, but it didn't do very well. I could try a different variety I suppose.
We'll see :o))

my honeysuckle does well in wind Hywel...

Oh that's an idea then :o) I've got one that needs moving.
Do they like shade ? The front only gets sun up till about mid day.

Oh my, Hywel, I too have a crumbling wall out the front around my gravel (weed infested) drive and its always making a terrible mess falling off in chunks so I do empathise with you. I know I must replace it too at some stage, but have no idea how to go about it, or where to get a good builder from. Anyway, it looks amazing the way you have cleared it and your builders made it good as new again.

I can see purples and violets against the orange of the new bricks, these colours being the opposites on the colour wheel would make a vibrant show. Maybe some trailing lobelia here and there edging and draping over the bricks would break up the solid run of it, but I'm a novice and have only a limited knowledge of plants etc. Maybe you need something larger and evergreen? Or heathers they are hardy. I just hope you post photos to let us know when and what you decide! ;^)

Thank you :o) And your suggestions are appreciated :o) I like the idea of contrasting colours ...
I have a few shrubs and some bulbs for a start, but I'll be adding to them as time goes on.