New Garden

Welcome back will look forward to seeing what you do in your new garden - exciting.

You left a year before I joined but though I don't remember you I look forward to seeing all about your new challenge!

yes I remember you and I hope France is as wonderful as you hoped it would be for you.
will look forward to seeing how your garden progresses.

Thanks for the replies they are just what I hoped for, and you are right it will be a challenge!

Please show us your 'wilderness' as it will probably show a lot of promise! Share your plans for it and do keep in touch.

Welcome back to Goy Pontoonpete

Looking forward to seeing your new garden project out there I hope it goes well for you I can't wait to see what it becomes.

I can’t remember how to add pics, so I’ll just say here’s two pics one a month ago when I first arrived one taken just now from kitchen window, this is about two thirds of the garden and the rest is behind the house. If no pics come up perhaps someone will explain.

Go to you option click onto it at the top the bar should come down click on add photos then click on choose files then click on your album or files to find your photos click on one of your photos then go to bottom right it should say add photo click on add photo which should then appear on your page.

I could never remember all that. Enjoy seeing photographs though.

Looks a lovely area it looks high up will you be wanting to grow food or just flowering plants and shrubs does the land extend more to the right on the second photo.

Hi thrupenny,
No that’s the edge of my bit. But it’s not high on the right is a river, dried up with this exceptionally hot weather, I need to part some bits off I have loads of trees for rustic poles etc. I want to avoid it being a field, any ideas ? P.

Hi Diane
I’m with you all very complicated, but pics did appear so all’s well, any ideas ?

Yes I remember you. Good luck with your new garden :)

Yes I remember you as you said then life does go on and sadly my OH died that same year ... enjoy your new adventure in France .

Hi ...
are you now Pontonpete or Flotteurpete ?
Certainly in many parts of France you get more property and land for your money than in the UK. Maintaining a home and gardens in England can now be very expensive. Good luck with future projects.

Thanks for all the good wishes I remember lots of you.
I must admit to not knowing where to start making this a garden. To answer one question I don’t intend growing any veg. I just want something aesthetically pleasing. PP.

I thought it was high up because of the clouds in the back ground in the second photo lol.

If the river runs to the right I would plant and have a seating area facing the river in the best viewing spot or where you have the best view I would also section it off into like rooms erhaps using a rustic arch. .
When I last went to France in the early 80s traveling from Calias right through the old road into Hyères you could tell the French love their land more than their buildings.

Thanks Thrupenny, I like that idea I must move the caravan because that’s the best place, I’ve cut down the trees there to give a view of the water meadow, when the water is there the wildlife is great, my favourites are the red squirrels and the coypu, but I like them all really, now the riverbed is dry I often see deer walking along it. So I’m thinking maybe a rustic fence with climbers to make that a separate seating area.

Your very welcome Pontoonpete. That's must be be wonderful to have a view of a water meadow you could always discise the caravan behind a section of your garden.

Your so lucky to see such wild life on your door step especially the red squirrel. Yes a good idea to have a rustic fence to deter the deer my favourite animal lol Yes the deer even run free on their autobounds with picnic tables and benches at the side of the autobounds out there with signs of deer areas by them.

Just had a thought - if you're looking for ideas why not have a look though some of Owdboggy's old blogs? Might find some inspiration there to make the best of that fabulous site!
Hope you can manage to make some sort of feature of that little stream too - what a gift!

Steragram, thanks I’ll do that , thanks to thrupenny I know where I can make a start now.
I tried to put a pic of the bit we are talking about down here but it went to my pics so I’ll put it up with the others at the start of this blog.

Es the fencing would look nice with climbers make sure they are deer proff they won't eat them. Ya nice on look to the stream.

It looks like a great place, Pete to create a new garden. Look forward to your blogs.

My boys have bought a property in Sweden with 4.5 acres of land. Trees, trees and did I say trees. They have a small lake and a large meadow. The house has a lovely garden. My advice to them was, look around you, see what grows, don't fight nature. It is difficult to get plants in rural Sweden but the natural patterns of their surroundings are a great start. Look to the large structures first.
My son John spends a lot of time cutting and strimming the grass. He has a friend from London going out to help cut back saplings and remove trees round the lake.
Their garden is fenced off to keep the deer and moose out. It also gives them a smaller area for detail.
Good luck it looks wonderful.

Linda, that sounds nice but I couldn’t cope with any more land, too old and infirm this bit here will probably finish me off.
Will you be able to get out to them? P.

Pontoon Pete: What an adventure! Friends have bought properties in France but kept homes in the UK...."just in case".!! They are much younger than yours truly so have a long time in which to tackle renovations and planting gardens. We couldn't even think about doing anything like that, but it's great when someone else does it. LOL

I hope you master how to add images though having said that I seem to be stuck with being able to post three only, even though lovely people here have tried to help me add to this total.

( Can't recall when I joined GOY but I don't think it's been five years.)

Thanks Eirlys,
I don’t know how long I will have to get sorted here, I’m 71 but it’s my last adventure, ie do something or vegetate.
I have kept my boat in uk. It’s livaboard and is also my primary address so I can call this a maison secondare. I seem to be able to put pics on just not within the blogs, all at the top, that will do me.

Exciting to have a new “blank canvas” to start making a garden. Maybe you could measure your space and then roughly sketch in seating areas and island beds? Good luck with whatever you decide!

Thanks Sheilabub and everyone, I’m pleased I remembered how friendly and helpful everybody on this site is, thanks again P.

Nearly 6 yrs Earlys

Quite an adventure to start a large garden at our age, but doing it a bit at a time, not rushing it and doing yourself some damage will get results eventually.
All gardeners plant a garden hoping that whoever follows them will look after it and the pleasure of watching the wildlife must be part of the journey to your new garden.
Best of luck, all I can suggest is devote some time to scrolling through gardens on here and stealing the bits that will work for you!
Perhaps you pictures won't load because they are too big in size, I have to crop mine a bit to reach the correct size for adding.

And don’t forget, if you click on ‘D’ below you’ll find “Design ideas”.

I spend May setting the garden up for the summer. It is a lovely time of year in Sweden. Warm, sunny and green.
A lot of the land will remain wild but they hope to be self- sufficient in food in years to come.
Tonight they are having a dinner for 20 friends who are staying with them and locals. A neighbour has supplied the deer and a uk friend and chef is doing the cooking.
We will Facetime them later.

That’s great sounds like they’re really having a good time over there.