garden at south pembrokeshire hospital

Posted on 9 Oct, 2008 5 comments

I was asked to help with a volenteer project at our local hospital. The garden had been built but no plants yet. The garfen is use by paitents and staff and it’s the view from the physiotherapy suit.
I wanted to give a garden to relax in, that would survive without much maintenance. As the garden is a sun trap, and as the staff are very busy i couldnot rely on anybody to water so I chose mainly mediterainian plantsOne problem we had it they wanted pots. Pots that nobody would water, nobody would deadhead, so petunias and alike were out of the question. We filled the pots with about 50% sand mixed with 50% peatfree compost (i only use peat free compost) and planted aeonium and carpobrotus. No one waters them and I’m amazed they look so great.
One year on and we went Iwe are all so pleased with the result. We only pop down every two months to do a bit of weeding and cutting back,it realy does look after itself.

Comments

Irish

9 Oct, 2008

that is fantastic looking sandra, well done

Spritzhenry

9 Oct, 2008

Not an easy task if nobody wanted the task of watering! Well done for solving the problem. Have you been to Beth Chatto's garden in Essex? She made a garden in gravel which doesn't get watered.

If you lived here in Somerset, you wouldn't have needed to water anything this year! LOL.

Sal1914

9 Oct, 2008

Same here up north. My water butt has been full all summer.
Brilliant project, good on you.

Blodyn

10 Oct, 2008

What do they do with the Aeoniums in the winter ?

Sandra

10 Oct, 2008

We left them out last winter with fingers crossed. It is so sheltered that they thrived there. But its still fingers crossed when you put anything like that outside in winter. I have had them outside for six years with no problem. BUT i know if we had a bad winter i'd loose some. I always take a cutting as insurance....