Front gardens........

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So last weekend got off to an unpromising start weather-wise, but on Sunday things cheered up considerably around here, so I girded my loins and tackled the front garden.

I don’t know why, but I just don’t love my front garden as much as I love the back. Admittedly a lot of it is concreted over as hard standing, but what’s left I just find a bit depressing.

When we first bought our house the border in the front garden was inhabited by a ginormous pampas grass – which simply had to go. So, I had it removed. And I planted lilacs, which I love. Then a cherry tree got added. And two magellanica fuschias. And a mahonia. And a clematis growing up the thingy-that-might-be-a-berberis beside the front door. And then some ‘native hedging plants’ along the front. And there was a very shapely holly tree there too. And a buxus got added. And then my husband insisted on a buddleia.

And it still didn’t warm my heart.

So last weekend I went out to hack things back and tidy up. Armed with ratchet secateurs and the saw I chopped great chunks out of things. And planted some hellebores (cos I love hellebores almost as much as I love lilacs) under the shrubs and trees.

And tomorrow ( a sunny Saturday being forecast) I’m going out there again to finish what I started – and the pot by the front door that held the virginia creeper is going to be emptied and a patio climbing rose is going in there. And a honeysuckle. And two buxus pyramids either side of the door. And I’m going to get a choisya to go under the window, which is shady, but if you plant choisya sundance in shade it goes an interesting lime green colour as opposed to the rather garish whiteish-yellow you commonly see.

And the whole area had darned well better start shaping up!

• 23 Mar, 2012
• 7 likes

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