OUR GARDEN
Our garden is massive compared to our old ones, although we no longer have a front garden, the back more than makes up for it.To make it bigger still, there is a huge aviary/shed at the bottom, which is being demolished. There will be about another 20 feet of garden when it`s done...and that`s just the aviary part!. the shed itself will be kept as a store room/workshop, I`m not kidding, inside is big enough to make 2 stables and a small tack/feed store... you bet I would Love to do this, and the pressure is on from our daughter too, she has also worked out the potential, lol!
We are hoping to keep part of the roof and the concrete floor, tidy it up (needs a lot of clearing/cleaning) and make a summer shelter where we can sit out on a nice day looking out into the garden.
There are currently two lawns seperated by a vegetable garden. I plan to make one lawn and move the veg. There is a play house for the children, but it is in need of some renovation. There is an old cold frame which I am dismantling. As it is on the high point of the garden and there is a drop at the side, I am going to build a rockery to stop the children and dog going up there and falling down the drop. It`s only a couple of feet, but if they fell and landed bad they could really hurt themselves. On the other side of the drop we are going to build a barbecue. I am hoping to put swings and things in for the children, and when they are outgrown, I then plan to make a butterfly/bird/nature area where me and my cameras can sit out enjoying ourselves!!! I hope to put in a smaller shed for the bikes and tools, and a small greenhouse to grow my plants. I love to see a garden full of colourful flowers blowing in the breeze, with lots of butterflies etc calling in to say hello!.
The main part of the garden is higher than the kitchen level, looking out of the kitchen window you have to look upwards to see into the garden. It is accessed via a slope, but we hope to make it into steps as it`s very slippery in snow and ice. At the side of the house is the driveway leading into the garden. There was a big old kennel/shelter between the garden and driveway, but it was disgusting and filthy, I got rid of it as one of my first jobs. My dog isn`t a kennel kept dog so it wouldn`t have been needed even if it was ok. The driveway itself is longer than our old garden was... it would be long enough to park the car and a horsebox/trailer, or 3 cars like ours, which is an estate/station wagon...plus have room to spare! All the sheds/aviary/playhouse and fences are painted in that awful terracotta paint... I think they must have had a job lot or something, it`s everywhere!!!. There are lots of nice big Welsh quarry stones all over the garden, used as boundary stones. I will be using these for my rockery. There are tacky plastic animals everywhere...the kids want to keep some on the playhouse, but the scruffiest ones are going!. I prefer to have real animals than plastic! There are plant holders which are all hand painted and split, so they are going, and also two hand made wishing wells which are falling to bits. I have enough plant pots of my own and they are not broken!.
Heres some photo`s, I will add more as we get more done!
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Well here you go, looking out at the garden from the kitchen! the terracotta shed nearest is the playhouse, that at the bottom is the aviary... half of this is down now and there will be about 20 foot more garden when it`s all down! you can only see the first section of it, beyond the wire part is the inner part, you can just about see the light grey dividing wall. then beyond that part is the main brick shed which is big enough to make 2 stables!
Looking toward the house from the garden. This is less than half way... there is a big veg garden about where I am standing to take the picture, then another lawn like the one pictured, then a wooden platform, then the aviary, then the shed!!!!! the glass coldframe to the right is mostly dismantled now, thats where I am going to make a rockery. beyond that is the driveway which you can`t see because of the tree and shadows. Where the coldframe is, is where the path starts to slope between the driveway and garden. see the garden level compared to the kitchen window on the left? between the garden and kitchen window is a useful walkway where we keep garden furniture and stuff, it is also where I hide with my camera to photograph the birds and the dog in the garden without them knowing!
you can also see the new flat roof which cost us our first ever family holiday!!! the walls and main roof will be renovated soon too.
a slightly better pic like the one above. If you look beyond the tree you can just about make out the driveway gates in the distance!