Yesterday

To start the post three photos Cat took of me working in Hils garden on Friday the thirteenth.

I spent yesterday at Hils house helping revamp her back garden. It is a series of raised beds against descening levels of stone circles. I wanted to beautify her garden as her back was hurt recently. From ten am to seven pm I took on the large garden..

Two brown garden waste bins were filled. One garden spade shattered in my hands, and one fork broke in two. I do not know my own strength. The hardest part was digging out years old shrubs that had grown to gargantuan proportions. The shrubs were cut apart then the root balls forced out of the ground. Hils had to go to the allotment to get more tools after I destroyed two within five minutes. However the shrubs were vanquished to free up some much needed space.

At seven Pm I took my first photo.The garden had been pruned, weeded, top soiled, planted, and swept up. I had removed the shrubs, pruned back and shaped all the remaining ones: A Box plant, a Camellia,a Hydrangea, A Euonymus....
I had planted the two main central raised beds on either side of the middle patio level.

I replanted the left raised bed after removing weeds and straggly plants.I put eight bags of top soil on the two raised beds to darken the soil. It brings out the plants. In went Lupins, Coreopsis, A gorgeous Dahlia,a Geums that will have yellow or orange flowers, and Poppies to compliment the yellow Snapdragon and the yellow lupin. The plucky Snapdragon survived the onslaught to clear the large shrubs. I worked around the plant so not to damage it. Hils bought a willow panel for the back of the raised bed. A big Coreopsis will hopefully flower well and screen the greenhouses.

The Dahlia Fiesta or Carnival?.The colours are absolutely gorgeous.Rain drops adorn the party coloured Dahlia.It rained intermittantly on me.I soldiered on, a foul weathered gardener.

The Lupins around the clipped Hydrangea.It had the most sumptuous blue flowers last year.It should stand out against the whites, yellows, and oranges in this bed..

The raised bed to the right newly planted with Echinaceas, Poppies, Geums, and the shrubs trimmed into nice shapes.The Salix tree, and the Camellia to the right are the stars, and the other new plants will be under their watchful gaze.

My delicate trimming and moving an plant from the front to the back opened up the beds potentials and allowed some fresh planting.I used little clippers to shape the shrubs into more formal shapes and to push them back a bit where they had got wild.

I cut the trees in the corner so you can now sit on the bench in a leafy woodland glade with white flowers trailing down next doors fence into Hils garden. You can sit and watch the birds and bee's.I want to make a little path to this bench which is cool and scented by flowers on both sides.The end border is a project for another day!

The clipped Ceanothus that attracts all the bee's in Walton village.The trunk is now visible and the lovely wood logs and sculptural piece are visible. It reminds me of a cloud tree.The plant is fifteen years old and was festooned in a sea of blue flowers that smelled strongly of honey.The floor was covered in blue petals underneath.

In the second photo of this post is the gorgeous Astrantias. These I photographed in the wet evening light before supper. Poached Salmon, New Potatoes, and Vegetables.I was so hungary after the garden day..

The star flower for me was this Physocarpus Dark leaved shrub in flower.The flowers are exploding out like fireworks. A great end to a good Friday 13th!
It was nice to help out a good friend who was unable to garden because of injury, and to repay her back for her many kindnesses. I hope she likes her garden and the photos.