My Own Garden

At the end of last year I bought a garden with a house attached. I've never owned my own garden before; I have shared gardens with other people or rented houses with gardens attached, but none of them have been mine. It's very exciting! I trained as an amenity horticulturalist when I left school and worked in the industry for several years before changing tack completely, and had almost forgotten the thrill of gardens. I have spent the last month digging (sorry) out my gardening books, buying gardening magazines, and, for goodness sake, tuning in to Gardeners Question Time on Radio 4.

Anyway, the garden. The plot is fairly long and thin and has been neglected for a few years by the previous owner. The owner before that kept it beautifully apparently. At the minute it is mostly overgrown lawn, invasive sedge plants, brambles and a privet hedge. There is a Gingko biloba tree, a hydrangea, a variegated conifer and a fairly mature Cordyline australis. The latter will be pruned. I have also discovered, among the weeds, a rose (climber?), a honeysuckle, a Verbena bonariensis seedling and a Passiflora peeping out from under the shed, as well as Lamium and a couple of Geraniums.

The previous owner left a lot of rubbish, both garden and otherwise, which I will have to get removed along with the bag loads of sedges that I am digging up. They left a wardrobe carcass that I am considering turning into a cold frame, as well as a water butt and compost bin. There is also a potting bench.

I don't think that it will take too long to turn around and become manageable, and then I can start thinking seriously about plants. I want lots of flowers over a long period, to encourage as much wildlife as possible. These will be a mix of herbaceous perennials and shrubs I think, as well as culinary herbs and vegetable plants.