New Area's part 1

At the beginning of 2011 we started to design and landscape the last area of the garden.

This would include an extension to the exsisting Arid bank, which brings you back upto the house. The Arid Garden, an area of gravelled beds and paths, is planted with various Alpines, Cacti, Succulents along with various Yuccas and Palms.

This area leads up to the new location for the greenhouses and lean to greenhouse. On up to another level leads to a purpose built Arid house, which will be planted out with some of the tender cacti and succulents from our collections. Finally, a patio and sunken garden outside the back of the house.

This is the 1st plan, which we later modified. The top area shows the new postion of the greenhouse, lean to and patio area, no sunken garden yet, as we hadn't come up with that idea at this stage.

Apart fron rotating the lean to greenhouse, this is pretty much the layout we followed.

 We started back in May 2011 with putting in the retaining walls to build up the area where the greenhouses would go.

Block work in and base for Greenhouse started

Base down

 Now it's dismantle the two greenhouses, clean them and join them together in there new location.

Once that was finished it was back to clearing the area for the Arid garden and the shaping of the planting areas. To help with this we had the use of a digger which made it a lot easier.

Also started on the area to hold the rainwater tank.

 You can start to get a rough idea of the shapes for beds and path.

Progress on walls for water tank and top patio.

August, we started planting the palms, with the use of the digger.

 

And looking from the exisiting area to the new bit.

Looking down from the greenhouses, there will be a set of steps between the walls.

More to follow.                                             

RAIN

Bored now. We did get to plant a Dazzy today and I suppose its getting watered in well.

Arid Bank July 2012

Yuccas and cacti growing well.

 

Inspite of the weather being so cold and wet the bank isn't looking to bad.

Agave Montana doing really well. 

Sempervivums

Bought some Semps the other day, bargain at £3.00 a tray of 6, not named varieties but still nice selection.

Steps

First chance we have had to start the brickwork on the steps, due to the rain, which has been holding this and many other projects up. 

Dug the area out the other day.

As you can see the front of the steps will be done in 'Bitza' brickwork. Only another 7 to do but it needs to stop raining first.