Post by steamdrivenandy on Jul 28, 2024 12:16:45 GMT
I have a feeling this may be a long appeal for help, for which I apologise.
We moved into our house about 3 years ago. It's the end property on a range of barn conversions dating from the mid 1990's.
I'm told by the neighbours that the garden was laid out/built by the second owners circa the year 2000 and both were members of the Forces. My theory is that at least one was a Sapper for reasons that will become obvious.
We also believe that a large area around the property was rough farmyard, which the developers disguised with a pea gravel covering.
The garden contains masses of brick built features:
There are a number of of other smaller features which I won't bore you with for the moment.
The main garden is only 40ft by 40ft so not excessive and The Hole as we call it dominates once you know its there.
The idiosyncratic garden was part of what attracted us to the property but it has become a major problem.
Horticulturally the thin layer of soil on top of pea gravel drains very well, but tree roots are spreading across the lawn in the thin soil layer and poking through and the lawn dries out in warm weather and has never been lush.
Talking of trees we have an enormous silver birch, another smaller weeping birch, a Norwegian maple, a snake bark maple, an Acer negundo 'Flamingo', a Kilmarnock willow, five purple Japanese maples and a pale green dissected leaf one, and nine different flowering cherries of various ages and sizes, plus lots of conifers as hedging and other various shrubs etc.
It's all very beautiful and enclosing but at 20 to 30 years on it's getting a bit too overgrown and the wood and brickwork in the structures is suffering from weathering.
I've had several garden designers/landscape people round but none have given me confidence that they know what to do with it all. We'd love to conserve what is a unique, intriguing, odd, beautiful garden but we need advice/help from someone or a group that really knows what they're doing and can make positive suggestions on how to deal with it all. It's obviously not an ancient heritage garden but it is something that I believe needs conserving. So suggestions as to how to go about it would be welcome.
Sadly I can't see a way of postings pics at present but knowing Pro Board it probably needs a couple of posts before that becomes available.
We moved into our house about 3 years ago. It's the end property on a range of barn conversions dating from the mid 1990's.
I'm told by the neighbours that the garden was laid out/built by the second owners circa the year 2000 and both were members of the Forces. My theory is that at least one was a Sapper for reasons that will become obvious.
We also believe that a large area around the property was rough farmyard, which the developers disguised with a pea gravel covering.
The garden contains masses of brick built features:
- An arch built around and above the electricity meter cupboard linking to
- A raised bed with herbs
- A corner alcove with timber lined 'windows' and a wooden ogee arch over, linking to
- A tiny raised pool with a fountain spout built into the wall behind that we've not been able to connect to power
- A circular low brick wall with box hedging on the inside and we've put our birdbath/sun dial in the centre
- Two 6ft high walls either side of our main entrance gate. both wall have arched alcoves on the inside with small square planting 'boxes either side of the entrance and a pair of decorative metal urns on top of each gate pillar.
- We replaced the old entrance gate as it was falling apart and we now have a custom made oak copy complete with viewing grille and arched top.
- The main feature though is a whole series of brick lined sunken 'rooms' at the back of one side of the garden, all linked together with a set of steps down at either end. One room is circular with paving slab seating all round and a rather rickety wooden frame holding a large trellis panel as a 'roof' which has a grape vine draped over and through it. This connects to a central area with a water feature in the middle that has no current electrical connection for its pump. Off this central area is another rectangular 'room' with wood plank seating on three sides. Opposite across the central area is another circular 'room' that looks out onto the lawn, it has no seating but it does have the foundations of a brick barbecue. winding off from the central area is a walkway to the second set of steps out. Apart from the last 'room', all is hidden by trees and shrubs, so the earthworks are not immediately apparent. We believe the soil from the excavations was thrown on top of the pea gravel over part of the rest of the garden.
There are a number of of other smaller features which I won't bore you with for the moment.
The main garden is only 40ft by 40ft so not excessive and The Hole as we call it dominates once you know its there.
The idiosyncratic garden was part of what attracted us to the property but it has become a major problem.
Horticulturally the thin layer of soil on top of pea gravel drains very well, but tree roots are spreading across the lawn in the thin soil layer and poking through and the lawn dries out in warm weather and has never been lush.
Talking of trees we have an enormous silver birch, another smaller weeping birch, a Norwegian maple, a snake bark maple, an Acer negundo 'Flamingo', a Kilmarnock willow, five purple Japanese maples and a pale green dissected leaf one, and nine different flowering cherries of various ages and sizes, plus lots of conifers as hedging and other various shrubs etc.
It's all very beautiful and enclosing but at 20 to 30 years on it's getting a bit too overgrown and the wood and brickwork in the structures is suffering from weathering.
I've had several garden designers/landscape people round but none have given me confidence that they know what to do with it all. We'd love to conserve what is a unique, intriguing, odd, beautiful garden but we need advice/help from someone or a group that really knows what they're doing and can make positive suggestions on how to deal with it all. It's obviously not an ancient heritage garden but it is something that I believe needs conserving. So suggestions as to how to go about it would be welcome.
Sadly I can't see a way of postings pics at present but knowing Pro Board it probably needs a couple of posts before that becomes available.
