Nothing is better than revisiting a garden that we have built, to find it well maintained, and also has had a lot of use and enjoyment. This is exactly what we found when we were called back to a job last week. During September of 2018 we built this garden which is situated along side the river wye, just outside Hereford in the UK. Unfortunately, once again we did not take many pictures throughout this build, but we did take some of the garden now it has matured.
This first thing that caught our eyes, was the wild flower bed down in the one corner. It really has thrived in this location, and with these conditions. We rarely see the meadow turf grow to this hight. I think this was mainly down to the rich soil conditions, and that this corner stays relatively damp due to the run-off heading into this area From the higher ground. For this reason, it also stays quite damp all year round. Wild flower turf (or meadow turf) is a great product to use in awkward areas like this. Very little maintenance is needed, and it gives an excellent colour showing for a good 10 months of the year. We very often use this product on steep banks where mowing or building upon isn’t an easy option. It had been very windy in the few days prior, so had lay down flat slightly.
The upper terraced / summer house area was very well maintained. All flower beds had filled out, and were weed free. It was also nice to see the greenhouse getting a lot of use. Another nice thing to see all of our hard landscaping with a bit of age to it, especially in this environment. With a “cottagey” or country garden vibe, it never looks quite right directly after we have finished due to the materials looking very fresh. After a few years the slabs and walls start to weather in, and it all becomes a bit easier on the eye. The natural stone wall at the rear of the garden was the bulk of this job. It was concrete block backed, and faced with a Herefordshire red walling stone. Myself and Alex took nearly 3 weeks to complete this construction. The rise of the ground hight from bottom of the garden to the top was quite a head scratcher when building this, but we were impressed with the finished result, although glad to get to the end. The deck was still in great condition, but I must note that this was here when we arrived, and the client had given it a fair few coats of paint over the years, so it was still very solid.
The lawn was showing a few patches due to the pet dogs, but was looking well otherwise. Our supplier Easylawn, provide incredibly tough turf that seams to do well in all conditions. We have never had any problems or complaints in the past with our lawns, in the entire time we have been trading. A good testament to their product, and it’s durability. In the bottom of the garden we installed a shed which the client painted a soft green. Quite a nice focal point looking down the garden, on what is usually something people try to hide away out of site.
The reason for our visit was that the existing fence that we had uprighted, and added to, which was situated on the top of our retaining wall, had moved. It was now leaning towards the garden. Closer inspection revealed that the concrete anchor post had cracked. This was down to the couple of large trees now leaning on the fence from the rear.
As you can see in this picture, the crack is on the line of the coach screw. This is where they all break as it is the weakest point. This is the only issue with using anchor posts, however this rarely happens.
A relatively quick fix, although it’s now down to the client to speak nicely to his neighbour about the issue. You can clearly see the size of the problem in the one and only before, and after pictures.
The steps that lead up to the gate as you exit the garden looked very good. All of this area was a bit of an afterthought, and came out very well in the end. Just like the rest of the garden, it had been very well maintained.
Any questions on this project, or anything else garden related, feel free to ask. Thank you for your interest.