I moved in two years ago and inherited a neat but neglected garden. It has been a mission trying to get the soil sorted out but it's coming along quite happily now. I decided to record and share my successes (hopefully), disasters (definitely!), and other thoughts in this blog.

Enjoy!

THE GARDEN

This has been a bit of a mission for me since I moved into my flat. It's only a small garden but it takes a lot of work!!

The garden is shaded most of the year by the building that I live in, so no rays of sunlight fall in it until March and then disappear by October. It's not too bad, It just means that plants start a little later and the soil gets warmed by the air, rather than the direct sunlight.

The clay soil is a pain... when we eventually do get sunlight as it bakes rock hard, no digging can be done without a watering can close by! (I can testify to this after breaking a garden fork trying to dig the soil!!).

I have done quite a lot to it since moving in, here are some before and after pics (the after were taken last summer).

The Garden Summer 2007

The Garden February 2008

(I have already started laying out the new lawn shape)

'After' pics taken Summer 2008:

I managed to get some poppies on the go. I had bought the seeds a couple of years previously on a visit to Cornwall so was unsure if they would sprout or not, they came up a treat!!

So I managed to build a patio (of sorts) and put up a bit of trellis. I had read that creating a 'visual block' stops the eye from running straight to the back of the garden and makes the space appear bigger, I have to say it works! The trellis also makes the patio feel a little cosier and separates the area behind it (which is a tiny vegetable patch).

I have plans for the other side of the garden (where I am standing to take the shot immediately above and where all the plants in pots are living). This is going to be a herb garden this year! (summer 2009).