Garden Design

 For the past year I have been looking at the Sundial/stachys bed in the courtyard and reflecting that whilst it is practical it is bare. I want it to have a simple formal look but how do I achieve it. From time to time I have stood conifers in amongst the stachys but it never looked right and anyway John never showed any enthusiasm for my musings. Eventually in my head I decided that olive trees would be the answer as their foliage would tone with the stachys. I was assured that they would tolerate -12 C, but as we had lower temperatures than that this year I began to reconsider. Still no enthusiasm from the UG......although I think it was his bank balance that influenced this lack of enthusiasm. 

Recently however, Bunny Guiness (Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winning garden designer) achieved what I had failed to do. After watching one of her videos he suddenly became enthusiastic about the idea of adding some trees, but which ones. Eventually we decide that 4 apple trees would provide spring blossom and Autumn fruit. We found some 3 year old trees on line but were concerned what size they would be when they arrived, so we decided to search the local garden centres before ordering.

Whilst I was investigating the apple trees John went off to look at the " half dead corner" as we always do. He soon found me to enquire what I thought about having 4 eucolyptus trees. I knew nothing about these trees but as he was so enthusiastic I thought I better go and have a look. I should correct that as I think it was his bank account that was enthusiastic as they were 9 euros each instead of 28!! 

They were definitely in need of some TLC but we decided that as we had very little to lose we would give them a go.

How we managed to get 4 trees, 4 wooden pots, a weeks shopping, another bargain pot and us in our little Clio is a miracle, the UG has his uses! Even though they were now home there was much reflecting/moving on where in the Sundial garden they should be positioned. 

Now released from their prison (I have never seen anything so pot bound) with new soil and lashings of fertilizer (fish poo) it is over to them. We concede that they do look a bit spaggy but hope springs eternal and after all they were cheap!!

Meantime more plants have arrived.