72 Penland Road

Our garden is now in its third year after The Great Makeover and is really starting to fill out and look fab! We've lived here for 18 years and although I did my best the garden was always a bit scruffy and random. Once the dog and the trampoline arrived, well, bye-bye any hopes of a lovely space. In winter it looked decidedly sad. Something had to be done!

So along came the lovely Greg Hearne and dug it all up...

listened to my ideas, looked at my drawings, didn't suck his teeth and got cracking...

and voila! A month later a beautiful blank canvas...

The best bit was being able to plant it up from scratch. I saved a few old favourites like the Arum lilies that were here when we moved in, a few hostas and a very long suffering Nelly Moser clematis, but otherwise I had free rein. I had to be very strict with myself as it's only a small garden!

Looking a bit bare in the first year. Stella, our dog, couldn't believe her luck - beautiful new turf to lounge around on (and then pee on and kill, but that's another story!)

I didn't have to wait too long for things to get going though. My little prairie patch came on very quickly, as did the planting round the pond.

The pond has been my favourite part of the garden and I have spent many happy hours watching my fish - until the heron gobbled them up! I should have put some protection over. However every cloud has a silver lining and they left some babies behind!

I'm hoping this year is going to be better than ever, in spite of the very wet winter. The gravel area is starting to look great and my Dr Ruppel (bought from Rapkyn's at Lisa's) is magnificent.

I hope you have enjoyed having a little peak at my garden - it has given me hours of joy. I will leave you with a picture of my favourite plant, an unknown aquilegia (I lost the label!)