Ivydene Gardens Case Studies:
Case 2 - 1/3 Hour a Week for My Back Garden

My back garden is a mess, not having been correctly maintained for a long time.

Wild rabbits have a burrow under a large area of privet by the patio and together with the moles use the existing lawn for food.

Before the back garden can be reconstructed, it is neccessary to create a garden that can be maintained in one hour a week by converting most of it into a lawn.

Thus, if there is any extra time left free during a week besides the maintenance time required for mowing the lawn, weeding the beds or pruning the shrubs, maintaining the front and vegetable gardens, then part of that construction can take place.

The privet was trimmed without disturbing the rabbits. The shrubs were pruned, prunings shredded and used as a mulch round the shrubs. The lawn was mown and scarified to remove its thatch and moss. The weeds and their roots removed to create a mulch under the shrubs/trees at the end of the garden. The mounds had been formed from the topsoil, subsoil and concrete excavated from the foundations for the new garage. These mounds were weeded and raked over to create a surface suitable to be mown as a lawn, before the lawnseed was spread on top and onto the existing lawn.

 

Ivydene Horticultural Services logo with I design, construct and maintain private gardens. I also advise and teach you in your own garden. 01634 389677

Ivydene
Horticultural
Services

As an Organic Gardener, I design, construct and maintain private gardens. I can also advise and teach you in your own garden.

01634 389 677
chris@ivydenegardens.co.uk
 

 

Site design and content copyright ©December 2006 Chris Garnons-Williams.

DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site.  

 

red leaves picture

Most of the plants in red on this Current Design that I planted 16 years ago have survived neglect to the present day. The Acer Griseum died last year and the root crown of one Weigelia has rotted, so I have now removed it.

 

Current Design

Back Garden Current Design plan

Due to the fact that wild rabbits moved into this back garden and the vegetable garden in 2002, this proposed structural design may need revising, due to the fact that we are fond of wildlife - moles tunneling in the lawn and rabbits mowing the lawn ( I have still not managed to train them to eat the grass in straight lines!!).

 

Proposed Design Structural Design of June 2001

Back Garden Proposed Structural Design plan

Looking down the garden before maintenance work starts.

 

homeback 1 looking down the garden before maintenance work starts

Looking down the garden after lawn mowed and scarified, beds weeded and pruned, followed by lawn seed on lawn and beds.

homeback 2 looking down garden after maintenance work done

Looking back at the house before maintenance work starts.

 

homeback 3 looking back at house before maintenance work done

Looking back at the house after lawn mowed and scarified, beds weeded and pruned, followed by lawn seed on lawn and beds.

 

homeback 4 looking back at house after maintenance done

Pruning an overgrown buddlea.

 

homeback 5 pruning an overgrown buddlea

Pruned an overgrown buddlea globosa with grapevine retied to it. THe prunings have been shredded and placed round the base before covering it with grass mowings and scarified grass.

 

homeback 6 overgrown buddlea globosa pruned and grapevine tied to it

Stinging nettle roots on ground surface.

 

homeback 7 stinging nettle roots in ground

Stinging nettle removed with its roots.

 

homeback 8 stinging nettle removed with its roots