Blitz

After months of weekend work I've finally managed to finish the main part of my garden renovations. The last major phase - pouring a crushed limestone path - was completed on Saturday, and I spent Sunday replanting the plants, clearing the debris and adding the finishing touches.


The original garden was more a creation of luck than design, with a pointless path edged with random plants. It accentuated the inelegant nature of the extensions built by the previous owners, and bore no relation to the shape or spaces of the house.





Stage One was the deck, which defines the space outside the extension and creates a visual destination (and a nice spot to sit under a new wisteria trellis). I considered building the deck myself, but I eventually decided that it was a little beyond my abilities and paid someone else to do it. And I'm glad I did, as he did an excellent job with a level of finish that I never could have achieved.





Stage Two was the gravel court, edged with recycled red brick pavers and framed with raised limestone garden beds, which echoes the size and shape of the living room windows and provides a formality that suits the space.





The quartet of lilly pillys screens the garage and provides a backdrop to the court. Once they are established they'll be clipped into an aerial hedge, underplanted with clivias.





Now all that I have to do is wait for Spring to launch the plants back into life... and turn my attention to the arboreal trainwreck that is the rest of the garden. Dammit.