Yesterday was a rare break in the wet and windy weather of late with warmish sunshine, little breeze and a blue sky. So I took the opportunity of starting work on the front flower beds. You may remember that last summer I had a blitz on the back garden and the large shrubbery at the front but hadn't tackled the two beds by the front door. I wasn't happy with these, partly due to the choice of plants we'd inherited but also I've been fighting a losing battle against ground elder. Different ideas had been going through my head but I wasn't really happy with any of them. However during our trip to London last October we spent some time walking through the leafy streets of Wandsworth and Clapham looking at the Victorian and Edwardian townhouses and I realised that this was the answer, lose the flower beds and add formality to the scheme.
Although the house is on a country lane surronded by orchards it it quite formal in design as you can see from this photograph taken in last year's snow.
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| Nelson House |
So the decision has been made to dig up the flower beds, extend the paving by the front door and have two planters. A bit like this...
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| Via Pinterest |
or this...
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| Via Pinterest | | |
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or even this (although Andrew will kill me if I suggest more tiling!)
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| Via Pinterest |
Like all projects I've a long way to go as this was taken yesterday but at least I've started.
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| First steps |
It looks a good project. But please don't think you can avoid ground eldr by coming to France. It remains a constant battle.....
ReplyDeleteNot if I have a paved cortyard! Like you I think, I'm not a Brit who moves to France to buy a ramshackle farmhouse in the middle of nowhere with acres of land. I want a nice little townhouse with a courtyard or terrace, a few pots and a table to drink wine at!
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