To fence or not to fence

I’m in a quandry.  The chestnut fencing that separates the barn garden from the pool bank is falling apart.

If you look on the far right close to the barn, you can see the sagging fence.  If I’m not careful the whole part of the garden will sink onto the terrace below.

And I am more than over repairing damage on this farm. I feel I have done nothing else for the past six months.

I have more chestnut fencing – ten metres in fact – and just one metre high. It is the same as the fencing that protects the potager from deer.

The plan is to place it as close to the top of the bank as possible to give a more even horizontal as you look up to the garden above.

I have put up the fence posts this evening.  Only two of the six actually hammered into something solid.  The rest are on solid rock. Eek.

I placed them two metres apart and have to get some help with carrying the enormously heavy roll into position. (I think I will cut it into bits and reassemble.)

But it’s not going to be easy. First I’m going to have to get the uprights sorted. And then lever some super nasty boulders out the way.  And then of course, if I actually get the fence up, does it go on the top or the lower side of the poles? And I’ll have to cut all the narrow fencing slats (chestnut) to size so that some will go over the boulders. But all sit on a perfect level that won’t detract from the view.

Sigh. Why on earth do I think up these schemes?

And here’s a part of the garden you rarely see.  This is the potting shed bank.

My trial beds.  This was and is a very bare bank which is on rock. There are just a few inches of soil held in place with chestnut logs.  I’ve managed to create three beds on one side (under a cherry and chestnut tree so it’s well shaded) and five on the other.

These are the shade beds. And I cram in all sorts of plants here that have to fight it out to thrive. Lots of sedums and shade tolerant santolinas which I hope will take over the place.  But for now there are also monardas, geums, agastaches (Korean mint), geraniums, self sown honesty, ditto euphorbias, and a dozen more plants I can’t think about right now.

The beds in the sun are the toughest part of the whole garden.  I can’t do the twice weekly deep watering method I do elsewhere as there is just no depth to the soil for the roots to sink to.  So the plants that survive and thrive are exceptional.

The usual supsects are here – gaura, verbena, sedums, irises, but I’ve also managed to get marjoram, phlox, peonies, centranthus ruber, hemerocallis, rosemary and lychnis to thrive.

Well, maybe not thrive. The sedums don’t romp away, but they are utterly drought resistant.

It needs a bit more weeding. And I’d love to mulch it properly so I don’t have to weed again this year.  If anyone is driving by with about twenty sacks of cheap mulch, feel free to drop it off.