The oak bank completed

Well, all gardeners know there is no such thing as a completed garden design. But I took one last look at this challenging oak bank area above the courtyard and thought ‘job done’.

It has taken about four months to settle on the design. I have weeded, added soil, dug out more weeds, set out the narrow beds, planted out gaura and eragrostis grasses;  mulched the area in between the beds with grass cuttings, weeded some more, mulched all the planted areas and watered it all in.

I’m excited to see if it works.  This is dry and exposed to full sun and very thin on soil.

Artur loves to come up here as he can survey the entire courtyard and keep an eye on me. Or in this case, sleep deeply in the grass on the edge of the bank. Until he realises he is wearing a fur coat and he is in the full blazing sunshine and staggers off to the shade.

I had just enough compost to finish mulching the new mini asparagus bed I created on my side of the top potager. 

This one won’t be ready for two years yet, but thank goodness the large asparagus bed spears are starting to emerge.  If I had five more sacks of compost I would have mulched the main bed as well.  But naturally one is always about five sacks short. I am sure you are as sick of hearing that as I am lamenting.  But there comes a time when you have to say enough.