Four months after we arrived, spring's almost finished and we're beginning to see the garden unfold. The lawn's looking a bit greener since we had it scarified, though it's still patchy and I've spent hours removing the weeds by hand.
Last Friday we had Peter the gardener around for a chat. Peter's been looking after this garden for some time, so he knows its history. Apparently that path led to a bird table which eventually became unsafe and had to be removed. To the left of the path was a huge flower bed filled with roses but completely over-run with weeds and grasses which was eventually filled in with turf. The trees at the back are a laburnham and a crab apple tree, though you can hardly make the apple tree out for that massive gum tree behind it. The apple has just finished blossoming. You can't eat crab apples, only make chutneys and sauces with them, which is a shame (why plant a crab apple tree? plant an apple tree!).
We've got to wait for the hedges to finish flowering then he'll come back and shape them all for us (we tried it ourselves but couldn't reach the top - no idea how Peter will reach and he's not giving anything away when we ask - extending trousers perhaps). The grass to the right of the path will be removed and turned into a barked children's play area for the dreaded trampoline/swing/slide combination. It's hardly what I'd choose for the garden but there's enough garden left so that it won't have too huge an impact and after all, the kids were the reason we wanted this garden. Still in denial about the trampoline though....
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