The grass bank that bordered the front garden was very overgrown so we decided to clear it before it was too late. It would be a very messy job, so we wouldn't have been able to do it once the landscapers had laid the driveway gravel.
(I forgot to take a "before" picture, but this shot from several months earlier shows the bank covered in thick ivy, brambles and weeds)
As we cut away many years of overgrown weeds, we discovered an old slate wall hidden underneath. We had no idea it was there.
We used a pressure washer to blast away the last remaining plants. We made a few repairs here and there, but overall the wall was in reasonable condition.
The last part of the wall had been constructed out of quartz spar stones (presumably the original builders ran out of slate) which was a bit of a mismatch alongside the slate, but since both these materials had been used extensively throughout the garden it all tied in with the general feel.
Unfortunately as we moved closer to the house, the rest of the bank was just a messy tangle of weeds and rubble, with no nice walls hidden behind. To make the whole thing look a bit neater, we had arranged for the landscapers to build a fence.
The fence posts were cemented in place...
... and planks were cut to size and fitted.
We would be staining the fence at a later date.
Once the fence had been completed, the landscapers moved on to the planting.
We'd ordered a large amount of plants for the numerous flower beds and around the pond - around 300 plants in total. These were delivered and laid out in their pots ready for planting.
The first planting was done in the pond and around the pond shelves. The water was partially drained and water lillies and various oxygenating plants were planted around the fringes. The large yellow plant is a marsh marigold that came from our 'temporary' pond (the blue paddling pool in the corner of the picture).
Once the planting was complete, the pond could be refilled.
We couldn't wait to move the goldfish out of that blue monstrosity and into their new home. They were only supposed to be in the paddling pool for 6 months (see this post about when we moved them) - but ended up living in it for almost a decade!
Next the landscapers laid out the plants for the large flower bed that runs around the edge of the pond. Leaving them in their pots enabled the landscapers to move them around until they were in the right position.
Removed from their pots and planted into the topsoil, the new plants looked a little bit puny, but the landscapers assured us they would soon spring into life.
We're pleased that the pond was positioned close to the patio as it makes it much easier to feed the fish and observe them.
Finally a thick layer of mulch was added to the new flower bed. This helps boost soil nutrients, retain moisture and prevent weeds.
To the right of the pond, the new topsoil was rotorvated, levelled and new grass seeds were planted.
It was pleasing that there
was no sign that a house had ever stood there - we really didn't want any reminders of that place after all the trouble it had caused us.
We laid a slate border for the flower bed on the west side. An interesting selection of plants were housed in here, including Ceanothus, Orange Blossom, Salvia Hot Lips, Catmint, Daphne, a lilac shrub that we rescued from the original garden and a variety of heathers (to name a few).
As in all the beds, a layer of mulch added the finishing touch.
At the front of the house, we really needed to tackle the paintwork before the plants went in. Over the years, algae had caused the white paint to look very grimy, so we used a chemical product to kill the algae, followed a few weeks later by a thorough cleaning with a pressure washer.
As the picture shows, after the first application of the algae cleaner, the walls immediately looked cleaner.
After removing the grime, we found several hairline cracks in the render. We decided to repair these to prevent any water penetrating in future.
Using a multi-tool, we cut away all the loose render.
The section above the front porch was also pretty bad. It looks a bit brutal cutting everything back but we were confident that we could repair the holes reasonably well. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to repaint the walls before the planting, so that would have to be done afterwards.
The front garden planting completed. Grass seeds were also sown in the small rectangles either side of the path.
The 'half moon' flower bed includes Budleja, Heuchera, Silver Fern, Phormium, Helleborus and Sea of Blossom.
The 'tree' bed opposite includes 'Lambs Ears', Fatsia Japonica, Euphorbia Martinii, various Hydrangeas, Alchemilla mollis, etc.
The flower beds that flank either side of the path are relatively symmetrical. Unfortunately when pictured here, it was in the shade so doesn't show off the detail. (The repairs in the wall above can also be seen - we wanted them to dry out fully before repainting.)
The plants in these beds were chosen specifically for shady areas and shallow soil depth. They include Azaleas, rounded decorative Box Hedges, Campanulas, 'Sea Breeze', Liriope, more Heucheras and Schizostylis 'Pink Princess' and more.
The final task for the landscapers was to complete the driveway.
We used three lines of granite cobbles as a border and to help retain the gravel in the driveway.
The landscapers dug out a channel in the compacted hardcore and cemented the cobbles in place.
They were angled up slightly to try and prevent any gravel from getting dragged out onto the track every time a vehicle left.
Next we took delivery of the gravel - 7 tonnes of 20mm golden flint.
Once the lorry had delivered the gravel, the landscapers could lay the granite border at the other end of the driveway. (We didn't want a heavy dumper truck potentially damaging the new granite border so it made sense to wait until after the delivery).
The driveway completed. It looked a lot bigger than we'd imagined so would provide plenty of parking spaces.
The old wall we unearthed from the bank was a nice feature and contrasted well with the new golden gravel.
We intend to do something with the small triangular area at the end of the drive (far left in picture) but that can wait until a later date.
