Tag Archives: flower beds

Garden update

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As the heat of summer begins to fade and the first signs of autumn appear I can finally sit back and appreciate what’s been achieved in the garden these past four months.

It has been a battle (albeit a fun battle) to tame the weeds in the roundabout and in the gravel on the front drive… but I’ve finally cracked it; a mixture of brute force, hand weeding, spraying and mulching means I can finally put the iris rhizomes back. See the before and after shots below:

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Then there was the lawn which needed cutting weekly, the edges strimming, the privet hedge which looked better once nicely trimmed, roses to deadhead, containers and flower beds that needed to be weeded, as well as shrubs in need of shaping. And let’s not forget all those fruits and vegetables that needed tending (although not watering – fortunately).

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The tasks were endless but the result is now worth all of the effort as I look out of the front door across the garden and into the countryside beyond.

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However, there is still one major task that I’ve been saving until last… clearing/opening out the pond area and cleaning the pond itself. But that’s for another post since it’s going to be a bit of a mission! SCH

Compost bins from used wooden pallets

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We finally decided on a site for the new compost bins at Le Manoir Saint Gervais: alongside a boundary wall that gets equal sun and shade throughout the day. It will be easy enough to reach while been relatively hidden from the main part of the garden. Longer-term we hope to plant a line of vines to divide the ‘working’ part of the garden from the main grassed area.

Neighbours renovating a barn across the road very kindly provided five wooden pallets otherwise destined for the local tip. These were large, solid pallets ideal for creating two side-by-side compost bins. First we placed two against the wall ensuring adequate ventilation before adding a central divide and two ends. Next we tied all of the wooden pieces together with plastic-coated garden wire before moving the contents of a temporary compost heap to the left hand ‘bin’.

We have a small lidded compost bin in the kitchen which we have been filling religiously with vegetable peelings, egg shells, old cut flowers, etc. – basically anything that can be composted. The plan is to empty it into the new compost bin every couple of days along with any soft foliage from the garden (i.e. leafy and not too woody). In a few months time, when that bin is full, I will cover it with dark plastic sheeting and leave the worms to work their magic. By spring next year we will have fantastic home-made compost ready for digging into the vegetable, herb and flower beds. SCH

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