The first part of the summer here in the UK was completely miserable. Constant rain, no sunshine. Now it’s ridiculously sunny and warm. Don’t get me wrong – we’re loving it – but it’s just too warm to do any serious outdoor work… or a least that’s the excuse!
Our big garden wall project still hasn’t started and the raised bed that we’re building still isn’t quite complete (we’ll be sharing more on that later in the week).
This weekend we tried to at least make an effort to sort out the front garden. There are weeds growing everywhere, the path is dissolving and porch is falling away from the rest of the building. Basically it’s a mess.
Whilst we’re not even going to attempt sorting any of the major issues this year, we should really at least attempt to improve what we can, starting with this little garden bed right beside our front door.
Considering it’s right beside the main entrance to the house, it’s really not looking very inviting.
Just a few plants, a lot of weeding and a few hours of work later, this is what it looks like
It’s still a bit bare, but it’s definitely an improvement. Both of the shrubs that we’ve planted are evergreen, so they should give us some greenery there throughout the year. They should grow bigger and bushier quickly, so it hopefully won’t look so empty for too long.
The one at the front is an Euphorbia Silver Swan. Apparently it’s poisonous if eaten, but I think we’ll manage to control ourselves.
Our other new shrub is this Choisya ternate. It’s a really vibrant green and has white flowers in spring.
We’ve not bothered planting any colourful annuals, as it’s already quite late in the year and we didn’t think that it would be worth the investment.
Whilst it’s still a long way of being completed, we’ve at least made a start.
Looking at the improvement, I can’t believe we didn’t tidy it ages ago!
What we’re you up to this weekend? Have you also been working in the garden? Do you have any garden maintenance tips and tricks for us?
I think it looks good… are you worried that the Euphorbia Silver Swan might kill some cats or wayward dog if they decide to nosh on it? I like the color of the bush though.
Thanks! Is it that poisonous? Hmm. Most visiting cats tend to prefer using our back garden as a toilet, so I think they’ll be fine!
Cx
I love the power of small changes! It looks great! As for passing animals, poisonous plants abound in the wild, so survival of the fittest, I say.
Thanks Maura! I’d not even thought about animals in the wild, you’ve definitely made us feel a lot better about our choice of plant!
Cx
My little front garden is a mess and I don’t have your energy to tend to it for now. Cats usually know what to munch on, I wouldn’t worry. I have three cats and I had a euphorbia (though not silver) and they never touched it.
There’s still so much more to do in the garden. It’s really not big, but still takes up way to much of our time. Hopefully maintaining it will be a bit easier once we’ve finished the overhaul.
Cx