Nearly finished garden

So, here is the (nearly finished) back garden. 

After our building work our garden was left looking like this. 

Over the past 2 years, I have worked to make it a bit better.  I hired some local landscapers in to lay the paving (not for me!) and Master Clicky has helped if he hasn't been playing cricket/sleeping/socialising/going to work.  We started with the patio area.  As there are some level changes we needed to make the corner slightly higher.  Master Clicky cut up wooden sleepers the correct length with the circular saw, he does it as I really don't like the circular saw. I painted all the bits of sleepers black. 

I dug trenches and holes and we mixed cement. 

We started to cement.

We worked our way around the  patio area.

I carried on digging trenches and turned up a huge piece of concrete curbstone.

The dog promptly lay in the hole I had just made to cool down.

I carried on around the edge of the border, digging, cutting, painting and cementing the sleepers in.

As well as height changes in the garden the cherry tree is a bit of a problem because over the years the soil has settled and the roots are very near the surface, therefore I built a 'box' around the tree which sits on the surface, not damaging any roots.  The wood border carries on to a second smaller patio.

I spent a lot of time and effort levelling and removing stones from the lawn area - see my 'I hate Cotswold Stone' post a couple of months back.

The turf arrived, of course, 5pm one hot and airless evening.

There was nothing for it but to get to work.  Master Clicky couldn't help 'because I've got cricket nets Mum.'  I worked until it was dark and I couldn't see anymore.

I finished off the next day, and after a week it looked like this.

I found some bargain £2 grasses at a local garden centre and planted the bed by the tree; taller plants through the grass.

I particularly love the pink Echinacea.

The raised bed by the washing line is really establishing itself.

On the other side of the house the side return had become a general dumping area.  The problem here is that the foundations of the wall mean there is nothing to plant into.  Yep, you've guessed it, more raised beds.

This time I used the sleepers horizontally.  There was a lot of trial and error here, finding the level was probably the hardest bit.  Master Clicky worked on his woodshed at the same time.

When I decided that all was correct, I painted the sleepers black, cemented the uprights in and screwed the sleepers to them.

I wheelbarrowed a tonne of topsoil and a tonne of pea shingle into the new bed.

I was inspired by a white garden that Mr Clicky and me saw at the Chicago Botanic Garden last summer so I am going for the white look.

When it was first planted it was looking a bit sparse

but it is filling out more now.

With the addition of the path, it's looking good.

There's still a few slabs to go down on the patio and hopefully the landscapers will be back soon, although I won't be enjoying the garden for a while, as I am now in Chicago with Mr Clicky for several months.  It has been hard leaving the Little and Baby Needles' but Mr C and I need to spend some time together.   I worked out we've only spent 4 months of the last 18 in the same country, so we need to remedy that. 

There's always video calls to catch up with everyone.  With 30 degree heat here most of the time, you'll find me by the pool............

Bye for now...Clicky Needles.