Last year we decided to make some big changes in our garden in the layout and the planting. The focus was, and remains, on planting a specimen garden for herbs – a natural thing for an herbalist like me to want - but we also needed more space to grow vegetables and better sitting areas. The garden is an important part of our b&b in Alnwick and one that we want to share with our guests to provide a relaxing oasis in the centre of town. Before we changed the garden, it was pleasant enough, but we knew it could be improved. On the left is the garden before we changed it.
So many people are surprised when they walk through our guest house and round the side of the cottage to find such a spacious garden. We are fortunate that the garden is so sheltered with a high stone wall around it and bathes in the sun (when it’s shining) for much of the day and evening. Even with the shelter in the garden, this year got off to a very slow start with a long winter and very late frosts.
The raised bed area, where we grow our vegetables, salad leaves and herbs for breakfasts is one that has excited a lot of comment and interest from our guests. With 2 beds, each laid out in an ‘L’ shape and nested together, it is a very easy area to garden, weed and harvest from. The coriander and chervil, after a slow start, have burgeoned, the radishes are doing well. It doesn’t look as though we’ll have any peas or mange touts this year, though, as the family of sparrows and blue tits that live in the garden have eaten all the emerging shoots. We also have a resident blackbird that follows us around the garden hoping for (and usually getting) easy food from our weeding and digging.
The old dense and dark leylandii hedge has gone, thankfully, and the garden now seems incredibly more spacious with a lot more light. We replaced the leylandii with a natural mixed hedging to encourage wildlife so it includes cramp bark, hawthorn, holly, dog rose and common buckthorn. It’s still in its infancy, but is growing very well and won’t be long before it screens the car park of our guest house from the garden. I imagine the birds will enjoy the berries in the autumn.
You can see just how much growth has happened over the past 2 months from these pictures – one was taken in late April and the other this week.
So many people are surprised when they walk through our guest house and round the side of the cottage to find such a spacious garden. We are fortunate that the garden is so sheltered with a high stone wall around it and bathes in the sun (when it’s shining) for much of the day and evening. Even with the shelter in the garden, this year got off to a very slow start with a long winter and very late frosts.
The raised bed area, where we grow our vegetables, salad leaves and herbs for breakfasts is one that has excited a lot of comment and interest from our guests. With 2 beds, each laid out in an ‘L’ shape and nested together, it is a very easy area to garden, weed and harvest from. The coriander and chervil, after a slow start, have burgeoned, the radishes are doing well. It doesn’t look as though we’ll have any peas or mange touts this year, though, as the family of sparrows and blue tits that live in the garden have eaten all the emerging shoots. We also have a resident blackbird that follows us around the garden hoping for (and usually getting) easy food from our weeding and digging.
The old dense and dark leylandii hedge has gone, thankfully, and the garden now seems incredibly more spacious with a lot more light. We replaced the leylandii with a natural mixed hedging to encourage wildlife so it includes cramp bark, hawthorn, holly, dog rose and common buckthorn. It’s still in its infancy, but is growing very well and won’t be long before it screens the car park of our guest house from the garden. I imagine the birds will enjoy the berries in the autumn.
You can see just how much growth has happened over the past 2 months from these pictures – one was taken in late April and the other this week.
The raised beds in April (left) and June (right), with mullein in the foreground.
