The excitement never starts

[hirez]

When you've been given secateurs and a bowsaw for Christmas presents, every problem looks like about five minutes hack and slash followed by several hours standing in the cold cutting up the bits of ex-shrub so they'll fit into the council-supplied brown bags.

Somewhere there's probably a picture of the place looking less like a bomb-site (You can tell it's a bomb-site because there's a Buddleia in the corner) and more like a garden, but for now you'll have to look at the 'after' picture.

The 'after' in this case is 'after being largely ignored for several years it's well past time to violently cut all the shrubs back, given some of them were full of dead bits; grub out as much of the ivy as possible; give the clothesline a going-over with a tin of Hammerite and generally have a bit of a tidy-up.

The thing is that I'm not a fan of formal gardens; I like the things to look as if the human bits are there on sufferance. It's just taken me a while to work out that even (especially, in some ways) an informal garden needs an amount of work.

Elsewhere, the splendid types at posteverything.com were good enough to prod me when vols 1 to 4 of the Sub Rosa 'Anthology of noise and electronic music' returned to stock. Since I can't afford to buy everything they carry, I mention them here so y'all may go to them for all your music-based Skronk, Fleem and Argle needs.

Comments

[jendama.livejournal.com]

Oh my. You did go to town on your shrubs!

Based on the way that it appears you've cut them, don't be surprised if they grow back in thicker form. Some shrubs just love to be pruned. Same goes for your Hydrangea/Hortensia in front.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

That's more or less the plan. I'd let them all get stupidly tall. If the buggers die off, then I can maybe replace them with something that fruits.

[nemesis-to-go.livejournal.com]

Is it me, or are there three layers of boundary fencing between you and your neighbour's patch - all of which seem to have been installed, Iron Curtain-style, from your neighbour's side?

Interestingly enough, if it is possible for you to remove the brick wall and smaller fence you could then make the tall fence the de facto boundary line. If your neighbours don't notice raise no objection for 12 years, under the law of adverse posession (aka squatter's rights) the de facto boundary becomes the de jure boundary, and you will gain ownership of the strip of land thus created. Hey presto! Umpteen square feet of extra garden space, at no cost to you!

[hirez.livejournal.com]

It's odd. Both sides have installed extra fencing like that. I suspect on the one side because they couldn't be arsed with hoiking out the older, ivy-ridden fence and on the other because they've small children.

Or because, y'know, big fences keep them gothics out.

[drpete.livejournal.com]

They won't die - shrubs never do. They'll sprout again in a few months and grow back bushier.

Strange about the 3 fences though. Paranoia is them?

[red-mel.livejournal.com]

I have a similar plan for next Sunday. Well it involves a chainsaw, rotivator and a large bonfire. I do love it that me Da has all the kit I could ever need for destruction and reconstruction.

get some rasberry bushes they need very little care. I've put some in with our blackberries.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

If the stuff in the raised bed between the pond and the utility room doesn't survive, raspberries it shall be.