From gloom to groomed: Side passageway transformation

So, the building work is over, the green roof is up and a transformation has taken place. True, my timing for the new planting that followed couldn’t have been worse – the driest spring on record ain’t great for a new green roof or border. The new widened flower border I’d been so excited about filling still looks drab and half-empty, despite splashing out what felt like a fortune on plants. The plus side of this is that I am enthusiastically embracing the idea of sowing perennials from seed – after all, if I can grow tomatoes, chillis, cardoons and lettuce that way, how much harder can it be to bring up heucheras, verbascums and echinops from seed And even if some of them fail, at £2-£3 a seed packet, it’s no great loss. Slower, yes, but I get more plants for my money, don’t add to my plastic pot collection and save on delivery charges (and transport costs).

So I’ve already pricked out some Verbascum Snow Maiden' for my gravelly front garden, and sowed echinops and cerinthe for the flower border: a packet of Tom Stuart-Smith’s favourite Cenolophium denudatum, plus a mixed packet of heucheras I picked up at Chelsea last year, some sedums for the bare-looking green roof and Verbascum ‘Silver Lining’ for the front garden all await attention.

The one part of the garden that I am most pleased with right now is the side passageway. It’s obvious from the picture below that it was an eyesore: ugly, weedy block paving, a grim fence and gate, and a set of wheelie bins completed the gloomy outlook. I know a lot of people don’t bother with an area like this, seeing it as a utilitarian area for storage, recycling and bikes. But that doesn’t make sense to me: it’s the first thing I see when I open my back door.

So the aims were simple: hide the bins, lighten up and green the space and make room for vertical plants. You can see what you think of the transformation in the pic above. The double wheelie bin cover is brilliant: at only £120 it’s fabulous value for money, and give you excellent access to your bins from the top and front. I stained it in Cuprinol Garden Shades ‘Seagrass’. I covered up the ugly fence and added an extra bit of privacy (who puts an open trellis panel right opposite the neighbour’s back door?) with reed screening from Wickes. The doors at the end lead to a storage space for bikes, DIY stuff, etc: all the stuff I don't want in my shed or in the house, effectively!

My other mission was to cover up as much of the pebbledash as possible (more visible in the pic looking from the other direction, below), so two lots of trellis should soon be covered by Clematis ‘Fragrant Oberon’ (so far, not living up to its name and a bit too understated even for my liking), and ‘Nelly Moser’ (romping away already), and Lonicera henryi. Plant-wise, I am slowly realising that I am no good at colour: or perhaps I should say, I am scared of colour. I chose Dicentra spectabilis ‘alba’ and now realise the carmine form would be far superior, for instance. I am going to steel myself to buy an eye-popping climbing rose for the fence in a bid to put things right – any suggestions? I still need more heucheras as ground cover (hence the sowing, above), and I am impatient for the Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ and Phyllostachys glauca to fill out, but the non-plant elements have done a lot to make things brighter.

The other thing I really like – and this is very sad I admit – is my hosepipe holder. Asking for two of these for my birthday confirmed my family’s view that I am irredeemably odd. They came from De Wiltfang and were recommended to me by someone on Twitter (thankyou, whoever you are) and are worth every penny as they are literally the only hosepipe holder I have ever come across that’s not ugly. And it’s these little details that make all the difference. All I need now is a replacement for my leaky dayglo-green hosepipe and cheap plastic fittings ...

Left on my to-do list are vine eyes and wire on the fence for the rose, a blackberry and the honeysuckle I’ve put in (is this a strange combination or a good idea?). I’d also like to have either a little set of white cast iron chairs and a table to go next to the wheelie bins, and if the budget ever allows a big mirror for the wall at the end. So, any thoughts people? All criticism welcome, encouraged, in fact.

Comments

[Deb]

Feels a bit strange me giving you advice but...well, if it were mine I'd have lots of herbs somewhere here. Course you may have another door to your kitchen so have these elsewhere. I'd also put one of those bistro table sets out there (that's whati plan to do down our side) and some scented plants near the bin, especially if you're going to put the table nearby (even if it is in your lovely bin store). And I'd add lots of pots of seasonal colour. Um. That's it! Xx

[twitter.com/stopwatchgarden]

If you're not anti-rhodo I'd put 2 in tubs, one at the wall opp back door, one next to door in the end wall, with slim wall mounted mirrors (try charity shop/freecycle) behind the rhodos, half concealed. Rhodos can be clipped to hug a wall and give such good big bulk for your buck. Put a chimonanthus near each and you'll get winter interest, height and (eventually) super scent in 2 areas that you'll value later on.

Eyepopping rose, hmmmmm. If you want red, the vivid reds are never scented enough for my taste, but etoille de holland is good, or for nonstop flowers try the unkillable tess of the durbervilles (some folks like its myrrh scent, I don't ). Personally I'd choose Zephyrine Drouhin as it'd tone well with slabs and wheelie bin cover (good strong pink), magNIFicent scent, doesn't mind being kept to 6ish feet if needed, and thornless is always easier in a passageway. Good luck! Great job so far.

(Btw if you long for scent & height toute de suite while other stuff fills out, pinch some nic. Sylvestris seedlings from a friend. I bet someone in freecycle has some going spare.)

Sheila Averbuch -- Stopwatch Gardener

[Anne Wareham]

In haste (so not thinking about planting but seed growing perennials is quite easy and encourages generosity in planting them - hopefully you'll get more than one of each!)

- just wanted to say that I think you may still get a very robust black hosepipe from Two Wests and Elliott - worth the extra cash because looks good and will last for ever.

XXXXX Anne

[Jane Perrone]

Deb, the bistro set's a must-have - they seem to be available pretty cheaply from Tesco and the like. Herbs are a good idea but it's quite shady so I'll have to be careful in my selection and I do have a herb bed near the patio which isn't far from the back of the house either but much sunnier.

Loving the charity shop mirror idea Sheila! NOt so keen on the rhodos though! I just planted a chimomanthus elsewhere by the patio - maybe I should get some cuttings off it now! In terms of the rose I've got for pot luck and picked up a non-labelled but allegedly pink climber at a plant sale - fingers crossed but I'll grub it out if it doesn't work!

Anne, as ever you are wise about the hosepipe - also desirous of one of those spray guns from Two Wests - that's my Christmas list sorted if I don't have the money to buy for myself before then!