FALL AN IDEAL TIME FOR A LANDSCAPING PROJECT
... But I’d forgotten how much hard work it can be
It all started when my wife Loraine said she wanted better access to one of the more congested flower beds in our garden.
She didn’t like that there were no stepping stones or a simple little path. And she also said how “scrappy” the border had become, with a hodgepodge of shrubs and mishmash of perennials, all of which were mostly unspectacular specimens.
I agreed to take up the challenge and do a complete makeover, re-landscaping the entire border from top to bottom, or rather side to side, since it is 3.5 metres x 12 metres (around 11 feet x 39 feet) and runs perpendicular to the house in a northsouth direction.
What I wasn’t expecting was to be reminded of just how much hard work landscaping can be. I had forgotten how much heavy lifting you have to do, even on a relatively small project — how much back-breaking digging and raking, dragging and cutting, bending and stretching ... and so much kneeling.
Autumn is the perfect time to do a landscape project. I always think of it as the second spring — the second major window of opportunity to get trees, shrubs and perennials planted (or lifted and relocated), and also the perfect time to install new foundational structures such as walls and fences, arches and arbours.
I started my project at the beginning of September. My first task was to remove the hodgepodge of unwanted perennials, including established clumps of autumn monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii) and Campanula latifolia alba, along with carpets of bigfoot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum Bevan’s Variety) and a smattering of euphorbia, viola and astilbe. Some of these plants, such as the hardy geraniums, were recycled elsewhere in the garden.
In the centre of the border is a large Amur maackia (Maackia amurensis) tree, something I picked up years ago on the Sunshine Coast. This had to stay, but since I needed more light for the border, I carefully removed a few selected low-hanging branches. This involved a fair amount of sawing and cutting.
I also decided to retain a lovely lime green Nandina domestica growing next to the maackia, because it looks calm and green and would fit in nicely with the new predominantly green-on-green theme I was planning to install. I also did extensive pruning of New Dawn roses and purple clematis along a fence, as well as cutting back a large, overgrown butterfly bush and scrawny white French lilac.
Once all this was done, the whole border needed to be dug deeply from one end to the other. As I went, I lifted scores of bulbs planted over the years — alliums, muscari, scilla and narcissus. I collected them all and set them to one side in a large bin for replanting later.
I expected the digging to be the easy part. I love digging. It comes easy to me. I come from generations of Derbyshire coal miners, so digging is in my DNA. I’m sure when Capability Brown re-landscaped the grounds at Chatsworth House, my ancestors were employed to dig and move hills from here to there.
My little border, however, was not easy to dig because I quickly discovered all sorts of roots from an old birch tree that used to grow in the neighbour’s yard. All these roots had to be removed, which meant getting down on my knees and working with a reciprocating saw. It was exhausting, but eventually I got the job done and finished the first stage of digging.
The next task was to take away all the unwanted plants and leafy detritus, which involved piling it onto a tarp and dragging the tarp to a truck to take to the recycling dump. If you’ve never done this, you have no idea how much energy this seemingly simple task requires.
Since Loraine wanted better access to the border, I decided to install two paths of rectangular pavers placed at right angles into the border, putting everything within easy reach for future weeding and pruning. I picked Newcastle Black pavers and brought them home. Lifting them into the car, out of the car and into the garden again took lots of stacking and carrying muscle power. How grateful I was to have a little hand-truck.
Getting the pavers placed correctly took a couple of days. It first involved picking up heavy bags of sand and crushed rock for tamping as a base. Then came the slow process of placing and levelling each individual slab of stone.
Once the paths were done, I brought in dozens of bags of Sea-Soil to replenish and rejuvenate the existing soil. This mix is ideal for adding new life to old soil. It was easy to distribute, and having already dug the area once, it was fairly effortless to work in and rake the ground level.
I also decided to take the opportunity to install a metal arch to give better definition to this corner of the garden. I ordered a dark green Kensington arch for about $200 and it was delivered a few days later and was easy to assemble.
The next step was to replant with an emphasis on hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, hostas, bigfoot geraniums and a generous sprinkling of spring and summer flowering bulbs. For this, I decided to recycle various plants from other, less high-profile, parts of the garden.
I lifted and moved four hydrangeas. These were easy to dig and lift and replant. The same was true for the rhododendrons; they were relatively easy to dig and lift and carry.
However, the hostas — a mix of beefy, blue leafed cultivars and white-flowered, yellow leafed varieties — were problematic because they had been growing for years in containers, some of which were barrel- shaped with small openings. Getting the hostas out of these containers was very tricky, especially since I didn’t want to slice the plants or break the container.
It was not a pretty picture seeing me wrestle with these irritatingly stubborn, immovable objects. Still, I triumphed without doing injury to plants, pots or myself. Lifting these heavy hostas into place and ensuring the depth and width of holes was precise involved an unexpected amount of effort and more muscle strength.
Loraine came out to check that I was still alive once in a while. “Just checking,” she’d say, looking down at my hot and flushed face. And then she would go back indoors and leave me to it.
My last phase on this project was to reintroduce the scores of lifted spring- and summerflowering bulbs — lilies, bluebells, narcissus, grape hyacinths, alliums, camassias, crocus and snowdrops.
I also seized the opportunity to add new bulbs — hyacinths, fragrant daffodils and more crocus and English bluebells — which again involved a fair amount of bending and digging. As English writer Rudyard Kipling once said, “half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees.”
Since then, I have planted a new clematis against the arch and added a couple more rhododendrons. In spring, I will reassess the overall scheme and make some more adjustments.
Anyway, I’m hoping Loraine likes the improved access.
Loraine came out to check that I was still alive once in a while. “Just checking,” she’d say, looking down at my flushed face.