Sunday, April 11, 2010

Gravel garden gets going



For those of you who were wondering when and where I was going to plant all those little plants I had delivered from Filippi, here is the answer - at long last.
I did not manage to get many of them into the ground before winter and in the end perhaps best so because several of them suffered very badly in the severe winter and especially with the snow. So lots of them spent the winter under a layer of 'fleece' outside the front door. I had thought to plant them in the terraces above the pond but they look so small and vulnerable that it seemed cruel to cast them out into the wilderness. So my vivaista suggested we put them right next to the house where I can give them the care and attention that they deserve. Thus was born the idea of a new Gravel Garden. It is intended as a 'soft' alternative to paving around the entrance to the steps and terrace behind the house. It is an area where I had so far made no progress largely because the ground there is mostly rubble and concrete left by the previous owners. The vivaista's team brought a little excavator and dug some irregular shaped holes and took away the rubble. Then they delivered some dry sandy earth to fill them and we put a few marker stones around the perimeters to show where to plant. But once the plants have got going them we will cover the whole area with large smooth gravel and - I hope - the path through this area will be defined in terms of groups of plants.
Well I put in about 60 plants and - it looks like nothing at all. It needs at least another 30 before it will be anywhere near enough even though this is a small area. This garden can eat three Shredded Wheats.
Y

2 comments:

Sheila said...

It is hard to turn a large space into a garden because of the sheer volume of plants needed to make an impact! But they will grow, be patient!

chaiselongue said...

That will be great when it matures and Filippi is the best place to get the plants.

Re your comment on my post: my recipe for ragout d'escoubille is on my food blog - http://mediterranean-cuisine.blogspot.com/2009/02/ragout-d_12.html - the recipe can be varied (and often is). You can use pieces of pork as well as sausage and many people add chicken livers and giblets which makes a lovely thick sauce