Building a wall around a tree

[andersonec]

Hi Andy.

It's obvious that you were in the trade when I see the pic of your beautiful garden. If you have 6 months spare, there's one here desperately needs some tlc :lol:

This is my 7th house. At all the others I managed to create really nice gardens, but not this one and I've been here 25 years Just can't find the time. A decent bit of land at around 1.3 acres but it takes me all my time to cut the grass these days and 4 days to cut the hedges as well #-o
It's on my "to do when retired" list along with all the other stuff :?

I grew bonzai for about 15 years. Everything from seed, seedlings from the wild to small shrubs from the nurseries. Tried all sorts and gave most away but kept 3 really nice specimens until my neighbour managed to "kill" them when we were in South Africa which sickened me off. I still have some of the books and a few tools and pots so you never know!

I absolutely agree, everyone should be educated in the art of root and branch pruning and read the basics of plant needs for good health.
Far too many healthy plants end up dead due to under / over watering / feeding by people who can't be bothered to educate themselves!

Hope you enjoyed your beer - my (2) were delicious :lol:

Bob

Bob,

With a plot that size you must go the trees and shrubs route, you could have a small perennial section near the house but for ease of maintenance, trees and shrubs. you could start now with the trees which will take a few years to get going then add the shrubs as and when, check sizes and put the largest at the back and make sure they are close enough together to form a 'canopy' no daylight to the soil means no weed seeds can germinate, make sure you get plants for your soil type, I am on pot makers clay here. Buy bare-root trees from a grower in Feb/March.
Don't go to garden centres, find a wholesale nursery/grower and find someone with some headed notepaper, or print some yourself (after all, you have just started a garden maintenance business :lol: ) open an account and buy from them, save yourself 75/80%.

Oh and make sure you have some seats and a beer storage area away from the house.


Andy

 

[Lons]

Hi Andy

We have a garden centre 5 minutes away where the wife buys bits and bobs but never garden plants. The guy who set up the company lives in the village and recently sold it to a Scottish chain and retired with his £millions. He's a great bloke and deserves it but I won't pay the inflated prices charged 'cos I'm a tight git :lol:

I've used a couple of nurseries trade and earlier this year bought 200 hedging plants from an Irish on-line dealer and every plant is healthy and growing.

I gravelled most of the front a few years ago as we couldn't look after it and the paddock is just grass (well cut), hedges and trees and a pond, 4m x 3.5m shed, piles of stone and building materials much to my wifes disgust
We have around 30 trees of various ages I suppose even after felling 7.

We may want to downsize when we retire but it's not impossible we could get permission to build on the paddock bit which would be a dream for us really as the area is very flat and a blank canvas.

you'll see what I mean from these pics.

Bob

 

[dickm]

Hi Andy

We have around 30 trees of various ages I suppose even after felling 7.

Was listening to one of the gardening programmes while we lived in our last house with about a third of an acre garden. One of the presenters said he felt he had overdone the trees in his garden because he had 42. I gave up counting on our plot when I got to 43.................

But that was in the south east of England, where there weren't b****y roe deer everywhere determined to eat anything that emerges from the soil and isn't protected by a barbed wire enclosure 5 feet high

 

[andersonec]

Hi Andy
We may want to downsize when we retire but it's not impossible we could get permission to build on the paddock bit which would be a dream for us really as the area is very flat and a blank canvas.
Bob

Bob,
Plant it up with Black Walnut/ Sycamore or any other fairly quick growing timber you think will be sought after, put a covenant on it and use it as the kids inheritance or, turn it into a wild flower meadow or, get planning for five houses, sell the plots individually and move to Florida

But that was in the south east of England, where there weren't b****y roe deer everywhere determined to eat anything that emerges from the soil and isn't protected by a barbed wire enclosure 5 feet high

Never heard of Venison then Dick?

Andy

 

[dickm]

Never heard of Venison then Dick?

You bet! At least eating it gives me the feeling of getting revenge on the species, if not the individual. Sadly, we don't have the sightline to shoot the little b*****ds.
Slightly seriously, has anyone tried using a double fence to keep them out? For road safety reasons, we can't put a 6 foot fence up, so was wondering whether two 4 foot fences a yard apart might work.