The Garden in April

Today was Day 1 of sorting out the garden and M was here bright and early to start work. The next two photos show the garden at the start.

M's plan was to sort through all the pots from my previous garden and empty the ones containing last years annuals, saving the soil from each pot to be used as necessary elsewhere in the garden. The perennials will stay in the pots for now until the new flower beds are ready and then they will be transferred. The empty pots are being stored in the garage for the time being until I decide what to do with them. The aim is to make this garden as easy as possible to manage, so I'm not planning to have any potted plants dotted about, but the situation may change if I'm let loose in a garden centre on my own!!

She also cut the lawn so she could see exactly what she was dealing with. Then she laid the hose out to mark the line of the new lawn and flower bed shapes. I want the lawn to reach the fence so I can lean on the fence to take some photos of the stream without needing to navigate the steps - I can't manage that without help so the new lawn shape will give me a degree of independence.

The old lawn was edged with red bricks so they have been lifted and stacked at the side of the garage. I doubt they will be used in the new design garden, but I will keep them for now, just in case they are needed. The holes in the lawn have been filled with topsoil and some grass seed scattered about so the risk of a twisted ankle is vastly reduced and it will at least look green, if not up to bowling green standard. Ideally I'd like to re-turf the lawn, but I need to keep the costs down so this is the best option for now.

That's as far as she got today. We both have homework to do until she comes back in a fortnight. Niall has to check that the seeded areas stay damp and spray with water as necessary - that's why the hose marking the new lawn shape had to be removed and fixed to the outdoor tap, and bricks placed to mark the lawn! My homework is to decide where I want all the potted perennials to be planted next time she is here. I think I have the easier task!