This is another “Before and After” post, this time of a corner in my garden I’ve never shown or written about before on here. The reason is that I was never very proud of this area. Correction, I was actually very embarrassed because even after the makeover it looked kinda sad. Unfortunately it was one of those spots that was so bad that I don’t even have any “before-before” photos to show … it was a mess of ivy. That’s all that was there. Ivy. Ivy in the bed, ivy all over the walls, there was so much ivy we couldn’t open the door!
This is the top corner of my back garden bed. During the big makeover that happened here in August last year I stubbornly insisted that the ivy should stay on the wall. I don’t like looking at walls. And I really didn’t want to see this wall because I knew what it looked like underneath all the ivy. But seeing how great everything else in the bed was doing I finally decided to pull down some of the ivy. Once I started I couldn’t stop and finally I had it all off. I have a lovely guy who comes in whenever I need help with painting and he painted the wall and now …
Well I’m starting to love this area of the garden (click to enlarge the photographs).
[one_half]Taken in January 2011 
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[one_half_last]Taken on 5 March 2011
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What we have here is a Silver Birch, my embattled Lemon tree that’s making a slow recovery, two other trees (sorry, don’t know what they are). Lots of Agapanthus and Dietes, Mona Lavender with Carex Evergold and plectranthus madagascariens as ground cover. Up against the wall to the left are Viburnum tinus “Lucidum” and we have some Azaleas and small Camellias here too. We still have some bare patches here and there but they are slowly filling up and I can now see that it will, in time, look lovely.
Happy gardening
xxx
8 replies on “Another Before and After Post”
This area of your garden is really starting to have a really nice feel. I love the silver birch and I know your lemon tree will come right! It’s the beautiful ground cover that makes it all so inviting!! And you were right to remove the ivy – it is too overwhelming. I like the clean space now.
I think March has already arrived at lovely ;~)
Looking quite nice!
Hi Christine, i am new here, i love the before and after title. Somehow the remnants of the ivy on the wall is a bit artistic, which tells a long story! You should have taken the same size and angle of the BnF photo, as in you are at the same spot in taking the photo, as if we are looking at the game of ‘show the difference’ hehe. Your before is zoomed while the after is not.
Hi Andrea, you are right, I should have taken the same angle photo – but I really hated that area before so there just are no pics of it. I could really kick myself now 🙂
Good after!
I like the way you used the variegated ground cover – providing contrast against the green agapanthus (?) and grasses.
Hi Helen – Thank you, I love that ground cover – plectranthus madagascariens – it has a lovely “fresh” look to it. It requires some controlling though. Getting a bit out of hand in some areas.