Sleep-Out Garden & Lawn
The Sleep-Out is a roomy space attached to the Moosey Garage. Various relatives have indeed slept in here, though at the moment the only in-house residents will be spiders and the occasional nosy cat. It has a tiny triangular garden underneath the window which looks out to the back lawn. That is if you can see through the Camellias!
Sleep-Out Cherrry Rambling Rose
I planted an assortment of shrubs - Oak leaf Hydrangeas, Clematis montana, and creamy white Camellias along the sleepout wall, with species daylilies, hostas, shasta daisies, and ferns nearer to the lawn edge. A happy cutting-grown cherry red rose scrambled along the immediate fence-line.
Sleep-Out Garden in Summer 2004
The photograph below of the Sleep-Out and its small garden and lawn was taken in the spring of 1999. That was ages ago! The white camellia was quite small, in flower up against the dark stained Sleep-Out wall. Purple honesty and spring daffodils filled the border under the old fence.
Sleep-Out Garden in Spring 1999
Gardens never stay the same. One day in the winter of 2007 I had an idea to open up the back lawn. The funny thing is - it's often sensible to work with what you've already got in a garden. For example, leave the fence in place, and use it to prop up climbing roses. But sometimes a gardener needs to rethink the plan. And make changes!
Such an Improvement
This was such an improvement. Out came the fence, posts and all, and two very thuggish Mermaid roses. Out came bucketfuls of daffodils and perennials, all to be replanted elsewhere. And in came pieces of turf. The whole area opened up beautifully, with wonderful views across the new lawn to the gardens over the water race.
The New Back Lawn
Non-Gardening Partner helped me a lot. Those posts were rather difficult to remove, and later the grass needed levelling. After all, he was the one who would be mowing the new big back lawn (as you can see). Lumpy bits were not acceptable!
NGP Mowing the Back House Lawn
There's a rather nice succession of flowers to follow in the Sleep-Out Garden. Spring sees the creamy white Camellia, the cherry red rambling rose takes over in mid-summer, when an oak-leaved Hydrangea starts to add flower colour. The pretty pinky-red fuchsia on the corner is a New Zealand native - very subtle!