Maple and Rhododendron Garden
In the winter of 2008 I chopped down a large Cotoneaster, opening up a huge new area of garden by the driveway. Out came seedling Pittosporums and in went rhododendrons and red maples. See how well this garden has grown....
The New Driveway Garden is Planted
This is a sheltered spot, so Japanese maples should do well here. I've shifted one which was sulking in the Pond Paddock and bought two new ones - no point in being small-minded in a country garden, is there? And I love trees with red foliage.
Driveway Garden - Spring 2008
And there's been more moving - two rhododendrons, a Viburnum snowflake, two Cinnamon Cindy Camellias and three Cream Delight flaxes have all been shifted in from other less appropriate places. Thanks to a local nursery sale a beautiful Australian shrub called Eriostemon and some New Zealand Hebes provide beautiful white flowers in spring. In winter a group of Mahonias produce alarming yellow flower-heads.
New gardens like this one deserve new shrubs. I also bought a Buddleia (for summer) and a Forsythia (for winter) at a church plant sale.
Fill Those Gaps!
My next purchase was another purple Smoke Bush (Cotinus) to echo the one already planed further down the driveway. Then I popped in some Roseraie de l'Hay rugosa roses into the gaps and some new spring daffodil bulbs on the edges. There's always room for daffodils.
Driveway Garden - Spring 2010
With loads of mulch and manure and much watering hopefully my new Driveway Garden will thrive. Hopefully it won't be too sunny mid-summer, or too windy, or too frosty.... Aargh! Too many things to think about! I'll just cross my gardening fingers.