I have a huge amount of work to do on the garden of the house I have bought. I suspect it will be several years before I get it under control. Nothing much has been done for years. But the good thing is that although I can do very little towards the refurbishment of the house itself & the building of the extension, I do know how to prune shrubs & perennials.
Just as well, because most of the hedges, shrubs & trees need regenerating. They are mostly either very old wood, or all the new growth is at the top of very long, leggy branches. Drastic measures are called for, resulting in masses of stuff to get rid of. One brown bin a fortnight just isn't enough. The shredder I've ordered won't arrive for weeks, because there has been a run on them & now there is a shortage.
But the bonus of all this very hard work, sore muscles & exhaustion, is that I already know the two families opposite & the neighbours on either side of me from working in the front garden. The three families seem really friendly. It will be so nice to have children & teenagers, not to mention their parents as neighbours.
The neighbour in the semi I am joined to seems very anxious about my refurbishment & extension programme. I have tried to inform & reassure her that nothing I am planning should have a detrimental effect on her. But workmen being there for months is bound to have an impact on weekdays between 8am & 4pm, so I am sympathetic. I am trying to be considerate. I don't want ill feeling before I have even moved in.
Lots of people don't like change. Better the "devil you know", even if he didn't do anything in the house & garden, than someone new who wants to bring the house into the 21st century & make a garden you can actually use. I get that - really I do. Workmen will be noisy & disruptive. But at the end of it all the house & garden will be so much better. Loved & cared for.
I would have thought that would be better than an extremely unkempt house & overgrown garden full of weeds & ivy. My house is a Cinderella - I just want to awaken her to her full potential. That's why I have a team of 4 to help me achieve that. I can't do it alone.
You will be able to put your own stamp on the garden, rather than trying to maintain borders etc that someone else planned, which might not have been to your own taste. Having to deal with an absolute mess has its advantages. I'm sure you will make it a delight.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement Eugenie - I do need it at the moment. After a couple of hours pruning I can barely walk! Hope you are well & happy?
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