How things have changed ...

When I moved in 8 years ago, the garden was pretty boring - a muddy lawn and a tangled hawthorn hedge at the back and a lot of prickly and green shrubs at the front. The best features were the half of the hedge that is beech and the pyracanthas with their glorious red berries at the front. By the front door was a climbing hydranga which had obviously been there many years. It took some beating but eventually it succumbed! Sadly I don't have many before pictures. The snowdrops are still some of the first flowers of the year.

Behind the house at the back were open fields. Sadly within 6 months, the owner put planning permission in to build houses. We tried to buy a strip of land but weren't successful however at least the planners insisted a buffer zone be left.

The buffer zone is supposed to be landscaped and finally this spring (almost 2 years on) they planted trees and bushes and a wildflower strip behind us. Sadly they didn't do it properly and the weeds have been bigger than the trees. My neighbours have been clearing the bit behind their house - which I didn't realise until I had my hedge and holly tree trimmed last week - so I set out to do something about the bit behind mine. Having taken the hawthorn hedge out, I can see it all!  Half cleared by hand and some trees and shrubs discovered. The remained is full of docks, thistles and nettles which I wasn't going to tackle without armour plating and a strimmer.

If only we'd been able to buy the land, the soil is lovely and it would have made an amazing vegetable garden.

More on the changes I've made to follow ....