Creating a Cottage Garden
When I first saw this backyard, there were a few Magnolia grandiflora and a couple of Camellias planted along the fenceline. The customer had already removed a couple of large trees that were failing and there was a fence cutting off a piece of the garden.
The soil was very compacted and poor. In summer, the backyard gets a lot of sun, less so in winter.
The brief was to keep some lawn area but to create garden beds with a colourful, cottagey feel.
Initially, the fence was removed and a damaged retaining wall was shored up. A small excavator was bought in to dig through the soil to loosen it up and soil conditioner as well as cow manure and compost was added to the planting areas.
I added to the Camelias along the fence line, then extended the beds along the fences and below the small retaining walls.
