Arlons Blog: Propagating Cycas revoluta "aurea" ..SUCCESS !

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Arlon Tishmarsh
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Arlons Blog: Propagating Cycas revoluta "aurea" ..SUCCESS !

Post by Arlon Tishmarsh »

Moved into a a new property just before xmas. Garden totaly overgrown. Took some pics just after we moved in and i got the grass down from about 18 inches high. A few big trees need attention, 3no 40 ft limes, a whopping willow and huge ash.
With the weather due to cool midweek, i think now is the time to make a start. Looking for some idea's and inspiration if anyone wants to chip in. I've given myself 7 days tops to do something to the back garden, 3 days for the front. Beyond the greenhouse we have a parcel of land that extends about 30feet where all the potted palms / plants etc are stored. Fortunately we have a 35foot loft room where i have been growing other plants, from seed, cuttings , division etc since the photo's were taken, probably about 800 or so plants ready to go out.
Idea's would be graciously accepted
Rgds
Mark
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Looking north
Looking north
Looking south (ish)
Looking south (ish)
Looking west (ish)
Looking west (ish)
Last edited by Arlon Tishmarsh on Wed Apr 02, 2014 10:11 am, edited 49 times in total.
kata

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by kata »

OH,

Georgian bays..you :(

Begger the garden you got the house, sit amongst the weeds for a day or to and admire...I would.

You could not know my dream house has Georgian bay winders.

Very nice, I hope luck has followed you.

Take time to assess the garden Arlon.

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Arlon Tishmarsh
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Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Arlon Tishmarsh »

View of front, looking north just after moving in
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Front aspect
Front aspect
kata

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by kata »

I really like it Arlon,

Looks lovely from the front. I will be interested in what you make of the garden back and front.

:lol: :lol:
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Andrew Smith

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Andrew Smith »

800 plants ready to go in!! So what sort of plants have you got?

Are you going to have a water feature?
marfanuk

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by marfanuk »

Arlon, i envy You. My garden is tiny in comparison to your new one. Enjoy your planting!
Adrian

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Adrian »

My advice would be to take your time, good gardens dont come by way of a quick fix.
I would keep your plants in their pots and move them around until you are happy with the lay out.
Hard landscaping first then the plants.
Madahlia

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Madahlia »

I'm green with envy - house and garden both look fab - what a lot of scope for a great project. I could do with a new garden to design myself! I note that previous posters have shown restraint in not making very specific suggestions but I can't resist wading in.

First, I would say that you have left it late this year for anything radical in the shape of hard landscaping. It's going to cost lots of time and money to build the bones of the garden in terms of walls, patios, paths etc and you need to get it right and not rush it. Also, existing plants will be growing strongly and you may spoil nice things, for this year, at any rate.

I would start by roughing out a floor plan of the plot and sketching in various alternative scenarios, preferably after consulting good quality design books to inspire you. For best results you'll need to consider your overall usage of the garden, not just your favourite plants. I don't think it would be wise to start any high cost/labour project until you've spent a looooong time thinking everything through.

Having said that, you've got a lot of plants (800! Respect!) that need a good home. So, apart from general tidying, (You've already done a fantastic job in rescuing it from the wilderness) I think I would think in terms of making some low-cost, easy modifications to the existing ground plan. You might create a nice new bed, for example, to house some of your new plants. Easy-going plants that will tolerate moving around will do better in the ground. However, prized specimens that will be hard to move once planted would need to stay in pots. A bed is an easy thing to create and later on remove - a new patio certainly isn't. It also achievable in your 7-day time plan.

Looking at the photos my first thought would be streamlining and tidying to create the pleasantest possible environment for you to enjoy this summer. I'd think about dismantling that raised bed that is just in front of the bay, maybe reusing the timbers elsewhere. The pond also looks a bit random, but you can't change that easily so I'd wait a bit and see if it can be incorporated into the new design. I'd keep the potted plants well-grouped and organised, preferably in pots that go together. I'd make sure that any clutter was ruthlessly sorted and stowed, maybe behind that useful greenhouse! Also, I'd think a bit about boundaries, how much the garden is overlooked and from which direction, and whether any small trees could be placed on the edge of the plot to increase privacy levels - as you want them to start growing and doing their job it's worth doing that that asap. Major pruning of the large trees could also be done now if desired, although they will then look scraggy for a few months till they start to regrow. Keeping those big hedges under control is also a priority and you might want to consider if you need them. It would probably take you 7 days just to get them down!

Garden design is obviously completely a matter of personal taste, but long-term, I'd give high priority to making dedicated beds to house your plant collection, deploying them strategically. I'd look at reducing the amount of lawn, and making a bigger, more dramatic water feature/pond. Although there is a strip of paving around the back of the house, there doesn't seem to be a generous patio area where you can cook/ chill/ eat etc so that would also be a priority. I'd give thought to views and vistas from key windows, and as you circulate around the garden. I'd choose good materials to build the walls/border edges and paths and and start building in late Autumn, completing the job in Feb/March next year. I'd also think about how to achieve a sense of height or change in level as it seems to be a flat plot. At the moment the whole garden can be seen in a glance from the windows, it would be good to introduce a slight bit of mystery to it, even if it's just low bushes placed near the centre that you have to walk round to get to the back. I'd think in terms of using big, bold shapes in the ground plan. I would be adventurous in my choices and not worry about what the neighbours thought - unless they had a fantastic garden, then I'd ask them for help!

That's my ha'pen'orth. Hope you're not offended!
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Arlon Tishmarsh
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Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Arlon Tishmarsh »

Hi guys,

Andrew, i've been growing stuff from seed ,cuttings , division as filler plants etc since about late feb / early march. Some i don't know what it is as the seeds were given to me by an elderly lady. Other stuff is Rudbeckia, Geraniums, Dahlia's, Erysimum aka wall flowers i think they are(for my late grandmother)Hosta's, red hot poker, margarites and others i can't remember, i don't consider myself a gardner as you've probably guessed by now. Palm wise i think i have enough to make a difference to the garden, we'll see. I got some great little Spanish washies, this time last year they were growing out of the trunks of Phoenix canariensis_CIDP's in Spain, i brought them home in a suitcase root wrapped in moist toilet paper.

Marfanuk
I'll try to enjoy it but in this heat i don't know. I don't think the photo's relay the amount of work to be done

Adrian
thanks for advice, gonna try to get a good basic garden done for this year, something to sit and look at will do for now. The best part is the soil is fantastic, 2 to 3 feet of absolute black rich topsoil which will make things a lot easier. Apparently there was an orchard attached to the property at some time but was sold off long ago. I think we've inhereted some of the soil.

Kata
many thanks for your comments. My first passion is architecture and buildings. This one needs a lo.....t of work but its got good bones, big changes afoot

Rgds
Mark
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Arlon Tishmarsh
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Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Arlon Tishmarsh »

Madhalia

you got the job, when can you start. :lol: :lol: :lol: You've hit on everything thats been going thru my head. I'll see you wednesday 8am start, don't be late. :D :D :D
Rgds
Mark
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redsquirrel
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Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by redsquirrel »

have a meet there next weekend.make it a dig and pig. you supply the tea and cakes in exchange for a bit of digging. i will be the first to invite myself and bring something over to plant icon_thumleft icon_thumleft
seriously, heed Adrians/mahdalias advice.several plants/palms i have put in would now ideally be situated somewhere else.too late in some instances though,not prepared to moved the acanthocoma or risk damage to the yuccas out front.you are lucky in that your main planting area appears to be out the back so perhaps more secure to leave stuff in pots until it looks right icon_thumleft icon_thumleft
mars ROVER broken down. headgasket faillure
Madahlia

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Madahlia »

Arlon Tishmarsh wrote:Madhalia

you got the job, when can you start. :lol: :lol: :lol: You've hit on everything thats been going thru my head. I'll see you wednesday 8am start, don't be late. :D :D :D
Rgds
Mark
I'd love to be there, once I've finished sorting my allotment and relaying the bf's patio. I'd be very bossy, mind, you can probably tell!
...in a suitcase root wrapped in moist toilet paper.
So it's not just me who does that sort of thing, then?
metalhammer

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by metalhammer »

I'd have the willow out,suck moisture out of the ground,but would leave the ash & limes,create a nice shady area underneath for tree ferns & the like.

What kind of soil are you on?,what's the ph?




metalhammer.
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Arlon Tishmarsh
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Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by Arlon Tishmarsh »

Red
i'll be dissapointed if i haven't got most of the digging out the way by friday, anyway keeping you in tea and bisquitz could be costly :lol:

Madhalia
your not alone, Spain, Florida, Turkey etc etc have all been hit

MH
ain't got a clue about the PH , i know the test is simple enough but its black deep and looks good, the soil that is. :ahhh!:
Only tree left to pollard is the ash but a pair of maggies nesting so won't touch it till end of season. Reds seen the Limes out front i think on google earth, they had to be reduced. The willow was about 60 / 70 feet now about 15 to 20, too beautiful a tree to rip out,

my chainsaw and shovel await
Mark

hopefully more pics soon
Last edited by Arlon Tishmarsh on Mon May 24, 2010 11:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
metalhammer

Re: New house, 7 days to create a garden

Post by metalhammer »

Afraid the would've come out rather than pollarding them,I personally hate trees that are pollarded.We have London planes in the car park here,& every year they come round & butcher them.I'd sooner they got rid of them rather than ugly pollarding every year.You just get arthritic looking great ugly calluses at the end of the branches.




metalhammer.
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