New Upper Terrace (4/4) (back garden, autumn 2008)
The upper end of our garden, with its new Upper Terrace, just completed, and our work in hand on the new borders.
Actually, the new Upper Terrace is only in the background here, just in front of the brown cabin (Valrosa Cabin). Compare this view with how it was five months before, especially the new terrace. Here we are working over the new borders and beginning to plant them up. The border on the L was full of rubble from where our older path had been, and broken concrete from an even older path that must have been there before our time. It took a lot of sieving and close digging with a hand trowel and fork to clear it all. The path had been newly realigned earlier in the year, with two branches now, one to the Temple of Juno shed (L) and the other leading to the Valrosa Cabin (R background). We had removed the temporary garden railway track base from the border on the L, in order to work the soil and then make a new improved track base.
NOTE ON THE GARDEN
The garden was very plain and bare when we arrived in 1985. We have been developing the design gradually since then, but not from a single pre-planned conception. Eventually we developed the overall shape, with a 'winding river' effect made by the lawns and path (though only the uppermost 'meander' is visible here). The shapes of the rockeries, planting and other features are based on the way a small stream winds between 'interlocking spurs' in hilly terrain (though this is not seen in this view). We did all the planting, and I built many of the features. For further history of our garden, see set description for 'OUR BACK GARDEN'
GARDEN DETAILS
(To see garden details better, click on the three dots symbol (●●● meaning 'more') at bottom right of black part of screen > Choose 'View all sizes' > Choose any size larger than the one in black font. Press back button to return. See also notes on picture. However, notes are not retained in downloaded versions of Flickr images.)
Features
- Decking - removable decking 'bridge' (recently completed by Acer Landscapes) over Middle Section of Garden Railway, öowere L. Ideally we'd have been able to make this a fixed bridge in stone but this would have meant having a step-up here in order to give full clearance for the trains.
- Garden Railway (G-scale) - part of the Upper Loop (not ballasted) on the Upper (Railway) Rockery, bottom R. This is a 45mm gauge G-Scale layout using Märklin-LGB track, parts and rolling stock, with my own garden-sized civil engineering.
- Path (1) - centre R in background, concrete block paving with treated wooden edging, recently (2007) laid by Acer Landscapes. This section is the uppermost part of our main garden path and leads to steps of Valrosa Cabin in background.
- Path (2) - L foreground, built of reclaimed York stone laid in 'crazy' style. L branch is a recent realignment of an older path. R branch is a new section of path, part of our scheme to give step-free access from the house to the Upper Terrace in spite of the garden gradient. Both these bits of path had been laid the previous year (2007) by Acer Landscapes.
- Temple of Juno garden shed - L, with shingled roof and white columns supporting portico, built by me in sections out of reclaimed timber ("Rosen Wanted") at a previous house, brought here and extended with portico. I made the columns made from a flag pole. Steve Cruse (joiner) hung the doors (architectural salvage), and put on the cladding. Doors and portico awaiting paint.
- Upper Rockery (Railway Rockery) - R, planted with alpines, dwarf shrubs and trees including conifers, also the base for the Upper Loop of Garden Railway. Rockery built myself of various kinds of stone in simulated geological structure (not visible here). Where the new path now goes, and to R of it, there was a narrow bit of lawn which was taken up. We are here extending the rockery to meet the path.
- Upper Terrace - in background in front of brown cabin (Valrosa Cabin), made of concrete block paving with treated wooden edging, just completed by Acer Landscapes.
- Valrosa Cabin workshop - in R background, fully insulated, built for us the previous year by Acer Landscapes.
Plants
- Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Kosteri' - a dwarf Hinoki cypress, lower centre R, to R of path.
- Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa' - a Sawara cypress, L in front of Temple of Juno shed.
- Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Plumosa Nana' - a dwarf Sawara cypress, lower centre R, to R of path.
- Cotoneaster frigidus - with its berries, L and upper L.
- Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey' - fig tree, upper R in corner of terrace. 'Brown Turkey' is the commonly-chosen variety recommended for the British climate for yielding fruit. Tree looks new but is actually about 20 years old and had to be cut back to enable Valrosa Cabin construction in 2007. We planted it c.1990 not long after we arrived in the house. As recommended, we confined the roots with a loose brick surround beneath soil level.
- Juniperus communis 'Compressa' - dwarf pillar juniper (or Noah's ark juniper), with second generation of growth after an earlier die-back, R foreground.
- Picea glauca var. albertiana 'Conica' - dwarf white spruce on Upper (Railway) Rockery, R of centre foreground.
- Pinus heldreichii [syn. P. leucodermis] 'Smidtii' [sic] - dwarf Bosnian pine, lower R, on Upper (Railway) Rockery to R of garden railway track.
- Syringa meyeri 'Palibin' - miniature lilac on Upper (Railway) Rockery (R), with leaves in reddish-pink autumn colours.
LOCATION DETAILS
Country: Great Britain: England
City: London
London Borough: Lambeth
District: West Dulwich, SE21
Altitude: 40m
Aspect: View is approx to W.
Photo
© Darkroom Daze Creative Commons.
If you would like to use or refer to this image, please link or attribute.
ID: CIMG1595.JPG - Version 2
New Upper Terrace (4/4) (back garden, autumn 2008)
The upper end of our garden, with its new Upper Terrace, just completed, and our work in hand on the new borders.
Actually, the new Upper Terrace is only in the background here, just in front of the brown cabin (Valrosa Cabin). Compare this view with how it was five months before, especially the new terrace. Here we are working over the new borders and beginning to plant them up. The border on the L was full of rubble from where our older path had been, and broken concrete from an even older path that must have been there before our time. It took a lot of sieving and close digging with a hand trowel and fork to clear it all. The path had been newly realigned earlier in the year, with two branches now, one to the Temple of Juno shed (L) and the other leading to the Valrosa Cabin (R background). We had removed the temporary garden railway track base from the border on the L, in order to work the soil and then make a new improved track base.
NOTE ON THE GARDEN
The garden was very plain and bare when we arrived in 1985. We have been developing the design gradually since then, but not from a single pre-planned conception. Eventually we developed the overall shape, with a 'winding river' effect made by the lawns and path (though only the uppermost 'meander' is visible here). The shapes of the rockeries, planting and other features are based on the way a small stream winds between 'interlocking spurs' in hilly terrain (though this is not seen in this view). We did all the planting, and I built many of the features. For further history of our garden, see set description for 'OUR BACK GARDEN'
GARDEN DETAILS
(To see garden details better, click on the three dots symbol (●●● meaning 'more') at bottom right of black part of screen > Choose 'View all sizes' > Choose any size larger than the one in black font. Press back button to return. See also notes on picture. However, notes are not retained in downloaded versions of Flickr images.)
Features
- Decking - removable decking 'bridge' (recently completed by Acer Landscapes) over Middle Section of Garden Railway, öowere L. Ideally we'd have been able to make this a fixed bridge in stone but this would have meant having a step-up here in order to give full clearance for the trains.
- Garden Railway (G-scale) - part of the Upper Loop (not ballasted) on the Upper (Railway) Rockery, bottom R. This is a 45mm gauge G-Scale layout using Märklin-LGB track, parts and rolling stock, with my own garden-sized civil engineering.
- Path (1) - centre R in background, concrete block paving with treated wooden edging, recently (2007) laid by Acer Landscapes. This section is the uppermost part of our main garden path and leads to steps of Valrosa Cabin in background.
- Path (2) - L foreground, built of reclaimed York stone laid in 'crazy' style. L branch is a recent realignment of an older path. R branch is a new section of path, part of our scheme to give step-free access from the house to the Upper Terrace in spite of the garden gradient. Both these bits of path had been laid the previous year (2007) by Acer Landscapes.
- Temple of Juno garden shed - L, with shingled roof and white columns supporting portico, built by me in sections out of reclaimed timber ("Rosen Wanted") at a previous house, brought here and extended with portico. I made the columns made from a flag pole. Steve Cruse (joiner) hung the doors (architectural salvage), and put on the cladding. Doors and portico awaiting paint.
- Upper Rockery (Railway Rockery) - R, planted with alpines, dwarf shrubs and trees including conifers, also the base for the Upper Loop of Garden Railway. Rockery built myself of various kinds of stone in simulated geological structure (not visible here). Where the new path now goes, and to R of it, there was a narrow bit of lawn which was taken up. We are here extending the rockery to meet the path.
- Upper Terrace - in background in front of brown cabin (Valrosa Cabin), made of concrete block paving with treated wooden edging, just completed by Acer Landscapes.
- Valrosa Cabin workshop - in R background, fully insulated, built for us the previous year by Acer Landscapes.
Plants
- Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Kosteri' - a dwarf Hinoki cypress, lower centre R, to R of path.
- Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa' - a Sawara cypress, L in front of Temple of Juno shed.
- Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Plumosa Nana' - a dwarf Sawara cypress, lower centre R, to R of path.
- Cotoneaster frigidus - with its berries, L and upper L.
- Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey' - fig tree, upper R in corner of terrace. 'Brown Turkey' is the commonly-chosen variety recommended for the British climate for yielding fruit. Tree looks new but is actually about 20 years old and had to be cut back to enable Valrosa Cabin construction in 2007. We planted it c.1990 not long after we arrived in the house. As recommended, we confined the roots with a loose brick surround beneath soil level.
- Juniperus communis 'Compressa' - dwarf pillar juniper (or Noah's ark juniper), with second generation of growth after an earlier die-back, R foreground.
- Picea glauca var. albertiana 'Conica' - dwarf white spruce on Upper (Railway) Rockery, R of centre foreground.
- Pinus heldreichii [syn. P. leucodermis] 'Smidtii' [sic] - dwarf Bosnian pine, lower R, on Upper (Railway) Rockery to R of garden railway track.
- Syringa meyeri 'Palibin' - miniature lilac on Upper (Railway) Rockery (R), with leaves in reddish-pink autumn colours.
LOCATION DETAILS
Country: Great Britain: England
City: London
London Borough: Lambeth
District: West Dulwich, SE21
Altitude: 40m
Aspect: View is approx to W.
Photo
© Darkroom Daze Creative Commons.
If you would like to use or refer to this image, please link or attribute.
ID: CIMG1595.JPG - Version 2