10

COURTYARD

A tankstand once stood where the table is now.  Many, many weekends of back breaking effort were applied to remove the concrete slab and bedrock so that the paving that you see now could be laid.  Then followed the time consuming building of bench, trellis, door and arch.  Rod believes he could have built a house for the same effort and time expended on this project.  I take credit for growing the standard Lilly Pillys from seedlings purchased from Petticoat Lane – 4 seedlings for 40cents.

9

 NURSERY AREA

Originally created to accommodate the growing of tree seedlings for Trees for Life, this area is now home to Strawberries and propagated plants on a temporary basis.

8

 ROD’S STEPS

Rod built these steps in 2005 to replace the original wooden steps that had completely deteriorated.

7

THE NOOK

This garden is dedicated to Fiona Kemp 1956-1994.  Three terracotta fairies have pride of place.  It is imperative that this garden does not need too much attention as hopper ants live within the drystone walling and any work undertaken is best done over winter when they are less active.

6

 LAWN GARDEN

We are in the process of introducing Kikuyu grass into this lawn for its drought resistance. The Clothes line is an original Hills Hoist and is still under discussion as to its permanence. This box hedge and all the others at Ashwell have been propagated by me but the hedge trimming is definitely Rod’s expertise.  The standard roses are DA  Molineux and the one on the trellis is DA Graham Thomas.

5

  THE CUBBY

Built by Rod in 1994, the cubby house is sadly in need of repair.  The balustrade is definitely not to be trusted; however, Baxter and Velour are more than happy to call this home.

4

 ITALIAN GARDEN

Once lawn, this garden was created after we returned from our trip to Italy.  In an attempt to minimise water usage and upkeep, I dug out the lawn and shifted the top layer of soil into newly created vegetable garden beds.  Travelling through Tuscany, Citrus planted in pots was a common occurrence.  Future plans will see a section of the fence removed and a Lych- gate or Arch topped with terracotta tiles to walk through as you make your way down to the lower garden.