Every year, my garden takes on a different design layout. This really is a relatively simple undertaking, because the garden is entirely hard paved. All I do is come up with a new design, and then move all the plastic modular raised beds and containers into their new place.

This year was the 15th new look for our garden, and I wrote about the particularly unaesthetic appearance of the raised beds on I have had enough . On a positive note, they now have a new forever home, and will shortly be heading to a community garden in Wolverhampton.

There are now new raised beds made from concrete building blocks. I really do think they blend in really well with the hard paved brick yard ( unlike the plastic ones ) I couldn’t be happier with how it has all turned out, and the garden is now summer ready.

The Hypericum and Feverfew have just self seeded into the pathway.
If you look carefully you can just about see the concrete blocks.
The new concrete blocks blend in well with the paving. Everything growing in front of the blocks is self sown .

With the garden pretty much looking after itself, I can now get going on my second project, which is the orchard.

We have about twenty fruit trees in our orchard, and they all need mulching, as there are a lot of nettles growing through some of the trees. I am using the orchard green waste from (this years) bramble growth and nettles. As I rake the long cut stems together, I have ended up with equally long rolls of green mulch material. Cardboard has been put down, to stop the nettles coming back, and the mulch is placed on top. I have also added in some ripe flower seed heads of Alliums and white campion into the mulch rolls. This could be a really good nectar source for pollinating insects if the seeds germinate and get to flowering stage.

Believe me, even though this is definitely my entire summer project, it really is no chore. It is fantastic to spend time working in the orchard while listening and watching and learning about the orchard’s wildlife. I know I am going to learn all sorts of new and interesting things , as I work my way through this project.