Situated in Northney, Hayling Island, my garden is small but with lots of potential. We have a south facing site, surrounded on 3 sides by the house, and two quite tall walls.
We hope in time to completely enclose the garden, for some privacy and for my daughters safety, for now the south end is open to the farm-yard. Which does at least have the bonus of seeing when my parents-in-law drive past and being able to wave them down to invite them in for a cuppa. This somehow needs incorporating into the future design.
The collection is always expanding. At the moment the garden really comes to life late summer. Most of my plants are short-day perennials, that is they flower after the summer equinox, responding to the reducing light levels. There are a number of echinaceas, heleniums, and rudbeckias. I enjoy the cheery little flowers of geums and have ‘Totally Tangerine’, ‘Mrs Bradshaw’, ‘Lady Strathdean’ to name a few.
Last year we cleared the front of the terrace to allow access onto the lawn from the dinning room. This has really opened up the garden and I am glad I took the decision to do it. It was quite an undertaking as it involved moving and dividing a well established euphorbia and Salvia ‘Black ‘n’ Blue’. I had to take my husbands saw to both (I have since bought him a new saw).
I have a small collection of culinary and edible plants, lavender, rosemary, white and purple sage, Salad Burnet, Stevia, Thyme, Tarragon and there are always some fruit and vegetables on the go – strawberries (if we can get to them before my daughter does), blueberries, carrots, beetroot and and infinate supply of courgette. I think I have yet to meet someone who cannot grow courgettes!
I love echinops, eryginums and echiums – although yet to try the later. I am hoping to get some advise from Hayling Island Horticutural Society (HIHS) as I know many members have success with these on Hayling.