finishing the woodland garden is so close I can almost taste it ...

I don't have to excuse my failure to write anything since the middle of January. But find myself doing so anyway...

Let's put to one side the never-ending work on the drive...

We were asked to talk to Papplewick Garden Club about our home and gardens. Well, one thing leads to another. Reorganisation of photo library for one thing. Wrestling with the spiteful Apple 'Keynote' presentation tool. Was another. Making the old iPad work through the Bestwood WI digital projector as well.

Hours of my life sucked away.

But our talk was well received and that was reward enough. We've invited the club's members to join us for a summer evening tour of Cordwood.

So, now time to get back to the job in hand - developing our lovely Woodland Garden. And I'm so close to finishing the job I can almost taste it ..... decaying wood with a hint of fungus and an aftertaste of conifer chippings.

The first and second phases of the Woodland Garden saw us create log-edged wood chip paths. Native and ornamental hazel and elder were added to cornus, cotoneaster, ornamental holly, rhododendron and camellias as a shrub layer with a gorgeous dusting of snowdrops at this time of year.

So how to prevent the final half of the Woodland Garden from being a predictable 'more of the same'?

hazel and Japanese maple

We decided to create a large clearing that could act as a bonfire area and be a meeting place with seats.  So, bring on screens of sawn logs and beech hedging. And to change the planting 'feel' we've used the Japanese Maples that have been growing on patiently these past years and will be adding bamboos too.

Lots of logs, ground cover, mulch, climbers - we're talking a great woodland habitat for the song thrushes, wrens, robins, coal tits, chaffinches and stock doves that I keep disturbing!!

More work to do, oh yes. And now want to get it ready for the good people of Papplewick...