The garden path and other musings!

The newly painted table and chairs in the Italian garden

I've been making a few tweaks to the garden in the last month, nothing fundamental more a question of mood. As i mentioned last week I was driven by guilt to repaint the table and chairs on one of the sheltered, secluded little lawns that lie hidden in the depths of the Italian Garden, ably assisted by Spud of course and after much deliberation about the mood of the silent empty spaces I decided to make them a little bit more guest friendly and empty some of the plants out of the courtyard if they looked as though they were starting to struggle in their pots. The little Olive Tree already looks quite at home here and in the next enclosure a nearly terminally ill pair of Bay trees have been placed to flank a garden bench for quite contemplation.

A newly painted bench tucked under one
of the sheltering hedges

The sun slanting across the centre aisle

The fluffy Golden oat grass is in full bloom
now at the garden entrance

But one little project that has haunted my imagination for over a year was a new simple path to link the main lawn to the higher shelter belt and allow a better garden loop or journey. I've eyed the pile of redundant stones outside the garden gate and planned their departure to a garden feature but somehow there has never quite been the time and so we made time leaving the weeding to get the "great project" underway!

The start of the path that will wind up through the
shelter belt

and then twisting away

before climbing a of couple turning  steps

We have placed a stature (a kind gift from Perrran Lady)
on one of the corners for our Mediterranean fantasy

and alas we have yet to finish but you can see the
 landscaping  fabric that should repress some of
 the weeds!

And so my tiny Mediterranean fantasy is under way winding its way up over the rising ground to finally reach a little round lawn before diving back though the sheltering hedge and passed the "sulking bench" set in an alcove. looking out towards the shipping lanes far out to sea. Finally the new journey will turn again through the hedge and drop back down near to the Apricot room and the formal Sundial Garden filled with lavender.

To the right the sheltered courtyard of the Apricot room

Lavender and Box filled beds

The sundial garden between the Blue and Apricot rooms

and so our journey is complete from the open lawn through the strappy palms and Phormiums of the shelter belt and back to the more formal garden. What to you think?

I'll leave you with the Geraniums just outside the Dining/Kitchen door that brighten up the breakfast room in the morning - hope to write again next week!