The Old Vicarage B&B, Little Ouse

This will be the third border dug, then planted this year. All of the plants used were either cuttings or divisions of others already in the garden. The initial idea was to plant one of the Christmas trees that had been growing in a pot, near the old apple tree outside the Morning room, as a focal point, to be viewed and possibly lit up during the Christmas period.

The future intention is to lengthen this border substantially and create a horse shoe “U” shape from the house. That connects with this border, which will be the bottom of the “U”. That will have to wait until more plants are grown. This will mean that in time there will be two borders, creating the effect of a plant auditorium. The larger park trees, Oaks, Sycamore, Chestnut at the rear of the garden and then this new border with smaller and mid-size tress and bushes and the grass in the centre. Walking out of the house, you will have the equivalent of a theatre. The Stalls (the grass), the Circle (the new mid-size border) and the Upper circle (the large park trees at the rear of the garden). At the sides, if my yew cuttings keep growing, I will use them as small sentinels to separate areas (the boxes at the theatre).

Several roses have been planted. These were the supermarket roses that were purchased in bags at the start of the year and potted up. The ancient apple tree appears to have expired this year. It has a rather nice Albertine (pink, cabbage) climbing rose growing up it. I’ll leave the apple tree as a support and plant a new tree next to it later in the year.