This was a garden that I got to revisit some years after I gave it it’s first garden makeover.
Before I go any further, that in the distance you might just be able to recognise as the view of Ireland’s Eye.
Tag: gardens dublin
For me the absolute stunner in this space has to be the Fraxinus excelsior better known as the weeping Ash. Brought in with a 30cm girth, those in the know, know, they are far from a tenner down at the local euro saver discount store. But in the sometimes you need to dance in the middle of your local supermarket for no apparent reason department, may I be allowed to refer to the case of the wedding dress versus those who study economics and accounting.
And in your, or at least in my imagination, you and I both know you look so damn good in that white gown and even though you’ll only wear it for just one day and* even though when noted on some type of economists shareholders report type graph it makes nothing but illogic sense to buy it; In short, sometimes, just sometimes, it makes total sense to forget everything that makes sense on some annual report flow chart, in the real world and just go for broke.
As fencing goes, there are many styles and types that I have been party to. But, in the front of house home extremely eloquent department, there are few if any that come close to how beautiful a finish this wood is. In short, if barrel board were a lady, I would happy recite it the most lovely paragraphs of Shakespeare’s finest.
Of note, if you are looking for the cheapest quote or in short a screen made of wood; then it’s probably best you head on over to one of the many DIY Super Store emporiums. No offence…. see what I did there ? Fence. No. No ? To explain, sometimes a Ferrari is the right call and sometimes the Transit van will do just dandy. Here, we chose the MG BGT. 1977 version. With the chrome bumpers and 4 speed overdrive. ie. the very smart and damn tasty option.
There are gardens that I have done before that are the ultimate in what one would consider the perfect picture. Yup, I would be that confident in myself and what I do. But there are other gardens in which the final picture does not sometimes mean as much until you meet a] the client; which you most likely will not, in this case or/ and b] you see what the garden was before hand.
The reason part b] is sometimes so important is that depending, it can very necessarily consume so much of ones budget; and in ratio, one spends a higher percentage of the costs undoing and removing; when in an ideal world it would be solely spent on creating just the final picture. Does that make sense ? Pause. then contrast the first image with the second [above]. This garden is a class example of what was quite a tough one to inherit, when it came to getting the garden made to suit its new owner.
Before hand as you can see [above], was grey paving slabs and pebble. That is all. And a shed. It was a space that looked small, uninviting and symmetrical. And what was required like any addition to any home was that it made you want to open the doors; leave them open and draw you outside. And whether you see the finished product as quite simplistic or not, that warmth has been achieved. That and they don’t all have to have Morris Minors in them to make them great. 😉
I wanted to make this space [firstly] into a garden and then to make it look like it had been there for years, yet really very well maintained. That aside the second role was to make one want to spend time outside and whether it be the largest budget in the world or not, that, here has definitely been achieved within this now great[er] outdoors.
Do consider if you will, that the garden is not even hours old when I recorded the video below and also that this is how the garden will look in its [now] over-wintering state. That aside, I loved making this one and I cannot wait to see this space come the summer time.
Any Q’s or thoughts [?] leave a comment below or drop me a line.
Peter Donegan:
- email: info@doneganlandscaping.com
- phone: +353(87)6594688
- twitter: @DoneganGardens
- facebook: DoneganLandscaping
Historically, almost every ornamental raised bed I ever made was from stone. No apparent reason, it’s just what was done, what was the trend and what clients requested… like Lonicera nitida hedges maybe, in pre 1980’s Ireland. In that context this Dublin domestic back garden is a little bit different. A little; yet still there’s something in this space outdoors that is a little old school funky, like a really great vinyl record collection.
I don’t know whether its the fact that the timber will age ever so as the plants mature or the fact that the planting choice, to the eloquent plants person could maybe be considered mildly eclectic. Maybe it’s the whitewash walls, or the pebble, or that fact that [by definition] there are two hedges in this garden, both serving two different functions.
Of note, the plants in particular within this space, fresh from the nurseries, will need a little time to come into their own, to harmonise, acclimatise and turn towards the preferred source of light.
The garden layout and build aside, I like the raised beds in wood. I love that I made them to measure and that client in mind, we did build in that wee seat just below the Dicksonia antartica. More than that, they will make the gardening work easy-er, after I am gone.
In the plant selection department I know I was really smart when it came to this as the growth rates per annum are quite low. Aesthically to counteract that, were possible they were brought in a little more mature; it was important that they looked like they had been there for some time and there is nothing worse than waiting five or so years for a garden to come entirely into its own. A bit like taking too long to paint your home and only giving it one coat of paint, if you get me.
Tied in with a semi-permeable membrane used within the raised beds and a decorative pebble, this gives the client a low-er by far maintenance garden. And when you look at it, really outside of the grass; there isn’t really much by way of annual maintenance costs or time at all.
To the rear of the [rear] garden I love that the front hedge is Laurus nobilis and though it will take a little for the dots to join, there will be nothing nicer when it does than sitting behind it on the south facing raised patio area, within what already feels like a separate room within the great outdoors.
Far more than that, this is a garden that I’m really going to look forward to returning to. There is something truly wonderful about being able to see a photosynthetic picture of the future, in my imagination (?), for it exists nowhere else. Far, far better that picture coming to fruition and others smiling because of what was created for them.
Peter Donegan:
- email: info@doneganlandscaping.com
- phone: +353(87)6594688
- twitter: @DoneganGardens
- facebook: DoneganLandscaping
