Dovewood – the Garden
The Garden at Dovewood is not a large plot at approx. 100 x 40 feet. Much bigger than many modern homes have but not the acreage of my dreams. Having said that it is plenty big enough for me to work and play in.
There wasn’t much here when I came, a selection of shrubs and perennials that probably all came as the result of a magazine offer. However there were two BIG trees (Liquidambar), and a beautiful Japanese Acer. One of the Sweet Gums was right outside the Kitchen window and completely overshadowed the lawn. It had been badly pruned and was a horrid shape, so we parted company. The one in the Back garden was beautiful, especially in all its Autumn glory. I had to have the crown reduced several times in an effort to keep it but sadly, it too has had to go, a case of right plant, wrong place.
I laid the Garden out when I first came here in 2002, and have gradually re-worked each area. In 2014 we upped our game and took part in the TV programme “Big Dreams, Small Spaces” with Monty Don. Since then the rest of the garden has been undergone a major change as I have chronicled here. In 2015 I re-designed the remaining area of the front garden. And at the end of 2015 and into 2016 undertook completely re-working the back Garden. For 2017 the re-planting of the back garden continued and we began producing our own fruit and Veg.
If you would like to read about the Garden here at Dovewood and how it is laid out, the following links to the relevant posts will guide you. The first thing that you need to know is that the garden really is of two parts, that is, one on on each side of the property.
On the south side of the property is:-
The Norwegian Garden. Details of this in three part as it is also about how we made a Television programme with Monty Don Part One , Part Two and Part Three
And The Acer Garden – Not a Japanese garden but named after the Acer Palmatum that is central to its design Read about it here
On the north side of the property is:-
The Kitchen garden – The construction of it and The Greenhouse
The North Garden – the landscaping of it and the completion of it
Below is a plan (not to scale) of the garden to the north of the property
Plan of the Garden on the north side of Dovewood – not drawn to scale