Friday 7 December 2012

Plans for my corner

Once upon a time I had a nice Holly tree in my garden, it wasn’t that big when I moved in here 11 years ago, but Holly trees are relatively fast growers and mine was no exception. By this summer it had a healthy height of around 8 metres.

Now, anyone who has a Holly tree probably has the same love/hate relationship with their tree as I had; love the look of it, the flowers, the berries, but hate the razor sharp leaves it drop 6-8 months a year! And I didn’t make it easy for myself either, by having gravel on the ground under the tree so I couldn’t just sweep up the leaves, no, I had to actually pick the leaves up. Sometimes it could be a rather painful job!

The Holly tree provided a nice, cosy area where I had my seating, sheltered from both the strong sun in the summer and the cold wind in the spring and autumn. I also had a breezeblock wall as a backdrop here, not exactly the most beautiful thing in the world, but it was here when I moved in and it was OK. But then the house owner next door decided to build an extension, and everything changed. The tree was in his way so he just chopped off the branches on his side of the fence, as and when he needed space. I have no photos of what the tree looked like in the end but I can assure you the tree would not have survived being treated like that, the weight of it would have made it list and bend into my garden eventually. Then my breezeblock wall broke loose from the main wall due to the building work next door and most of the breezeblocks started to come apart. It was no longer safe to sit here in my corner.

I contacted my housing association and they promised to come and take down my Holly tree and to fix my wall. I asked them to replace the breezeblock wall with more wooden fence panels, as that would be an easier job and look better. The extension work next door continued, at snail pace. This photo was taken in late September and he started digging the foundation in February. Getting the tree down was a longer process than the 3 weeks it should take, I reported the two jobs, take down the tree and fix the wall on the 26th July and the tree was down on 28th September, two months with emails and phone calls to my housing association.

This is all that is left of my Holly tree. The stump is treated with Roundup so the roots will hopefully die, but the stump will have to be removed by axe and elbow grease – not mine, that’s going to have to be someone else’s elbow grease.

The seating area I was left with after the tree was gone was so much brighter! But with the dangerous wall still up I could not use it much. It’s not easy to see it in this photo, but most of the breezeblocks are actually loose, just resting on top of each other. The slightest push could have made the whole thing come tumbling down. Good thing they never had any heavy machinery next door, everything was done very much by hand since none of us here have back access to our gardens. Any vibrating machinery could have set off this wall and made me a pile of rubble!

But finally, after another 2 months of phone calls and emails from me, my housing association has been here and finished the job! I got a nice fence where once I had a breezeblock wall. They didn’t paint it though, left the panels in that horrible yellow colour they come in when they are new, so I have been out 4 days, dodging the rain and painted (stained) the 1 and 1/8 fence panel so it would look the same as the rest I have. I could only manage to do a bit every day, that’s why it took me 4 days, it was a very cold experience, had to skip a few days even if it didn’t rain, because the temperature was too low – it can only be applied above 5 degrees Celsius, and we didn’t have that every day during the day! But now it’s done, looking good :-)

Unfortunately, my neighbour’s landlord (privately owned) is still working at snail pace, not much has happened next door the last couple of months and all his rubbish and building material and excavated soil is piled up against my wooden fence. I have complained about it to him, but got a shrug back.

This is what I am living next door to, the rubbish and building material is making my fences bulge and crack up.

The only place I can see my garden from inside my house is from my upstairs bedroom window, as in these Victorian houses, my living room is towards the street, not towards my garden. So if I can’t go outside for some reason, and want to just sit and watch my garden I go and sit in my chair in my bedroom. But the view is rather blighted by next door garden, which I unfortunately can see just as well as my own. Their garden has looked more or less like this for the 11 years I have lived in this house. That broken washing machine has been out there for at least 5 years. Some of the rubbish gets taken out at times and replaced by new rubbish, but the garden has looked like a dumping ground all these 11 years I have been living next door to them.

The new extension wall facing me is not exactly pretty so I have already bought a plant to go up the fence and up the wall, hopefully as quickly as possible! The plant is a Clematis armandii 'Apple Blossom' and I hope it will thrive on this north facing wall. This clematis is evergreen, the main reason why I chose it, but it also has beautiful, scented flowers in March/April. It can grow to 8 meter tall, so it should be able to cover the whole fence and extension quite nicely within a couple of years. I hope it grows fast, it is rather small still!

I have obviously no photo of flowers to show you yet, so this one I have borrowed from Coblands, where I bought the plant.


All these changes have made me look at this seating area with fresh eyes, this is an area I haven’t done anything with since I moved in 11 years ago, apart from getting rid of the grass that didn’t grow much anyway. I am thinking of getting one of those outdoor sofas and an armchair, and put my old garden bench and table on E-Bay. I would also like to have a chiminea, although my seating area is perhaps a bit too small for that. I have made some drawings, starting with getting the rest of the area paved so I can get rid of the gravel, and different  solution for where everything can go. The sofa I am looking at is from Ikea and comes in modules so you can build whatever you like, 2-seater, 3-seater or corner sofa.

More paving and 3-seater sofa. The black dot in the corner is meant to be a chiminea!


3-Seater or corner, difficult to choose!


I have asked for help from my housing association with regards to the ongoing damage done to my fence by next doors rubbish and building material. I reported it on 28th September, 15th October and just recently, on 5th December. Still haven’t heard back from the person who is meant to help me with this issue, my Neighbourhood Manager. My last email was a bit sharper in tone than the two previous one so I hope something will happen now, but I get so tired of spending energy I don’t really have on issues like this – shouldn’t be necessary, that’s why they have a customer service centre at my housing association where "any housing or repair problem can be reported and taken care of on behalf of the tenants". Ha! I wish...

In the mean time I am dreaming about what my seating corner will look like once it’s finished, I have lots of plans and things I would have liked to do, and as I have written before here, some of these plans do require a rather substantial win in the Lottery, but failing that I could settle for something more modest, like what I have indicated in my drawings :-) Until next time, take care.

22 comments:

  1. This is the reason I wish to own a whole mountain with my house placed at the very top! Good luck getting things sorted out. You are smart to distract yourself by planning and decorating your own oasis.

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    1. Thank you Rosemary, I have always said I could do with a deserted island myself, as long as I have Internet connection and Asda (Walmart) and Amazon makes deliveries there!

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  2. Darn, too bad that neighbor has so much trash taking over the garden. I can see why you want a nice fence to block the view. I hope the association comes through for you. Kind of sad about the Holly tree, but it sounds like you're making the best of a tough situation. You always have a healthy outlook, Helene! Your little corner will be sweet--I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

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    1. Can't wait myself, Beth! I am going to try to persuade the housing association to chip in for some of the cost of paving the rest of the area, to get rid of the gravel. Not sure what they will say but one can only ask, right? :-)

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  3. What a frustrating situation! Your garden is so beautiful and the awful state of the garden next door must make you dread going outside at times. Your plan looks lovely x

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    1. I try not to look at the garden next door, and when I am sitting down in my corner I actually can't see anyone, and no one can see me, even though I have houses around me on all 3 sides. But as soon as I get up I can see my neighbours on both sides....a 2m fence all round would have suited me better but to have that I would need new fence posts put in. A lot of work, costing an awful lot of money since I don't have outside access to my garden, so everything going in and out of my garden has to be dragged through my house.

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  4. Helen, your garden is small but cozy. I liked the arch above the path. Your neighbor is cretin, selfish man. I think you might to plant Parthenocissus inserta near the wall. It's not evergreen but grows with immense speed and its leaves are nice in fall, red and yellow. It doesn't need any nails in a wall for growth.
    I hope to learn about your scent of Christmas.
    Thank you for dropping by!

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    1. It’s actually a bit more complicated than that...it is the owner of the house next door that is building the extension, not the tenant, the tenant is rather frustrated too about how slow the whole process has been, as he is waiting for a second bathroom! I don’t know the tenant that well, but say hello when we meet outside and he and his wife is very nice and jovial. But they don’t seem to feel any responsibility for keeping the garden tidy and the mess off my fence...

      As for Parthenocissus, I know this plant very well, I have two Parthenocissus henryana, as Bonsai Trees!! They will be 9 years old this summer, you can se them here on a post I wrote earlier this year: http://graphicality-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/make-your-own-bonsai-trees.html

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  5. Hi Helene
    It's a shame that neither your neighbour nor the Housing Association wish to improve the look of the gardens the way you do. But I am happy they at least finished the wall and fence. I love the little sitting area and know you will too. Your ideas for seating as well as plants sound as if the area will eventually be attractive, practical, fragrant and peaceful. Good job!
    Astrid

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    1. Hello Astrid, one of the issues here is that my housing association only bought a few houses in my street, and only my house on my side of the road. The rest of the houses are privately owned and most of them are rented out. Tenants who rent privately pay more than twice the rent than I do, and seem to be a lot less interested in taking care of their surroundings, both indoors and outdoors. Don’t ask me why, I am just making observations!

      I can’t wait for the spring to get started on my seating area :-)

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  6. I'm feeling your pain Helene!! I know I would be livid. I thought my neighbour was bad - he's nothing into comparison to what you have to put up with. Can't you make it into some sort of 'Health and Safety' issue - particularly if you have young kids that use the garden.
    Your plans re seating etc looks really good.
    Good luck with your Clematis armandii - I love these - but not hardy enough up here in Scotland - I took a chance and lost one through last year's mild winter!! I did think however that they prefer a bit of sun.
    I recently came across an evergreen climbing hydrangea 'seemannii' - this would prefer the shade if the Clematis doesn't do so well.
    Good luck with the Housing Association

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    1. Hi Angie, I did make the issue about the wall into a ‘health and safety’ issue, and it still took them 4 months to repair it, they are really slow at times. But I think they will react now, with my latest email, only question is what power they have towards the owner of the house next door. He can just refuse, or say he will clear up and not do anything. If this ends up in court it can take a very long time…..

      I was recommended Clematis armandii from Burncoose, after writing to them and describing the site, hopefully it will do well, but failing that I already know about the hydrangea 'seemannii' and have it on my reserve list, but thanks for the tip :-)

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  7. So sorry about the holly. Even though they're prickly, I love hollies. But the clematis will be gorgeous! And your new plans for the back are going to be so thrilling to finish! Obviously, your neighbor is not going to change. I guess the best you can wish for there is for him to move!

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    1. Yes, I have realised the neighbour isn’t going to change, so I have offered them the same as I did to my other neighbour – to do up their garden :-)
      Much better than looking at all their rubbish and weeds. Sadly my project next door to my other neighbour didn’t go so well, as you might remember, the neighbour died last year, and since then, 1 tenant have come and gone and another have moved in, both making changes, pulling up many of the plants I put there, and then thoroughly neglecting the garden. But even so, it looks miles better than before I started on it. So that’s what I have offered this neighbour (tenant) too, as soon as all the rubbish is gone and the garden is completely empty I will help them create a garden. They will get a great place for the whole family and I will have something nice to look at. I have repeated my offer regularly the last 5-6 years, but the garden is still full of rubbish...

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  8. I can certainly relate to your situation. We just recently had three big trees removed from our yard. It's amazing the difference that has made. The garden had become very shady over the years as the trees grew. Now there is much more sunlight and possibilities for planting more sun-loving plants. Although I hated to lose those trees, the truth is our yard still has plenty more and now I'm excited by the new planting opportunities. After all, change is part of gardening.

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    1. Yes, I am looking forward to seeing what impact it will have for my plants, although the Holly was mainly shading my patio, where I just have some pots and planters.

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  9. Shame about your holly tree, but at least you've got less shade now. Now is definitely the time of year for planning the garden, rather than doing anything.
    Maybe by next spring, your neighbours will have removed their rubbish, or maybe you'll have won the lottery by then. Wishful thinking, perhaps.
    Take care.

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    1. Some good news, the neighbourhood manager has been in touch, she will come on an inspection on the 18th December and talk to my neighbour - although the owner is probably the more correct person to address in this case. She also said she would then write to the owner, based on what she finds. That might help - or not. It didn't help when I asked the owner to remove the soil and rubbish away from my fence, but maybe when it comes from my housing association it will make a difference? Getting him to clear the whole garden would be a bonus, but I am not holding my breath....

      If I won a big win on the lottery I really wouldn't care what my current neighbours did with their gardens - I would be off to my deserted island!

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  10. Whatever the final outcome Helene, I feel sure it will be to your satisfaction.

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    1. Thank you Alistair - slow process, but I'll get there eventually!

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  11. Goodness! I hope the rest of that breezeblock wall has been removed...still looks very dangerous. looks like you have the neighbours from hell, such a shame if it spoils your little piece of the planet. Good job you have your lovely garden to focus all of your attention on and to wear blinkers to the goings on next door.
    I haven't visited for a while, I hope you are well xx

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    1. Thank you Jane, things are slowly improving here, although my 'normal' is very far from most people's normal - but I am coping OK. Can't wait for spring now, got so many plans :-)

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