A year ago the Council authorised the cutting down of two mature trees at the entrance to our close because they were distorting the wall and pavement into a small terrace of houses. The houses had been built too close to the trees but that was some years ago and could hardly be changed. The destruction could not be stopped. After a while I couldn’t bear to look at the emptiness and that was the beginning of The Pavement Garden.

Problems

There are always problems – or to put it another way, challenges!

I had several challenges:

• A back injury
• Shallow soil degraded by the trees
• Roots!
• Rubbish
• Extreme heat in 2022 and no source of water nearby

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Plants

What could I plant that might stand a chance of survival? I am trying

• a very tough Geranium of which I was given a cutting some years ago,
• Sedums (the original came from Beth Chatto many years ago),
• Excess Japanese Anemones from The Fortnight Garden,
• Carex Pendula which popped up in the London Garden and spread happily,
• Stipa Gigantea which self-seeded in The Fortight Garden,
• Euonymus which was a cheap job-lot in Homebase
• lavender and curry plants which were cuttings from The Fortnight Garden
• and Libertia which self-seeded in the London Garden when I forgot to cut off the dead flower heads.

Somehow they made it through the year and then after the endless rain since February it isn’t looking too bad.

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What next?

The geraniums are blissfully happy and just starting to flower. However, I will have to watch that they don’t swamp everything else, and cut them down after flowering.

The Stipa Gigantea is doing well and starting to flower and that will combine well with the oxeye daisies. The Carex Pendula is also happy but another thug which I will have to watch.

There was an ornamental quince which I cut back because it looked unhappy and it is now starting to put out new growth all over. There is another quince, next to a pyracantha and both will need some pruning. And then there is an enormous mahonia which is going too far but it requires some negotiation before I prune.

We have dug in compost, potting compost and fertiliser and I will water with plant food as well.

And now I think I just need to watch the garden and leave it to get on with itself.