Garth End Cottage Garden
We moved to Thornton le Dale, North Yorkshire, in 1986. Both the house and the garden needed some work, which we have undertaken over the ensuing years. The house was built in 1914, and at the time was probably fairly isolated, with just a couple of other houses on the road. From what we can tell, houses each had a furlong strip of garden. Today we have eight neighbours' gardens adjoining ours.
When we arrived the garden was mainly grass, but with some beds with a good variety of plants, and a few trees. There was an asbestos garage, reached by a long tarmac drive; an aluminium cladded shed, an old wooden shed with rusted galvanised roof, and a falling-down lean-to log store.
More pictures and information - sample slides from the talk.
Looking over the pond to the herbaceous border
Just three glimpses of the garden
Looking over the pond
Almost every aspect of the garden has changed. The old sheds were converted, first into a playhouse for the children, but later into a a garden shed and greenhouse. Paths were laid, a pond was dug, all the tarmac was removed and replaced by paving. Wherever possible material already in the garden was re-cycled.
Topiary
The upper half of the garden had a number of trees and bushes , which have been retained, and added to. Leylandii have been clipped; a beech sapling has been trained into a clipped spiral; hazel, prunus nigra, prunus tibetica and plums have all been planted; a rectangular rose bed was turned into a circular box wheel.
Ready for improvement 1986
This is a view looking up the garden in 1985. A long tarmac drive, asbestos garage and old sheds leading on to lawn. There was a good variety of plants present as well, many of which are still with us, some in their original places. Aruncus, holly, alchemilla, roses, lysmachia and apple trees to name just a few.