Base maps

I used the base maps as well as the zone, sector and slope maps for the whole garden I had put together in the survey stage of the first phase of the design.

The first year in the back garden

In addition to the site survey I did in the first year, I made the following observations:

What went well?

• the perennials established themselves very well: fruit trees, bushes, climbers and raspberries, as well as the perennial vegetables and flowers, and the herbs
• wild strawberry ground cover established itself very well
• there was only need for watering pots
• the greenhouse is a valuable resource for seedlings and overwintering more tender herbs in pots
• mulching was great for clearing the ground and building the soil

What was challenging?

• the goji berries didn’t survive either in the ground or in pots
• slugs loved the lupins
• many more tender herbs didn’t survive in pots on the patio
• there was a lot of wet weather, but when there was a dry spell the water butts were soon emptied
• compacted soil needing building