Tuesday 6 September 2016

A Dis-arrr-ster (and hoorah for scones)

We have had ivy growing on the Victorian wall which separates our garden from our neighbours' garden for many years.  The owner of the house now rents it out and although he tried to cut back some of the ivy, it really needed a serious amount of controlling.  It was a wonderful food source for insects and birds and provided handy roosting and nesting areas for the birds too, so I didn't want to lose it all, just cut it back, as it overhung our raised bed and all the plants were straining to get some light.  We also thought it needed reducing in height by at least half, so that was the plan.
With our neighbour's help, we attempted to cut some of it away from the house.  Unfortunately, quite a large amount of the ivy came away and a couple of the top stones came off the wall too.  Deciding this was not a good thing, we stopped and got a tree surgeon in to tackle the rest.  Well, the ivy has been cut back...in fact, it had to go altogether, as the wall decided it had had enough and collapsed, right the way down the garden.  The ivy trunks were huge and had pushed the wall out in a couple of places - but possibly it was also helping to hold the wall up.  Some of the wall fell into the neighbour's garden, (which has no plants in it) but unfortunately, some fell into ours, damaging various pots and plants and making a big mess.  On a positive note, no-one was injured and it could have fallen at any time.  So, quite a lot of clearing up took place, and lots of damage limitation pruning.  I had to replace a couple of pots which had been smashed. I was a bit depressed about all the damaged plants, even though Chris did a great salvage job.
We are now waiting for a wall and fencing firm to look at the remains of the wall and give us some advice about replacing it with a new wall, or fence.  As the raised bed in our garden is built against the wall, it could mean a complete re-design of the garden, which could be a great opportunity...but I would have to lose lots of plants.  We shall know more once the wall/fencing firm has visited.
I am sorry to have lost the wall as it provided a lovely backdrop for my plants and stored heat during the day, helping to keep the plants sheltered.
 In other news, we went to our local cake shop to have some cream cakes as a treat, only to find it was too late and they had none left.  Undeterred, I remembered we had some cream in the fridge, so when I got back home, I made a batch of scones.
They were delicious topped with raspberry jam and cream. Hoorah for treats which make us feel just that little bit better!

8 comments:

  1. I am so sorry about your wall - and garden. An opportunity yes, but one tinged with sadness.
    Definitely hooray for scones.

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    1. Thanks, EC. I am sorry about it too - it isn't until you have no privacy (even though we have nice neighbours) that you realise how much you value it. I am bracing myself to hear that the raised beds will have to go. Thank goodness for scones and chocolate and tea (or gin and tonic or wine, depending on the hour!)
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  2. Hi o thats a shame about the wall..we cut down ours yesterday and swear it is the only thing holding up the fences now..we will have to see what happens..
    sara

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    1. Thanks, Sara. Yes, it is a shame about the wall, but if there is any way we can have the wall re-built, we will. Ivy is a great plant for wildlife, but it can do a lot of damage if it isn't kept under control! Good luck with your fences too.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  3. It is a shame about the wall, I hope it can be repaired or replaced soon and that you can redo the garden next year in a lovely new way. xx

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    1. Thanks, Amy. Yes, it is all a bit depressing but I hope we can have it replaced (subject to cost and whether it is possible, of course). I'm really missing it! I'm going to make an inventory of the plants I have in the border now, just in case I have to replace them. (We'll know more after next week).
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  4. So sorry about your wall......ummmmmm......I think I need to make some scones. Yours look so good, my stomach is growling 😃

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    1. Thanks, KimM. We'll see what the options are (and it all depends on the cost, of course). The scones were delicious and didn't last long!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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