The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers

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12 April 2011

The Rain Garden Idea Hits Home

Site of proposed rain garden


Border left of left path to be levelle




So I had this idea!  Another idea!! YET another idea!!  It started off as a sunken garden in front of the studio - all rocks and ferns and then it happened.  A rain garden!!  All the rain from the garage/office block flows into the septic tank which shouldn't ever happen.  As we plan to level the Creosote Yard (using the Ebay bargain slabs) what's wrong with building a rill around the outside, redirecting the down pipes and all the run off being directed into the sunken rock garden.  Hey presto!  A rain garden.  We could install a pump/natural water feature in order that any collected water 






Site of proposed bridge








is kept moving and so doesn't stagnate or attract mosquitoes.  Planting might need to cope with/without water so care needed on that one.  We could also build in an overflow channel in case of any great floods.  

We had already planned to terrace the border left of the greenhouse path and have a retaining wall thus making a little bit more level garden.  Whenever one looks in garden magazines or watches any gardening programmes; no one ever talks about gardening on a sloping site and nearly all of this garden slopes!  Now, I'm on the lookout for about a 1000 reclaimed bricks - any suggestions anyone?

Imagine a bridge over  a fern filled sunken garden to the studio

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