The Sleepout #11 – The Shade Garden

After I got the decking around the sleepout finished it was time to focus on the garden. I was really looking forward to this as I'd been wanting to do something about this part of the garden for a long, long time. It’s the landscaping and the planting that really finishes things off nicely.

Here’s a couple of 'before' pics to show how it was before I started the decking...

and during...

I really wanted to keep the mature pungas (ferns) that were growing in this area, which meant this would always be a shaded garden. So it's a lovely cool place during the summer. As you can see, I built 2 low retaining walls out of keystone blocks to try flattening out the steepness of the bank.

I'm still in the process of finishing off the block work. I now need a concrete cutting machine to cut the mitre on the corner before it’ll be properly finished. I've started planting it out with a triple Bangalow palm in the middle and a few bromileads for now. I also decided it could be a good place for a couple of the large pots I got a couple years ago. 

When the blockwork is finished, I’ll be able to back fill and continue planting. As usual, I'll post more pictures when it's completed.

I'm pleased with the overall direction the Sleepout is taking but there's still a bit to do to finish it off. 

Read more here.