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Winsford Walled Garden Development
Using four sets of four photographs this page highlights aspects of the garden's development since our arrival in June, 1999.
Discovery
Even before the furniture had arrived, the double row of Leyland cypress that marched from the garden gate right up to the front door was gone, chopped down and put on the first of the ninety bonfires that would be needed to clear and restore this fabulous garden site. The garden has undergone a fantastic transformation and the Garden Development section introduces sequenced highlights of the work undertaken.
Preparation
After the Leylandii came down, we hauled down and burnt over 800 linear feet of ivy from the walls while we waited for the hydraulic excavator to strip the site of the worst of the overgrown vegetation. The first bonfire was over 6o feet wide! De-struct was all we seemed to do for months. When work began on the new pergola in February 2000 it was much more than just a garden project. For us, it had a special significance because it marked the begining of all the Con-structive work in the garden.
The Conifer Bed
   
The first photograph shows the broad sweep we intended for the conifer bed. Concrete blocks from the various out buildings is used as a foundation to the intended rockery in the left foreground. The second photograph shows progress after 12 months. The broad sweep was designed to reduce highly damaging wind vortices that were like tornadoes within the walls when the vegetation was so low. The final photograph highlights the fantastic all-year colour available.
The Garden Entrance
   
In March, of 2000 the garden entrance looked as it does in the first photograph. By the summer of 2001 it looked like the second photograph, the pergola is clearly visible in the background. In the third photograph, summer 2004, the same sweep and the pergola looks as though it's always been there. In 2006 the pergola can no longer be seen as Aileen highlights a plant at the beginning of the walk which now takes the average visitor about two hours to complete.
The Alpine House
   
What was once the Victorian Cucumber/Marrow House was found beneath massive overgrowth during our initial clearance. The first photograph was taken once the worst overgrowth was removed - during December 2000. The second photograph was taken in January 2000, during the removal of the broken glass that had bee 'conveniently' swept beneath the floor grating. At about the same period the Victorian brick base was restored and so it remained for several years while we focused our efforts elsewhere.
By 2004 the alpine plants that had been planted in the rockery were being smothered by their bigger neighours and it was decided to move them inside the Cucumber House which would become The Alpine House. The fourth photograph shows Michael admiring a new addition to the Alpine House during 2006.
The Centre Border
   
In the first photograph taken during the spring of 2000, a young Bay tree can be seen left of centre. The next photo shows the bed during the summer of 2003 and the Bay tree is on the right. The third picture highlights the border in 2004, and the final photo highlights the sheer exuberance of summer colour in 2006 in this border which is over thirty feet deep in places.
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