If you’ve been following our efforts since the start of the year (here) you’ll remember that we’ve been gradually trying to open up the view from the lawn. Surrounded by tall trees and hedges it felt oppressive to say the least, not to mention the impact all that greenery was having on light levels inside the house.
By September just this single hedge remained, left in place until we could be sure the birds had finished nesting.
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The lofty perch atop the builders’ scaffolding provides a different angle as work progressed
Mike used a brush cutter to clear the ground immediately below the drive and give us access to the large sycamore tree just at left of shot. Using its trunk as an anchor we could then winch out each of the philadelphus shrubs forming the hedge.
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Déjà vu: a new ‘heap’ marks the spot at the end of the drive..
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Unbelievably all of this went up in flames in a single day, far too much of it to cart off down the dump.
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The last photo before the scaffolding came down. Most of the hedge now removed.
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September
![Lawn Edging 006 Wm[1]](https://i1.wp.com/www.rustyduck.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lawn-Edging-006-Wm1.jpg?resize=1100%2C733&ssl=1)
November
From a solid green blob of a hedge to the beginnings of a vista deep into the woodland. The river meanders around those two conifers dead centre. The trees remain for now, although I have to say the jury is out. Maybe see how we feel about them come Spring.
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Looking up river from what used to be the hedge
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September
![Lawn Edging 008 Wm[1]](https://i1.wp.com/www.rustyduck.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lawn-Edging-008-Wm1.jpg?resize=1100%2C733&ssl=1)
November
After a bit more levelling I plan to plant a lonicera hedge to make a new curved boundary to the lawn, 12-18″ in height. Thankfully, it being winter, they’ll be no wild parties in the meantime. With risk of guests tumbling off the edge. As if.
It’s coming on.
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Wow, what an amazing transformation! Slow and steady but worth the work.
Thanks. Much as I love trees and shrubs they do need to be in the right place.
Excellent progress. On a different scale to ours, this is nevertheless reminiscent
Opening up a garden makes such a difference doesn’t it. My trouble is knowing when to stop!
It definitely is coming on. The view you have of the trees now is just lovely. A lonicera hedge sounds like a good solution for a boundary – neat and low.
It’s fast growing, that’s its only drawback, a lot of clipping. But in the short term it will work well and quickly fill out.
A fabulous result from a great deal of work …… you and Mike must be feeling pretty good about how it looks Jessica …. the hard work very much worthwhile.
Just think how wonderul it’s going to look come Spring. XXXX
It’s been a good year and some much needed jobs done. The challenge will be keeping it this open. There’s more work to be done in the woodland to keep it clear. Thanks Jackie.
Hi Jessica….
Love how you can see the water now…
Much cleaner looking..
You guys have been working like beavers…time to relax?
Enjoy your Fall weather…
Cheers!
Linda :o)
Beavers is spot on!
Definitely time to relax. I bought a scarf and socks while out today. At some level I must be in winter mode even if I haven’t yet quite come to accept it.
Amazing changes, love the more open look into the woods.
It is much better. It’s opening out even more as the leaves come off the trees and light gets through to the woodland floor.
Well done. How lovely to have a woodland to wander through and to plant-up with bulbs for Spring and Autumn. I would have to take the conifers out if it were my project…just saying !!
From some angles the conifers look OK, from others not. I’m going to take off some of the lower branches, which are mostly bare anyway, and see if that improves things. If not, they go.
Coming on indeed, how hard you’ve both been working. The view into the woodland is gorgeous. And the CJ xxaerial view from the top of the scaffolding is brilliant.
It was an unmissable opportunity, the view from on high. We were joking whilst making dinner last night about getting one of those drone things, until we saw how much they cost! Then we could have permanent aerial views.
What a difference! You must be so pleased with what you have achieved. You do everything on a much grander scale than the rest of us!!!
I don’t know about grander. I think we spread ourselves a bit too thin, over-optimistically taking on too many projects at one time and then all of them suffer as a result. Perhaps that’s why the previous owner put a high hedge round the lawn – so he could happily ignore the rest!
It must be wonderful to be the caretaker of a woodland garden, even more lovely to be the owner, hopefully there will not be one to many before the hedge goes in!
Or sleepwalking… could be a rude awakening.
Just brilliant.
Thanks Jill. In a way I’m sort of hoping for snow. The conifers with snow on them will remind me of Scotland.
Isn’t it nice to have “before” photos to remind youself of how much you’ve accomplished? Quote dramatic.
Absolutely. It’s becoming a whole series of photos, a great way to document the evolution of the garden.
Those conifers look like useful Christmas trees to me…you could decorate them with pheasants’ feet and squirrels’ nuts. Just a thought…
Squirrels’ nuts is a definite possibility. It won’t be the sort they eat either.
What a difference! You are both working so hard, if it was me, the conifers would go, but be replaced by something deciduous with blossom in the spring and wonderful colour in the autumn,so that you could see the river in the winter!
Funnily enough I was looking at an Amelanchier just the other day!
Hi Jessica, a big hurrah for the progress that you have made by taking out the hedge. That must have been a heck of a job! The new opened up view to the stream meandering through the woods below your cottage is just wonderful. I think your decision to push nature back a little bit from the immediate surrounding of your cottage is the right one. More light and “breathing space” is good!
Warm regards,
Christina
Given how long the house has been here it must be the case that trees were either planted, or allowed to grow, much closer to the house than they should. If you look at the size of the tree stump next to house from the aerial shot.. that is literally only six feet away and the tree was 80′ high. Pushing nature back is sometimes the only realistic thing to do. But I am enjoying the extra light and the feeling of space, I have to admit.
But now you can see the woodland beyond, you’ll make big plans for that too … Do you think you’ll ever get to the stage when you say “Enough! We’ve done it!”
Enough.. Yes. We’ve done it.. No!
I think I might be tempted to edge the lawn with something like a low, open-work rustic ‘fence’ (willow withies or the more expensive wrought iron) that would allow permanent ground level views through to that lovely, lower level woodland and water.
That is a good idea. Certainly, if we have a hedge it will be kept very low. There’s also still more height to take out of the edge of the lawn to make it level, so that will help too. But a ‘see-through’ fence would look good. I chose the lonicera because there is already some there, planted along the long straight edge, although it had grown to about six feet high before I hacked it back!
How fantastic to open up the view to the river. I love the way it meanders, you’ll be building bridges or installing stepping stones next. My parents used to live on the river opposite a little island and they used to row themselves across (in a little wooden junk boat called Ming) and plant snowdrops in the woodland. Just an idea Jessica!
That sounds lovely! The mice seem to leave snowdrops alone so hopefully I can establish a few good clumps down there. A lot of it is waterlogged most of the time though, it’s prime bog garden territory.
You have done so much, it is looking fab
Thanks Helen. As ever it is negotiating the slope which really saps the energy.
I can now understand why you wished to remove the hedge Jessica. I too can visualise a planted riverside walk!
It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for so long. It’s like extending your house. You can walk round the old wall to see the new addition, but it isn’t until the wall comes down that the full impact hits you.
The view of the stream is amazing! Well done! You’ve done a brilliant job. X
Thanks. I have a horrible feeling the real work is yet to come.
What a wonderful transformation you have achieved. The lonicera hedge will make a fantastic finishing touch. Congratulations on the results of all your planning and hard work.
Thanks Dorothy. It’s a good way to finish off the year. Over winter we can think about what to do with it next.
You really are making such wonderful changes!! Next year is going to bring even greater things I am sure! xx
Next year is about consolidation, mostly around the edge of the lawn. I don’t want to change the woodland too much, it is a wild area and should stay as such. Add some things sympathetically here and there but no wholesale clearing.
You almost have the beginnings of ha ha.
I’ve always wanted a ha ha. If it keeps out rogue sheep and cows then it’ll do nicely. Although there’s a plan to put a path through which might weaken the defensive line a bit.
making space here. And planting more. And wondering if I’m already back to … makng space.
How wonderful to see the river winding thru the trees!!
There may be plenty of space in the woodland but I have exactly the same issue in the more formal parts of the garden. And the spaces that do exist are never in the right place!
Lovely view of the river. I like the idea of a cultivated section, with a wild woodland beyond. And of course I love your terraced garden!
The challenge will be to get the transition right, so the cultivated and the wild appear to blend seamlessly into each other. Thanks Beth.
you made it all look so effortless (hee hee—we DO know better, tough!!!) and natural. it’s lovely!!!
Two months’ work collapsed into a minute.. if only! Thanks Steph.
You’ve opened up a beautiful new view for yourselves. I hope you enjoy it thoroughly through this season and all that follow.
Thanks Kris. Your low hedge bordering a view has inspired me greatly.
I love your vision; I remember you writing about the hedge some time ago and thinking that removing large shrubs is hard work and then sometimes the garden looks bare afterwards; I should have trusted your vision – the view into the woods is wonderful. Inviting you in to explore. Had you stood behind the hedge and seen the possibilities or just used your imagination. Seeing glimpses of the river as it sweeps by adds energy to the view. Well done for all the hard work.
It was difficult to get to the area behind the hedge and still is on account of the slope, but I did climb to it one day to try and get a feel for how it would look. I haven’t been disappointed with the outcome. The plan is to put in a path from the lawn down into the wood and to the river. Now I can see it I want to be able to walk down there more easily.
Fabulous change already with so much more space and light. What a great garden.
You wouldn’t believe how hemmed in it used to be. Quite claustrophobic.
I love the river meandering through your garden, and the bench tucked in between the greenery…good luck with all your hard work.
Thanks Gerrie. The philadelphus in the hedge was gloriously scented so I’ve kept the section around the bench, although I think it needs a further trim to get it to resprout from the base. It’s rather leggy, as philadelphus is inclined to be.
What an enormous task, but well worth it. I love the view of the river meandering through the trees. Pity about the wild parties though. Still, you have to make some sacrifices for a beautiful garden and a view.
Sacrifices do indeed have to be made. No doubt the creatures of the wood will continue with their own parties but one hopes they have better night vision than us.
Great result for all your hard work rd, it’s a credit to you.
Thanks Rick. All winter now to compile the long list of the things that need doing next.
It’s incredible how much of a diffence that’s made, yes, everything is opened up and looking marvelous….great to have a river view, I envy you that!xxx
What I’m enjoying most is how much more visible the animals are. When the deer wander past I can see them now. I can also see what they’re munching which is not so good!
Now you can put your feet up and relax over the winter …….. you could even learn to quilt!!!!!
Relaxing is definitely in the plan. And you never know.. especially as I know where to come for tuition. And scones.
Huge congratulations. Having done the ‘opening up a view’ thing ourselves I am loving watching your achievements. When you look back at these pictures in a couple of years time you will find it hard to remember just how overgrown and oppressive some areas were – make sure you/Mike takes loads of photos 🙂
The pictures are fabulous to have, they really bring home how far you’ve come. Sometimes it’s easy to forget. Especially when progress seems so very slow.
PS: those two conifers => log store with indecent haste!
They’ve got a reprieve until Spring, it’s got too boggy to work down there now. They may even blow down sometime over winter and save me the angst.
It looks vastly better, and it doesn’t appear you’ve lost any privacy. Well done!
Thanks hoov. There are still plenty of trees, for the wildlife and for privacy. I’m not done yet either.
Oops! The boring factor being me of course, not you!!
I didn’t take it wrongly, don’t worry. For some reason your original very kind comment (thank you!) has attached itself to an image on the post. I used to be able to move comments but not any more it seems. So, I have replied there.. click on the very last image (the pinterest small one) and you will find it. Thanks Harriet.
I love how open it’s become, and the planting possibilities sound great! I would consider leaving the smaller conifers, they might be nice for stopping you from seeing into the entire woods all at once…. but once they lose the bottom branches and just become year-round rooty light hogs, I say go!
I thought I’d take some of the bottom branches off anyway, they are already mostly bare, and see how it looks then. It should give me a better view through to the river. If it doesn’t work, they go.
How wonderful to be able to see the little river meandering through! Looking great!
Thanks Indie. Today it’s quite a big river… we’ve had a lot of rain!
You must really feel good about this move. I love the added depth and light. I hope you can get some rest now, before the busy work of spring starts. Your plants will thrive with the extra sun and space. I look forward to more updates.
It’s pretty much an enforced rest because the soil here tends to be so wet. Working it would do more damage than good and I’d probably end up slithering off the hill.
Such a difference, much more light, and hopefully both the garden and the cottage occupants will benefit from the changes.
I commend you for doing all that hard work, others would have thrown in the shovel by now.
Your cottage and gardens are exquisitely spectacular.
~Jo
Jo, I saw the potential in it but realised we would never be able to afford it unless we did much of the work ourselves. Needs must! Thanks x
You mean you don’t have wild parties in the snow! I think the fact that you have both done all this work makes it even more commendable. It’s been a busy year at Rusty Duck – winter is time to recharge the batteries me thinks. If you remove those conifers are you able to see more of the river? If so, then I think that’s the argument to take them out.
It’s been a very busy year and definitely time for a bit of a break. I plan to remove the lower branches of those conifers in the hope that we will see the river beneath. If that doesn’t work they are coming out.
Wow! What a mammoth effort and such fab results! I’m always a bit nervous about cutting down trees but I have to say removing some of the larger specimens around our house was the best thing we ever did. Let loads of light in and we found that plants that we’d never seen before began popping up all over the show including a delicious, dark pink peony! Of course we did plant up the Nuttery to replace the trees (and more). You’re so right though. A tree has to be in the right place. Well done!
Trees can do a lot of damage close to buildings. Hopefully in the end I’ll also have planted more than we took down. They’ll never get as big, but given the position that’s probably just as well.
Now, are you sure you can’t visualise the lonicera hedge finishing up in a burning heap a few years down the line, Jessica? Can’t you just accept the loss of a few late night revellers falling in the river to keep your open view? I am sure it would be worth it 😉
The lonicera will be under strict instructions re height. If it puts so much as a leaf over the maximum limit it will be for the chop. Or the burning bush.
I love philadelphus and wouldn’t have wanted to cut that down, but seeing the view that you now have was well worth their removal. Just as well you have no wild parties planned with that slope. Just hope your wildlife weren’t planning any parties either! Sarah x
I’ve probably made it easier for them to get into the garden, that’s the only problem!
Wonderful to see the changes so clearly. And that view of the stream is something you would definitely want to see. Well done on getting the hard work finished.
Thanks Julieanne. There’s more levelling to do once the soil dries out again but it feels a good way to end the season to get most of the hard work done.
It looks wonderful and I would love to sit on that bench and rest a while 🙂
As to cutting down extra trees… Perhaps the two conifers in the foreground because in a short space of time they will dominate the area and block out the light.
Yes, those are the two trees in my sights and for just that reason. At the moment they’re still of a size we can get them down.
Lots of hard work but worth it! How lovely to be able to see the stream and into the woods.
I’ve been wanting to do it for years but worried that it would just expose a lot more work. It does do that, but the new view makes up for it!
What a transformation to the view! It was so worth it to have cleared out those shrubs – something I know you’ve wanted to do for some time for several reasons. I’m sure you have more plans for the wooded area, but for the moment I hope you’re able to rest as you wind down for the Winter.
I want to put a path through to the woodland from the lawn, but it can wait until next year. We’ve achieved quite a bit this season and I think it’s time for a rest! Thanks Linda.
Somehow I lost the feed to your wonderful blog and so i am just catching up….what a stunning view now of the woodland. A huge job. Love the view from above too!
It looks even better now that the leaves have dropped. Not quite a vista, but I can dream. Thanks Donna, welcome back!