Hilary , My Garden (LU2)

Styles: English cottage, Suburban, Wildflower, Wildlife

Soil types: Chalky, Clay

Soil drainage: Moist but well-drained

Soil pH: Neutral

Light: Partial Shade

Aspect: South

Exposure: Sheltered

Hardiness: Hardy (H4)

Hilary 's garden plan

There is not a published plan for this garden yet.

Plants in Hilary 's garden

Clematis 'Dorothy Walton' (Clematis 'Dorothy Walton')

Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' (Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchaud')

Lavatera x clementii 'Burgundy Wine' (Tree mallow 'Burgundy Wine')

Plants Hilary wants

Valeriana officinalis (Common valerian)

Eremurus robustus (Foxtail lily)

Thalictrum delavayi (Chinese meadow rue)

Hilary

About me
I recently took early retirement at age 55 and I am enjoying spending more time in my urban garden. We started the garden from scratch 20 years ago when we bought a brand new house. Soil is fairly heavy clay on chalk. Garden is south facing but mature trees give some shady corners. I like naturalistic planting and have succeeded in attracting birds to feed and nest in the garden. Our mature cotoneaster tree with its abundant red berries is particularly popular in winter. There is a lawn but it is not pristine. We have soft fruit and herbs and a prolific Victoria plum tree. The front garden has a south facing wall alongside the drive which has climbing roses and a Monet-inspired iris border.

Gardening expertise
Very Keen

Biggest gardening accomplishments
A beautiful rambling rose grown from a cutting given to me by my Dad. He grew it from a cutting from a plant first grown in the 1930s by his father-in-law. I recently propagated a cutting to give to my daughter!

Biggest gardening frustrations
Slugs, snails and pigeons destroying plants. I want to grow hostas but the snails always win.

The gardening project I am currently working on
Redesigning my herbaceous borders for all-year round colour.

On the web
Twitter: @HilCorfan