Integrating a Garden Railway – Part 1

I can’t deny it.  I knew what I was marrying into.  My husband’s enthusiasm for trains, railways (both home and abroad) and his very specific and loyal affection for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in West Cumbria has brought with it excuses for some fabulous holidays, a strong circle of wonderful friends and many moments of hilarity.

It’s not surprising then, that during the 2018 Christmas break, our garden acquired fifty or so metres of 32mm gauge track on which my husband can now run his 16mm scale steam engine.

Key considerations

As March blows on into April, we are hopeful that we can go out and enjoy the railway a little more.  However, the paved, far end of the garden (which also serves as a turning circle for the railway) is looking pretty shabby and would welcome a bit of a mini-makeover.

It’s pretty shabby right now - but at least it will make the ‘before and after’ photos more effective.

I say mini, because at some point, we need to rebuild the wall where the neighbour’s tree has grown through it, rendering it unstable.  I therefore need a temporary solution, to avoid any permanent planting being trampled on by the brick layers, in the event that wall-rebuilding ever makes it to the top of my ‘to-do’ list.

The Plan

I have never been a big fan of seasonal bedding plants; expending a load of time and resources planting and watering them, and then tearing them out when the winter comes seems a little pointless.  However, I think in this instance, temporary bedding would be an appropriate solution.

For the first time ever, I have grown some Busy Lizzies from seed.  I have chosen a really pale pink cultivar; ‘Campos Rose Splash’.  White and pale colours are good choices for shady areas, and Busy Lizzies are also shade tolerant.  They also flower over a long period, especially if you take the time to go and dead-head them. 

I sowed the seeds and placed them into my new heated propagator.  They actually germinated after just a few days, and my next job is to prick them out in to their own modules and grow them on.

Busy Lizzies - Impatiens walleriana ‘Campos Rose Splash’

Whilst we are waiting for the seedlings to grow and the weather to improve, there’s plenty of work to be done clearing weeds and rubble from the end of the garden, disposing of the redundant Christmas tree, topping up the compost in the planters and perhaps repainting the garden furniture.  I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

Gardening in Shade

The marvellous thing about living in Whalley Range is all the magnificent mature trees - such a relief to turn down cool, shady Range Road, after a sweaty cycle home during the heatwave earlier this year.

The frustrating thing about living in Whalley Range is… all the magnificent mature trees (not to mention those pesky squirrels). 

Shade.  It can make for some tricky gardening decisions, and I am quickly working up my knowledge of the plants that work best in order to tackle my own garden.

We have a small walled flowerbed in our front garden.  It is over-shadowed by the neighbours’ enormous beech tree.  In addition to light, this tree is also competing with my shrubs for root space and water.  As you can imagine, it’s not much of a competition.

After a year or two of complete neglect, including my total failure to water throughout aforementioned scorcher of a summer (not a good advert for a gardener, I do realise), I decided to take this little flowerbed in hand. 

The beech tree, like the houses, has presumably been there since Samuel Brooks’ time, over 150 years ago. It is not going anywhere soon.  Instead, it’s up to me to make sensible planting choices for the prevailing conditions.

I’ve gone for a Viburnum davidii, which likes shade, along with Heucheras (‘Plum Pudding’).  The Heucheras pick out the beautiful red leaf petioles on the Viburnum really well. 

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, I’ve also put in some Alchemilla mollis or Lady’s Mantle, which will grow anywhere!  Hopefully the Verbena and Bergenias will perk up next year, if I’m more disciplined about watering them…

Let me know what shade-loving plants have worked well for you, and check back here in spring for a photo when the viburnum is in flower, and the bulbs are up.  That is, assuming those pesky squirrels haven’t got to them first.

Coming next; Autumn leaves – and what to do with them.