I thought I would give an update on how the alterations are coming on in the gravel area at the back. This is work in progress, so there is still plenty more to do! A lot has been cleared out, by Neil, the benches have been given 1 coat of preservative and 3 coats of pale blue “Cool Breeze” by me. All the painting was done in between watching the Olympics, sometimes I was painting at 6am, sometimes quite late in the evening, it worked, I was able to watch all the events I was interested in, as well as getting all the painting done.

Before I started painting and before moving this bench out alongside the large terracotta pot, what a mess!

Updated gravel area. The Hydrangea at the top left is under review, if it doesn’t grow better now that it has more light and room, then it will have to go. All the montbretia has now been dug out, by Neil, and I think it looks a lot better.

The new look gravel area, The pot has had a good scrub and I hope you agree the area is much cleaner, brighter and more tidy.

Our daughter and grandsons came for a visit, I told her that only colour co-ordinated people could sit on my newly painted bench!
I have ordered large planters to go in front of the arbour and the plants to go in them. There are more old terracotta pots to be planted up, some for sun and some for shade. There will be so many pots in this area, I think in future I’ll have to call it the Pot garden!
What will I do next week when there is no painting to do and no Olympics to watch – oh yes- back to the weeding in the rest of the garden – silly me!
It was a lovely place to sit too Mum! Your garden is looking lovely, just make sure you and Dad remember to sit down and enjoy it as well xx
Glad you enjoyed it Rachael. I think the benches will now get a lot of use, don’t worry, we will remember to sit down and enjoy the garden!xx
Much much better! The perfect place to rest.
So glad you approve Jessica, it would have been awful if I had wasted my time! I can see us sitting out there quite a lot. The climbers on the arbour are quite thick now, so we can even sit under it when it is raining gently.
I think it is a great makeover! I love your bench area!
Thank you Michelle, it didn’t take as long as I first thought it would, but it will be nice to sit down now and enjoy it!
What a lot of work you have done. A good clean up makes all the difference and the color on the benches is perfect. Lovely daughter too:^) If the hydrangea goes, what will you replace it with?
It’s only now that I realise just how much I’ve done Marian! It was all worth it though, it has made such a difference changing the colour of the benches, the whole area seems brighter.
I have Fuchsia Delta Sarah that is coming from cuttings, I’m thinking that maybe it could take the place of the hydrangea if it doesn’t respond to a bit of TLC.
That looks great Pauline, much less busy and thus more relaxing to sit in, as well. x
Plants had self seeded Rosemarie, but goodness knows where all the montbretia came from! Some plants had grown far too large and I’m sure that they will benefit from their hard cut back, I’ll know next year!
It looks wonderful! Love the way the blue bench brightens the area. You’ve inspired me to get going on my own overgrown gravel garden. I love your newly scrubbed terra cotta pot, it’s a lovely shape.
Thanks Alison, we are enjoying the new colour, the whole area seems lighter. The terracotta pot had a black algae growing on it, it was a lot of hard work getting it off, scrubbing it with a solution of bleach and water, but it looks so much better. I’m ashamed to admit it is a few years since it was last done, obviously it needs doing every year!
I think that looks great Pauline – it has a real Mediterranean feel to it with the gravel and large pot. A lovely place to sit and relax (if you ever do!!). A great result from all your hard work.
Much needed rain here today in Somerset – hope you’ve had it as well.
Many thanks Sue, the large pot was actually made in Crete and makes a good focal point I think. We do occasionally relax, believe it or not, maybe we will do so more often now!
Rain last night and today, thank goodness, the garden really needed it!
A very satisfying makeover and such a lovely place to sit now. The benches look much nicer painted that colour, really brighten it up. I’m in the process of digging up montbretia out of my front garden as well, too much leaf and no flower for me. But hard getting all the corms out!
Thank you Annie, we will feel more like sitting out there now.
Montbretia is a right pain isn’t it, it appears from nowhere and is the devil to dig out! Everywhere looks so much better without it.
Good work. A fresh coat of paint makes such an enormous difference. The whole area has a more restful feel.
I feel it does look so much better Jason, unfortunately I had allowed it to get into a terrible mess, I should have dealt with it long ago.
A beautiful transformation. Sometimes another set of eyes can really make a difference in how you see an area and it now looks much more inviting. I like the color you chose. Very restful yet still bright enough and I bet the painted bench is much more pleasant to sit on after a rain!
Thanks Frank. Having always loved natural wood, it took me a long time to realise that the area would be improved with a few coats of paint! I now wish I had done it years ago!
So true. I also love the look of wood and always consider it a shame to paint over… but sometimes 🙂
Having been a woodcarver for a long time and teaching it for 17 yrs, I much preferred natural wood in the past, but there comes a time when you need to preserve it a bit longer, hopefully our benches now have a new lease of life.
Oh how fun! I’ve always wanted to start a garden! Maybe when I get out of college and get my own apartment! 🙂
Thanks for leaving a comment Shari, gardening is such fun, even when you are an oldie like me!
Isn’t it wonderful the difference than be made from an overhaul like this? Small changes can enable you to see things in a different way and create more possibilities – at least you have Neil to help you put things into action now!
Yes, I agree Cathy, one small idea leads to lots of other ideas! I much prefer the area now, so can see us sitting there a lot, weather permitting!