About 93 Clarence Road
This is a wildlife friendly garden sanctuary with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the view. The house is surrounded on three sides by a veranda and has a lean-to Victorian conservatory so there are many areas which are sheltered from the rain. This large suburban garden was completely redesigned 7 years ago and has been evolving ever since, maintained by the owner with the focus on preserving wildlife.
There is a kitchen/vegetable garden of raised beds with woven oak sides, fruit cages and espalier apples and pears, leading to a gravel-garden courtyard enclosed on two sides by a potting shed and greenhouse. The compost and leaf mould bins and a wildlife sanctuary are hidden behind these buildings. Running the width of the back of the garden is a native mixed hedge of hawthorn, spindle, crab apple, blackthorn, field maple, dog and sweet briar roses, holly and yew.
Beside the greenhouse is a newly planted herbaceous area designed to provide colour and food for insects for as long as possible through the year. Fruit trees including cooking and dessert apples, quince and plum are also a feature of this part of the garden.
An original Edwardian summer house has been redesigned to take full advantage of the view over the natural formal swimming pond. In the middle of the garden is a majestic golden Robinia festooned with mistletoe. The lawn is edged by a run of box balls and lavender on one side and a herbaceous, rose and shrub border on another. A small formal raised pond sits to one side of the patio. The chicken run is backed by a yew hedge and a working beehive is tucked away in a corner. To the side of the house is a small fernery with tree ferns and bananas. The garden is designed as much for wildlife as for gardening so some areas are encouraged to be more wild and less manicured.
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