Simplification

Analyzing the photograph from yesterday's posting has resulted in a rethinking of how the bank on the left of the photo could be treated.  The original idea was to plant masses of lavender.  Very Provencal; you get the general idea no doubt.  But stopping the local native grasses swamping the lavenders would involve a massive amount of initial work and high ongoing mainenance. It is time to simplify things.

Native grasses, in particular the original Kangaroo Grass which is now returning here,  can  provide all the visual interest that is needed to make this area aesthetically satisfying. The beauty of these grasses lies in their seasonal changes of colour and texture, the movement  they add  to the gardens when the wind and the light catches them and  also the fact that they provide a good food source for the many seed-eating  birds native to this valley.

By removing the existing clumps of lavender that we planted as a trial a few years ago we can simplify the whole area and still achieve high visual impact, allowing the sculptural form of the bank itself to dominate.  The addition of a second line of box hedging above the grassy bank would complete this design; this can be done using our home grown buxus cuttings in the autumn.  Overall,  this simplification will lead to an inexpensive and very low maintenance design with high visual impact.  This approach will be important if we are to achieve our  landscaping ambitions for The Drip.

.