Everyone has a problem area in their garden. Mine has been the area underneath our trampoline. The trampoline has now been there for 11 years, entertaining the kids and annoying me! I’d like to get rid of it, but my eleven year old still uses it most days in the spring and summer, so I am putting up with it. But what to do with the dark and dry area underneath?
Initially the trampoline was on the grass - we were planning to move it around every so often so the grass didn’t suffer. But, of course, that never happened! So over time the grass died off and the moss and weeds came in. It doesn’t help that it’s on the shady side of the garden and doesn’t get much light at all, so I was resigned to just putting some bark down on top of a membrane to tidy it all up.
However, over the years, I’ve been amazed to see ferns and some hardy geraniums self-seeding and living quite happily under there. It gave me an idea to experiment, to see if I could get anything else to establish. So last autumn, we temporarily moved the trampoline, dug out the weeds, added some compost and planted more plants, including more ferns – harts tongue ferns, soft shield ferns and the deer fern with a tremendous latin name, blechnum spicant. I also planted some tiarellas and primroses near the sunnier side, some pulmonaria that a client no longer wanted, and some vincas in the deeper shade. I’ve been so pleased with how well they’ve all flourished. I’ve watered them probably once a week, but it looks so much nicer than a covering of bark!
So, now I’m moving on to our next problem area - the lawn! It’s taken a battering from our two year old springer spaniel, whose toilet habits are scorching the grass. But I am determined to make it look verdant green again. I will keep you posted!
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