The problems we meet

[Palustris]

The first is a picture of the site of a new bed we are creating, jokingly called The New Forest as it is intended to be planted with trees and shrubs rather than herbaceous. It is about 20 metres by 10 metres.
The second picture is of the top corner, the change of soil colour is where it stops being soil and becomes brick rubble and house foundations. The area is about 7 metres by 3 metres and the rubble is at least  half a metre deep before I reach sub-soil.
We are still debating how best to proceed from here.

[Palustris]

[tim]

Did the Romans ever pass your way?? If so - dig, dig!!

These things are only there to test our mettle? = Tim

[Jesse]

What are those things called that they use to dig up the road, Kango Hammers?  ;D

Good luck!

[Palustris]

To remove the rubbish to give a depth of about 30 cms, enough for planting most things, we would need to remove and replace with soil, somewhere in the region of 12 tonnes of stuff. Skips plus new soil =£750. The foundations are at best 1804 at worst, pre 1914. The do contain re-used Tudor bricks though.
Romans only built marching camp at the river, the Celts did mark field boundaries though. Never found any signs of them and no reliable dating evidence yet.

[tim]

Build another gazebo on it? = Tim

[Doris_Pinks]

Re-turf and extend the bed in a different direction!! ;D

[Palustris]

The grass which you can see at the bottom of the top photo, is full of gravel, not nice 10 millimetre stuff but the 10 cm stuff they use as the foundation for roads. It used to be where the previous occupants parked their caravans and cars. Digging it up is not an option, believe me I ahve tried and nowhere can you get a fork to go in. Love watching Monty Don aerating lawns. If you did that on that grass you would have a bent fork!. The grass round the side is about 8 feet wide which is just the correct size for a path.
Two gazebo thingies is enough for anyone!
Still debating!

[Jesse]

Palustris if you covered it over again would the soil be deep enough for a wild flower meadow? Saw this serpentine grassy path in the July issue of Country Living and though of you. (Sorry about the quality of the picture). You could create a similar pathway around "the meadow" and perhaps build a brick paved shape in the middle of the meadow with an urn or sundial or sculpture on it. Perhaps where the foundations do not lie you could grow some trees so that your meadow creates a woodland edge effect.

[Palustris]

Nice idea, the area to the left in the first picture is what we call our Daisy Lawn (another half-witticism) which is made up of anything with daisy flowers or grassy leaves. Some of the plants are up to 12 feet tall in flower and some of the grasses are of a similar size.
At present I am looking at removing the top bricks to give about 30 cms depth of soil and planting shallow rooting shrubs which do not mind limey soil.
Thank you anyway, 'tis a good thought.
Still debating.

[Garden Manager]

I know what I'd be tempted to do. Cover it over and forget about it! Go elswhere!

I've faced all sorts of obstacles to my gardening plans over the years, and few have i allowed to beat me, but that one would DEFINETLY make me think twice!

It'll take a herculean effort to get rid of that lot Eric and no mistake!

[Palustris]

It is possibly worse than it looks, having lifted the first layer of bricks and rubble we discovered that there is another layer underneath that. We have manged to reduce the level to about 30cms (1foot) to below the grass level and I think that we will have to leave it there. There is just about enough top soil and compost available to cover it.
Sadly most of the bricks are crumbling so we cannot even use them elsewhere. Interestingly many of them are handmade, and only half the depth of modern bricks. One of the fields over the way is called Brick Kiln field so they may well be very local.
So far we have filled about 60 bags with stuff to go to the Re-cycling place. One or two car trips I think.
It all adds to the joy of garden making!

[Palustris]

We removed the top layer of bricks and about 2 tonnes of material to leave the level about 30 cms lower.
Next we added a layer of old turfs. We have just about enough top soil available to cover it over. Then ?

[Garden Manager]

Well done Eric. Lots of hard work there but well worth it surely. You should be able to grow some thing in there.

Now, what, is the question now I beleive  ;D

[Palustris]

100 or so barrow loads of top soil later. Now all I need to do is brek up the lumps of soil and cover the whole area with compost.

[Mimi]

Hope that the back holds up Eric.  Looking good.  I cant wait to see it all planted up. :D

[Garden Manager]

Yes, Looking very good.

Any more thoughts about what to plant in it ?

Looking forward to the planting stage  ;D

[Palustris]

Raked, composted and planted! Had to do somethng while the Computer was down!

[Garden Manager]

Jolly good!

Looking great already eric.

What sorts of trees and shrubs have you planted?

[tig]

fair play eric .....fair play.......  :) would cleaning it all down nicely and planting it with alpines and rock plants not have worked ?........... then again imsure u already have a nice rockery ?????..........i think its nice to keep anything historical
and incorporating it in if possible. (just some thoughts)

[Palustris]

Don't worry Tig, the foundations are still there for future genrations to dig up if they wish. All I have done is to remove the rubble and such like and then cover it all over with top soil. This is what is done with any archaeological site which is not scheduled for investigation.