When we moved here in June 2013 this whole area at the bottom of the garden was naked. It had been used as a huge chicken run, with an enormous conifer hedge and hodgepodge of fencing in various states of dilapidation.
Other than the odd weed, the only viable plant was an espallier apple tree in the end of a very sad looking raised bed.
The half incorporating the raised bed enjoys full sun for most of the day and in such a sheltered position was perfect for food production. However, we're apparently better at growing pretty scented things rather than edibles, especially when badgers and aphids (and in particular the aphid waste that is deposited in copious quantities from the neighbour's tree that overhangs the area) are added to the mix.
And so after inspiration from the far east, the Yorkshire Zen Garden (or Yen) was designed.
I designed the pergola myself based on a Japanese tea room, and TMTC's work colleagues built it.
Most of the planting is Japanese or from around that area of the world, with nods to our visit to Cambodia.
The biggest change was in 2018 when we had the conifer hedge replaced with a fence. This allowed us to add further trees. In the Yen this meant the cherry blossom tree was joined by a liquidamber styraciflua Lane Roberts which has maple-like leaves that turn bright scarlet in the autumn, and a Tibetan cherry with the most amazing shiny chestnut coloured bark.
In May 2019 the Wisteria that is growing over the entrance arch and the pergola produced it's first flower.
In September 2019 the bed was extended and new beds created at the sides to accommodate many of the containerised plants (future proofing, not only to help save water but to help save time tending to containers as we grow older)
Colour comes mainly from foliage in the Yen Garden. This includes vivid red young leaves of pieris, purple heuchera, and garnet acer leaves. There are flowers with rhododendrons and azaleas, along with apple and cherry blossom in the spring.
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