The slippery slope

There is a bank on our western boundary which we have pondered on for some months now.  It is just grass on a steep and somewhat slippery slope.  But what should we plant in this awkward spot?

It is a backdrop to the Parterre which is obviously formal and can be seen from most parts of the garden.  Because of the slope and sharp drainage I had considered planting another bed of Lavender and been pointed in the direction of such a planting scheme using Lavender at the Eden Project in Cornwall.  My worry was that for Winter it would look a little dull and we already have a large Lavender bed quite near by and which it would compete against.

In the end we have opted to plant three Hawthorns - Crataegus Prunifolia.  These are pretty much natives and we have four in our central round border which have thrived in the last year since they were planted.  They should complement these and add to the display of white blossom in Spring.

We also decided to underplant these with Portuguese Laurels which also have a fine display of white flowers in late Spring.  They are evergreen and once established will provide a thick carpet of dark green under the Hawthorns.  I have seen Laurel planted under a canopy of trees at Rousham in Oxfordshire and the effect looks lovely.

The Hawthorns we purchased were container grown not rootball.  They were more expensive but are all in leaf and we can see what we are buying.  It is still a little early to plant but we will keep them well watered and to ensure ease of watering I installed irrigation pipes on each of the trees.  This ensures that the water goes straight to the roots which is important on such a steep slope.  To finish off we laid a mulch of bark chippings.

So one of the final segments of the garden plan is in place.  All we have to do now is have the patience to wait for the planting to mature.