Introducing the Jelly Bean Border
The Jelly-Bean Border
Early in its life the Jelly Bean Border was definitely shaped like a Jelly Bean. This was one of my earliest borders, and has had many modifications since those heady early days - a bit of digging here, a small curve modification there. The first digging was undertaken in my first and second summer at Moosey's, to create a shrubby windbreak in the Pond Paddock. I shifted in some sad young elm trees (which were suffering out by the roadside) to be the backbone of the border, and staked them carefully.
Borrowed Shrubs
Tough shrubs 'borrowed' from other places soon followed - Viburnum tinus, Senecio, Hypericum, Cordylines, Flaxes and a Berberis. For spring 1998, I decided to mass plant hostas on the shady side under the cabbage tree. This proved highly successful, with the help of some sneaky watering.
The Jelly Bean Border in Spring
The Jelly Bean Border joins with the side house garden, and the fence between them supports a long row of roses. These gardens look beautiful when seen from the upstairs balcony, as the lawn sweeps elegantly (when newly mown) around their edge plantings.
The Jelly Bean Border in Autumn
The BIG GUM, one of the original trees, is a lawn feature. It's noisy in the wind and is always dropping leaves and bark, but I love this tree.
Roadside of the Jelly Bean Border is the ram paddock which would look so good as part of the garden. Then the backside edge of the border could be re-dug - just a little, you understand - to give better definition. The warratah fence which holds the sheep wire (and the Moosey merino ram) in place could easily be moved.
Alas. So far my plans for expanding into the ram paddock have fallen upon deaf ears. Pity, that. So the Jelly Bean Border is doomed to be a garden area that can't really go anywhere. And there isn't even any room for roses.