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In part 1 of this account, I discussed the benefits of an unhurried approach to the initial work on a blank canvas garden. After some three months of observation I had not only learnt where the sunlight falls, and the route it takes across my 10 by 10 metre patch of Blighty, but well established perennials had also had a chance to come out of their winter hibernation. This allowed me to see what to keep and what to bin.

I felt I had learnt enough by now and had the time at last to start making real changes for the better. The first job was to clear the site of unwanted clutter. However, one thing that drives me mad is to see home improvement shows where a garden's contents are unceremoniously dumped in a skip to be replaced by inferior quality but shiny new tat. Everyone has a right to buy tat, of course, but what a shame to fill our landfills with lots of useful items, only to then shell out hard earned cash buying the same sort of thing a few months later when the need arises.

My first job was to rid myself of an ugly asbestos shed. During its destruction, I found very many unharmed 1950s newspapers, they will serve well as future framed mementoes of a bygone age. What is more, it was a useful insight into why my council tax is extortionate. It took them two visits to decide what any normal person could obviously see in a few minutes, that the load did not exceed my quota for free disposal. But that’s another story.

As I cleared the site of rubbish, I found an old hosepipe, which has become an integral part of my water feature (to be discussed in due course). I broke down the wooden frame of the asbestos shed into wood for DIY and wood for my open fire, saving me a small fortune over the following months. One thing there is particularly no excuse for is binning wood when you have an open fire. But people can be strange and very wasteful. I was once asked to burn a hundred kilos of coal in an incinerator because the owner preferred to burn wood purchased at the local petrol station. Sad but true. In case you’re wondering, I gave the coal to a very grateful neighbour.

A pile of weathered bamboo sticks did for a first poverty stricken runner bean frame (tied together with parachute cord from a mate in the Army). Rotten wood was piled up in a corner to encourage wildlife back into my garden. (pictured)

In fact, out of all the things I inherited from the previous occupier hardly anything made it to the bin. Conserving resources both at home and in the wider context is part of being a conscientious and successful gardener. Your plants need clean air and neutral rain. British species will not do well in increasing average temperatures. Tropical species of insects, such as mosquitoes could well become more prevalent, making evenings in the gazebo a much less relaxing experience. All in all, good gardening is green gardening and finding new uses for old things is a very important part of that.

As you will note through these accounts, not much was instantly useful but practically everything I saved has come in handy since that first clearing a year ago. I hope this inspires you to think before your throw things away in your initial clearing. After all, as my granny used to say, "look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves."

Next time: Initial planting and a little light landscaping.

Joe Munford