Community garden

This may not look terribly exciting, but it is a project we are pleased with, and a"work in progress".

This is taken from the street outside our house, looking north-west across the cow field where our little herd of Irish Dexters is kept, with a view towards Alfreton, and beyond that the Peak District and Matlock in the far distance.

This is a community garden that I have created, because when I first came to live here about seven years ago the hedge was up to twenty feet high - Hawthorn, Elm, Elder and Holly, completely out of control and not very prepossessing, shading everything and making the street scene dark and obstructing a rather pretty view.

About a year after my arrival, three neighbours and I set about cutting the hedge down - a major task and some really hard work, but we managed it, celebrated with a big bonfire, and since then we have been cooperating to keep the now largely hawthorn hedge neatly trimmed all along the street.

At our end, and along the street side I have created a community garden. There are two buddleia, some holly, Forsythia, a dog rose and another shrub I cannot name.

I planted a Weigelia also - but someone stole that within a couple of weeks!

In spring there are lots of daffodils, snowdrops, bluebells, tulips and other bulbs (some flowers do get taken - but what can you do?) ... then there is a scattering of lots of wild flowers, plus lavender, poppies (this year up to five feet tall), delphinium, lupins, aquilegias, cornflowers, dahlias, and geraniums to name but a few.

The biggest problem now is controlling the rampant stinging nettles and stickybud plants that seem determined to take over the world.

So, the little project has brightened up our street scene, people generally respect it and admire it, and it has given us all a lot of pleasure. Hope you like the idea.