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Dog-Path Garden Tour

The Dog-Path Gardens reach along the water race from Middle Bridge to the Plank. When Middle Bridge was built, I always planned to garden along the water race on both sides. I imagined marginals, waterside plants and bulky clumps of foliage.

During my first digging and clearing sessions upstream I had dog company, and I watched Taj-dog snuffling along the water's edge, poking his nose into the messy grasses and flattening all vegetation.

In such small ways are our grandest dreams remodeled! I built a modest stone retaining wall and the dog-path slowly crept along the water's edge. Eventually the first gardens were planted and special specimen trees (Dogwoods, Elms and Maples) were chosen. A batch of free, bare-root roses arrived and further expansion became necessary. As the gardens slowly grew, so did the Dog-Path itself, past a seat and a waterside flax, over a willow stump, ending eventually by the Plank.

There is a simple seat on the dog-path where you can sit and rest. Time flies by with the gently swirling water, and the air is filled with the fragrance of roses.

Gardeners are so lucky...

Green Trees... Wed 14th Mar 2007: Trees often grow without a gardener realising - until looking back at old photographs. I find it hard to visualise mature trees when I first plant them. And I wonder if I'll still like my choices years later!
Dog-Path Garden Roses... Sat 6th Jan 2007: The Dog-Path Garden is one of the rosiest gardens I've created. And when new roses arrive (like my latest joy, Rhapsody in Blue) its garden curves tend to be re-dug, just to give me a bit more space.
Cercis Forest Pansy... Thu 21st Apr 2005: Possibly the most beautiful small specimen tree in the Moosey garden is a Cercis Forest Pansy. It has wine-red heart shaped leaves which colour spectacularly at the first hint of autumn.
Dogwood Leaves... Thu 17th Feb 2005: It's too easy to be seduced by the beautiful flower colour of spring rhododendrons and summer roses. Let's give the trees in the Dog-Path garden the praise they deserve - like this slow growing Cornus (or Dogwood) with beautifully variegated foliage.
Yellow Rhododendron... Mon 8th Nov 2004: The Moosey Rhododendron Festival continues into late spring as more new rhododendrons start to flower. This yellow shrub is sheltered in the middle of the Dog-Path Garden, underneath some limbed-up Pittosporum trees.
Dog-Path Garden in Autumn... Thu 15th Apr 2004: The back of the Dog-Path Garden shows off in Autumn, when the different colours and textures of the shrubs and grasses form great contrasts underneath the Golden Elm.
Red Flax by the Dog-Path... Wed 24th Dec 2003: The red flax is very happy growing by the water.
Edge of the Dog-Path... Wed 10th Dec 2003: The actual Dog-Path is close to the water level in the water race, and tussocks flop over the small stone retaining wall.
The End Garden... Mon 27th Jan 2003: The plantings in this part of the Dog-Path Garden are only two years young, and include flaxes and roses. In time I hope the white irrigation stakes will be hidden in green growth.
Along the Water Race... Sat 11th Jan 2003: A quick look back along the Dog-Path shows the water race burbling along. Way in the distance is the glass-house and the area of the garden I call the Wattle Tree Garden. They're well worth visiting on a hot summer's day.
Dogwood Tree... Thu 26th Dec 2002: A Cornus (Dogwood) tree has a space by the Dog-Path, sheltered from the southerly winds by existing Pittosporums. This is a photograph which shows its beautiful autumn leaf colour.
Cotinus Smoke Bush... Sat 14th Dec 2002: Further along the grass side of the Dog-Path Garden I've planted a Cotinus. Its leaves are a deep wine colour.
Corner Border Flax... Tue 10th Dec 2002: Cornflowers, roses, flaxes and other assorted plants jostle for space in the lawn side of the Dog-Path Garden. The red trees are a juvenile Red Beech and a Cotinus.
Foliage... Mon 11th Feb 2002: There are many different contrasts of foliage in this part of the garden. You can also see the results of my great Pittosporum pruning and limbing up exercise.
Summer Garden Growth... Sat 19th Jan 2002: The two trees in these photographs of the Dog-Path Garden were chosen for their contrasting leaf colour. In this photograph they are growing well in their fourth summer. Even the red Maple is starting to enjoy being here.
Middle Bridge... Fri 11th Jan 2002: Middle Bridge with Middle Path leading on from it divides the new development over the water race into two distinct gardens. The main Dog-Path runs from Middle Bridge upstream along the water race.
Nicotiana in Flower... Fri 11th Jan 2002: Middle Path is in here somewhere, just past the lower white Nicotianas, and it marks the division between the Dog-Path garden and Middle Border.
Elm Tree & Cornus... Wed 9th Jan 2002: The Golden Elm tree has been a great choice to plant here in the Dog-Path garden. I can see its bright and light green growth from the upstairs house windows.
Yellow Pansy Flowers... Tue 8th Jan 2002: When I'm developing a new area I like to plant in some pansies. These are terribly special ones, grown from a mean spirited seed packet with about ten seeds in it. I guess they must be a fancy new hybrid.
Variegated Japanese Iris... Sun 6th Jan 2002: Here are the clumps of variegated Iris Japonica which I've used to fill in some spaces between the old tree stumps in the Dog-Path Garden.
Variegated Sedum... Sun 6th Jan 2002: This variegated sedum is near the edge of the Dog-Path Garden by the grass. It doesn't grow too tall, and always flops over just as it's starting to look good.
Purple Smoke Bush... Fri 4th Jan 2002: The beautiful purple leaves of the Cotinus (which grows on the edge of the Dog-Path garden) are shown here in close-up.
Gaura Flower... Tue 1st Jan 2002: While the Dog-Path Garden matures I'm happy to fill it up with a mixture of all sorts of plants. Two bargain bin perennials, a Gaura and a purple Verbena are doing really well here.
Pittosporum in the Grass... Tue 1st Jan 2002: Here is one of the Pittosporums which decided to grow in the grass by the Dog-Path Garden. So I've dug a small garden island around it, and put the park bench alongside.
Praying Mantis on Euphorbia Leaf... Tue 1st Jan 2002: My son - who takes the close-up pictures of the garden - is crazy about insects. I guess I'd better let him show off.
Garden Tree Stumpy Cats... Sun 30th Dec 2001: Here is Sifter on a tree stump and Jerome sitting in front. An uneasy truce has been declared (these two are not close friends). They are the only cats who will provide cat company over the water race though.
Garden Sculpture... Sat 29th Dec 2001: I use river stones a lot in the garden for edges, and this sculpture is actually a set of left overs from the edge of the Dog-Path Garden. My children have joked about this stylish 'sculpture', and so it stays.
Euphorbia Martini, Flax & Tussock... Thu 27th Dec 2001: At the start of the Dog-Path I've planted a Yellow Wave flax and some tussocks, with a Euphorbia Martini in behind them. Their grouping results in this foliage picture.
Stephen and Taj-dog... Thu 27th Dec 2001: The garden bench which faces the Dog-Path Garden is enclosed by a Pittosporum and a Cercis Forest Pansy. Taj the dog is waiting patiently for some action.
Dog-Path Garden Bench... Mon 24th Dec 2001: Halfway along the Dog-Path there is a simple seat built from an old picnic table top. There are sedums planted underneath and a pink Iceberg rose behind.
Cat On A Garden Mission... Wed 5th Dec 2001: Cats use dog-paths too, and they often show off their agility by walking along the stones. Here is an archive photograph of Jerome passing a needle leaved Euphorbia which is called Fens Ruby.