Make do and mend Mondays

Another garden make do...


It is no weather for the garden here in Holland. It has been more autumn than summer with rain, high winds and cool temperatures. Our plants are suffering from it too. Still, I have another garden project to share which we made do with.

There was a well established grape vine in a strange place when we started changing the garden. Jos did not want to move it as he thinks it would not survive. The round poles it was supposed to be supported by were something he hated and were rotting for the most part. Two were still in tact which we used in my last make do post.

He first cut back the bamboo which hedges our garden from the neighbors. It has been left to grow on its own will taking over about 2 yards into the garden. Then the inner section was totally dead and simply rotting. The smell was awful. Jos cleaned it all up right back to the border of the two gardens. We are now adding some yew which we hope will give us a nicer green border on our side.

All this work left the grape standing looking quite forlorn. So I came up the idea of creating a pergola for the grape to grow against while also creating a secret area to sit. We went through what wood we still had left from our previous house. We needed to buy only three 3 meter long posts and used all the old wood and arches we had.

You see this view from the living room. I love the old cross which we found at a flea market. Jos mounted in a concrete block for me. There is also an old bell, which I had already and you can see in the first photo, hanging on the opposite corner of the pergola.

There is still a round post which we will remove in the winter season but the grape will eventually be lead up the new pergola and against the metal raster we attached. There are many grapes bunches growing which will be a feast for the birds in the autumn.

When you come around the center of the garden, you find a little area where you can sit in the sunshine (when it shines that is). Don't forget to grab a couple of pillows on your way out which are sitting in an large apple basket by the door...