Terrace update

Well, it's still there. When I first built my new terrace, there was some concern about whether it would disappear off down the hillside as it rotted down, but it hasn't done so yet.

The plants are mostly thriving. By the end of May it was looking very pretty:

London Pride looking very pretty, with buttercups behind

Or for a more representative picture of the surface:

Buttercups flowering, but not exactly covering the surface. You can just about see the speedwell flowers there, too.

By the end of August it was looking very lush.

There were flowers showing over the edge...

The lavender is just about visible here. Sorry I don't have a better picture of it.

... and closer examination shows creeping buttercups living up to their name.

I think the leaf on the left is Virginia Creeper. This surprised me, as the roots had been above ground, presumed dead, for a year before I used them here.

Unfortunately most of the willow died - I didn't water it enough in the dry spell immediately after I planted it - but several buddleia survived and one of them even flowered.

I added buddleia seedlings throughout the year as I saw spaces for them.

Now in late October, the level of the terrace has dropped a bit, but not enough to show up in photos, nor enough to make it a less good place to sit out.

That shadow is from my laundry, actually drying outdoors.

To build up the level again, I'll add a thick layer of mulch when the plants have died back. I'll trim back the 'walls' and use the twigs as well. I hope the plants here will survive being buried so deeply. I've also taken some cuttings of lavender and southernwood, so I'll add those to the hedge in the spring.

In the meantime, I love having a place to sit and enjoy the view, on the rare days that we get sunshine.

The view from the terrace yesterday afternoon. For some reason the glorious autumn colours don't show up well in photos.