Lovely shrubs

Just as Dysart Avenue, Kingston joins Burnell Avenue, Richmond, there is this delightful garden showing what can be done without a lawn or traditional flower beds.

A good compromise

While many home owners make way for their cars by covering the whole of their front garden with a hard surface, this house in Dysart Avenue shows a better way to do things. 

The parking area is limited in size, is an interesting shape and is flanked by good planting. The small fences at the front and the path to the door are nice too.

Russell Gardens garden

Russell Gardens is a no-through-road that you only walk down if you live there or are exploring. I was exploring and I found these flowers in a neat garden.

Autumn colours

Not my first picture of Langham House in its autumn colours and it probably will not be the last either.

Abundance of flowers

Randle Road is a short dead-end road so most people do not have an excuse to walk down it which is a shame because that is where this lovely garden is.

Goat, cow, sheep

I have featured items in this garden before but not this charming collection of farmyard animals.

Back Lane Community Kitchen Garden

The Community Kitchen Garden in Back Lane looks delightful despite the very dry summer we had. Someone has been very busy and I am grateful for their efforts.

Planting off Back Road

There are several alleyways in the area bounded by Lock Road, Ham Street and Ashburnham Road and while some lead somewhere this one, off Back Road and running behind Lock Road, leads nowhere and looked rather tatty as a result. The addition of two semi-circular plant borders has cheered it up considerably.

Bright border

Walking along Maguire Drive it is impossible to miss this wonderful bright border.

Messy garden

I love this garden in Fanshawe Road because of its messiness. It looks natural with a pleasing mix of plants but it took careful planting to achieve.

New garden

The long and extensive work to 31 Ham Farm Road seems to have been completed with the planting of the gardens. Unlike number 29 (top-right corner) they have created a lawn in the strip that is part of Ham Common and only planted shrubs in the private area.

Shaped hedges

Wates Estate is delightfully littered with small open spaces, like this one on Broughton Avenue opposite Mariner Gardens, where the shaped hedges are an unusual and attractive feature.

More planters for Ham Parade

The recycling bins on Ham Parade have never worried that much as it is a cluttered section anyway with the bush shelter, bench, information board and vehicles coming and going from the parking spaces at the end  but I do appreciate that they are unattractive and so the array of new planters around them is to be welcomed.

Cherry Garden at Ham House

I have posted quite a few pictures of the Cherry Garden at Ham House over the years but never from this angle before, not that I really need an excuse to post another one.

Kitchen Garden border

While the main beds in the Kitchen Garden at Ham House deservedly attract the most attention the border along the dividing wall is also well worth paying some attention to.

Teddington Lock garden

Teddington Lock is dominated by the extensive works to the Launch Lock, and has been for several months, so it is good to see that the garden there is still looking good.

Kitchen Garden at Ham House

On this visit to Ham House I was informed that the house was closed for filming and I accepted the new graciously because I knew that already and I had not gone to visit the house, as usual I had gone to visit the gardens.

Despite there having been no rain for what seems like a very long time, the Kitchen Garden looked magnificent. No wonder that there were many people sitting in the outside area of the cafe, I was only upset that I did not have the time to join them. 

Through the arched window

It might look like an arched window, and I could not miss the Play School reference, but it is actually a mirror showing you flowers in the front garden of this house in Lock Road, rather than the brick wall of the building behind it.

Waiting for a garden

I have been following the current phase of work to 31 Ham Farm Road for almost four years (!) and they finally seem to be drawing to a close. Most of the front garden has given way to a hard surface for vehicles  with little space left for vegetation.

The small strip in front of the low wall is actually part of Ham Common and so I presume that this will be replanted as will the small strip of ground the other side of the wall where one tree stands as a reminder of the former garden.

Dominic House in Sudbrook Lane

The changes made over the years to Dominic House in Sudbrook Lane have been small but noticeable. The driveway used to be paved and was smaller. The garden is reduced as a result and the row of semi-spherical trees that used to define the house has been reduced from seven to three.