The wall that separates my garden from the sidewalk (pavement) is about 4′ tall. All of my rooms have windows facing toward it (well, not the bathroom, but my bedroom, sitting room, and kitchen do), but because of the shrubs and the hedge, which are anywhere from six to seven feet high, it is quite private. But, that’s all changing.
My landlord has spent hours this week (and I do mean HOURS) cutting away all the hedge that is growing up, along, and above the wall. He had tried to hire someone, but like so many tradespeople here, the gardener was very hard to pin down. So he’s doing it himself. He has spent anywhere from 3 – 8 hours a day for the last six days carving away at the branches and foliage of the ivy and rosa rugosa (I think) – he must be exhausted. I told him to take all the money he’s saved not hiring a gardener and go on a holiday – he deserves it.
This does mean my house has become much more open to passersby. And it really isn’t as pretty as it was. You can see on the left what the wall looked liked before – that foliage went all the way along the wall. And the photo on the right, from the other end, is the denuded version. But it has to be done (and prob should have been done years earlier). That is a true drystane wall – no mortar. It’s made up of two carefully arranged walls with a hollow space in between, and capped with more stones. Plants like these can do a real number on drystane walls; over time the branches will force the stones down. So, sad as I am about losing the pretty green foliage and cosy privacy, I completely understand why he’s cutting it all away.
