Fire Pit & Mediterranean Garden Project - Border Edgings & More Cobbles

[@GardenMyselfHappy]

Nice to see a project that happens like most gardeners undertake. DIY less than perfect, slow but a vision. That will be fantastic!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks and yes, that's exactly it, a bit of reality! I work full time, this channel is essentially a second part time job, we have a one year old and this project has to fit around it all along with looking after the rest of the garden. That's no reason to sacrifice on the vision though the majority of the plants are getting better and better while the building works come together!

[@helenazzopardi1713]

Thanks George that was great. Love the ideas and looking forward to seeing more updates. I get great enjoyment from watching the progress you are making.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, that’s really kind of you 😊 I’ll try and get another day on it next month 🤞

[@Templeflower8909]

I love what you've done with the cobbles! I find your videos really inspiring and good fun. 👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Ahh thanks, that's really kind of you! I'm pleased you like the cobbles, I've been wanting to start building with them for ages!

[@mikemillson9572]

George...it is Friday evening, May 24, 2024 and I'm right now watching you on Gardener's World with host (HE'S GREAT) Monty Don! I'm so excited!!! Congratulations! Oh yes, I'm in Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. watching on my ROKU.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Oh nice one Mike, I'm pleased you enjoyed that section! It was a great experience having their filming crew round and they made a really nice short piece about me and the garden.

[@samanthalonghurst-howes1465]

I love the way you have built your wall! I think it looks beautiful. Another great video George. Your garden is looking stunning.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Ahh thanks, that's very kind of you to say! Thanks, it's taking some concentrating on certain jobs but it would be amazing if I could get it to a point where we can enjoy the area this summer (and also closer to house where I store a lot of the materials!). Getting there now, thanks for your support!

[@user-oz5ip9nr2w]

Baby looks gorgeous 🙂Wall looks good too.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much, yes, she loves exploring out there now! It's been great to see the wall come together the last few weeks, hopefully only a couple more weeks and it'll be complete and onto the exciting planting stage!

[@kathrynleithall5906]

Great job George, looking great!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much Kathryn, I'm pleased you like it!

[@StusExoticEscape]

Looking superb George.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Stu, getting there a bit at a time!

[@wesleyhackney]

Nice progress. I like the look not being so perfect & formal but more of an it’s been there a while look. Congrats!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, hopefully more progress soon and I'm sure once the rest of the smaller plants go in it'll really help add to the feeling of age and permanence. It's raining a lot today but hopefully more building in a couple of weeks!

[@missdimples1982]

I have Centranthus Ruber, the birds brought it and it self seeds like crazy, looks beautiful and doesn't mind sun or shade

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Fantastic, lovely flowers AND free plants - what more could you want?! Good to know it does well in shadier spots too.

[@missdimples1982]

I love the wonky wavy wall, certain looks like it's been there a long time, reminds me of visiting old towns on holidays

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, that's great to hear! Exactly the look I'm going for!

[@markchitty6505]

Great vid George... really starting to take shape now :)

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Mark, it certainly is! It'll be a couple of weeks before I get the chance to get more done but hopefully I can complete the walls!

[@sharonparsons3222]

Love the wall💕💕💕

[@irismoles9369]

Wall looks great have a rest George coming al😊one great now

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you Iris, hopefully only a day or two left on the wall then I can finish topping the levels off and it’ll really come together 😃

[@heatherfindler6950]

Hey George, it's really coming together now. Love the cobbled wall and the idea of having plants spilling out of it. You must be so pleased with your progress!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi Heather and thanks, I'm pleased you're enjoying it! Yes, it's definitely a job that I'm having to tackle in chunks but it's certainly coming together. It would be fantastic if I can get the cobbles done next weekend but we'll see. The plants spilling out / over the wall will hopefully really blend it in within a year and it'll be full of colour by this time next year!

[@PaulConnor100]

Great progress George, nice to Harriet with water can in her hand ,start them young 😂

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Paul! Yes, it has to be done! Flowers will be snapped off, leaves ripped and clothes will get muddy but I'm sure she'll have fun!

[@PaulConnor100]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden sounds like a perfect day for a kid 🤣😂

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Just replied to your other comment but that sounds like a good blend for the Scheffleras, I hope they continue to thrive in your conditions!

[@hughmartinmcalary7702]

Definitely getting close to the end big man. Keep the progress going 💪 can't wait to see those plants spilling over the cobbles! Oh and I thin I got that erngium too 👌

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Hugh and I'll hopefully be able to finish off the walls in a couple of weeks so I can get those plants in before peak summer! I'm also looking forward to them spilling over and tying the cobbles in and I imagine it'll happen in no time. Great minds, it's a lovely Eryngium and very exotic looking in the right context.

[@mrchuffy6535]

Brilliant stuff!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, chipping away at it as best as I can! Hopefully get the cobbles finished in the next week or so...

[@henrywaterhouse6291]

Looking good, like the curves on the cobble wall, irregular looks best, very Cornwallesk. If you need to clean the cobbles abit with the lime mortar, use cheap white vinegar and a cloth rag.Also if you want to tone the lime joints down abit, make them look softer, brush on some sooty water or water with a couple of table spoons of black brick mortar dye in it. I use it for new brick walls with lime mortar. Looks good and takes the eye away from the lime leaching you get in the first year or two.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Apologies for the delayed response Henry and thank you very much! I was actually looking up ways to dull up the cobbles and half settled on the black mortar dye so thanks for confirming that's the way forwards. It'll hopefully tie them in with the york stone a bit more while they all weather in. How's progress with your project(s)?

[@henrywaterhouse6291]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden you're welcome, might be worth mixing in a bit of clay/ subsoil with the black brick dye, it'll tone it in a little better with your York stone, sometimes the black can look abit clinical. My domestic scaled Eden project is underway...... It'll be temperate, rather than tropical, but frost free and Mediterranean. Everything is late this year, masses of yuccas in flower and the polyphylla. Alot of the Jubaea are really packing on size now. Hoping this year all the big jubutia will start to really take off.

[@DJSupaflyguy]

Looks nice 👍 👌👌👌👌

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much!

[@alanhunter2009]

Cobbled wall looks great. A lot of good work done , George, and glad to see you have your daughter helping with the watering.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Alan, making the most of the time I get out there! Yes, she loves playing with water and running around out there so that certainly has to be encouraged when the weather is nice!

[@johncartwright5750]

George it reminds me of my of Spain buitifull x

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks John, that's very kind of you to say so! It's not a style of garden I've attempted before but I'm really excited to see the progress now I'm doing my best to push it on!

[@teresajarram3965]

I’m struggling to believe you have been in your new home coming up to 4 years 😮. You’ve done so much and a lot has happened. Very impressed well done 🥰🥰

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much! Yes, time goes by quickly doesn't it! It's great finally seeing progress with the walls and more creative elements of the project at this end of the garden. I'm sure I could have done it way quicker without making my videos but I enjoy and am equally proud of the progress and videos I've made over the years too. It's the Eucalyptus trees which really shock me though out there, it's crazy how much they grow every year!

[@captainredbeard1749]

Fantastic! Hard landscaping really can turn an amazing garden into a magical garden and you've nailed it 😎

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, that's really kind of you to say so and I'm pleased you're enjoying the transformation! It's amazing how well it's tied it all together and really set off the planting.

[@janinewoodbridge3814]

It's coming along love the stones I can't wait to see more beautiful Plants

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Janine, hopefully not long before some more plants go in!

[@Tminus89]

Nice progress :) I've been out digging a trench for the root barrier of my newly planted Phyllostachys Aureosulcata 'Argus', not the most fun to be had in a garden with clay but it has to happen 😆

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks! Ouch, that definitely sounds like a painful job to say the least but yes, well worth doing and that's a beautiful bamboo to do it for. Hopefully you got it sorted!

[@Tminus89]

​​@@GeorgesJungleGardenI'm making good progress, doing it in parts :)

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Good stuff, pleased to hear it and you'll have it done soon enough!

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

Superb job George. Palms look fantastic with the cobbles in place. The bamboo looks very elegant on the right hand side looking from the firepit. Really cool to see the progress 😎 👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much, a kind comment from a keen purveyor of palmage such as yourself. I wasn't sure about the bamboo fitting in for a while but it plays an important screening role and I think the cobble wall will be enough to keep it all flowing. I'll keep stripping the lower leaves off as they grow and really show off those vivid golden yellows.

[@shineamenmbs3107]

What a dream place! The walls look perfect! Amazing Eucalyptus flowers! Short comment, but i liked this tour a lot. Take care George! 🙋‍♂☀

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much Bernard, I'm pleased you like the progress and thanks for stopping by! Hopefully more progress very soon. Take care!

[@jamesclayton3388]

Great garden design ❤. Tree ferns look very good. I like the eucalyptus, I have a few myself, but keep pruning them as I have Regnans , shiny gum, yellow gum and blue gum, yes I do like gums and tree ferns too!..

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much James, it's great to hear you like it and you're also a Eucalyptus fan! There's some more I'd love to plant if I had the space, what's your favourite out of the ones you grow?

[@fansaaga4033]

Will you consider planting lots of lavender filling all extra space ,the purple Hase will bring beautiful contrast walking in from the lush green tropical section

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks for the suggestion - one of my original thoughts was to have some lavender up near the olive tree so it may make an appearance if the overall look doesn't appear too cluttered. There's plenty of Alliums continuing the purple theme around the arid plants currently!

[@fansaaga4033]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden I love those big purple balls too👌

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

So vivid and great in groups aren't they!

[@Omlittlebuddha]

Wasps won’t hurt you george, they are doing their essential pollination, if you leave them alone they’ll leave you alone. The cobbled wall looks amazing, absolutely stunning, the whole garden is stunning! Love your videos, it’s very inspiring. 🙏🏻

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

I know, just being wary and waffling whilst filming haha, I leave them to it! Thanks, that's very kind of you to say. It's not an instant garden transformation but hopefully all the better for it.

[@rstabij]

What kind of gravel did you use ? I like the natural look.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi and thank you, for the borders or the paths?

[@rstabij]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden the paths

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi, apologies for the delayed reply. It's a product known as slag crusher or something on those lines depending on where you are, basically a waste product used as a base. You can get slag dust though which is finer and can be whackered down to a neater finish with the same overall look. I was generally thinking about a surface colour that's warmer than grey but now you've said it, it does tie into the granite boulders nicely and is a great neutral colour to show off the planting.

[@DJSupaflyguy]

What sand will you be using sharp sand or building sand to finish off top layer ?

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi, apologies for the delayed reply - just getting back on top of comments! I'll be using some sharp sand as it's essentially very small pieces of rock / grit whereas building sand is a softer 'beach' type sand which would wash away easier and not provide the same drainage benefits as it works into the soil.

[@DJSupaflyguy]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden so sharp sand is better an safer for plants ? Is there any advantages in mixing sharp sand with soil for my palm trees ?

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi, sorry I missed this one. It's not so much that it's safer, more than soft or building sand washes away more easily and doesn't really add the same gritty drainage to the soil anyway. You can mix some sharp sand in but it tends to be heavy so you don't want to use too much and only really for the palms like Chamaerops which value good drainage - I wouldn't bother with Trachycarpus.

[@zlatan8248]

Good morning, what is the size of your land?

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi, it's approximately 7m x 65m so quite long and narrow.

[@latoyaferguson3566]

What zone are u in?

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi, very roughly I'd say 8a but the UK climate is much cooler and milder on average than continental places which may experience similar lows.

[@haroldbetterson1877]

You’re a grafter

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Harold, I try to make the most of the time I get out there!