An early and easy decision ... the extremely ugly garage, with grey industrial size metal doors, just had to go!
Having been savagely chopped into original stone wall the scars would take some time to 'heal' ... but demolishing this monstrosity would immediately open up a large part of the garden, allow direct sunlight into the ground floor apartments and make way for the external stair planned from the garden to what will one day be the primary entrance to the first floor accommodation.
But there was a problem! The ivy that had so successfully covered the whole garage and balcony had evidently submerged a large wisteria in the process, the only evidence now being a few tendrils desperately reaching out from the dense foliage in a final attempt to reach the light. The message was clear, the wisteria was crying out for our help and needed to be rescued!
Several hours of painstaking work and careful pruning gradually peeled back the all pervasive ivy and its chocking roots to reveal several large wisteria trunks and branches that with nearly micro-surgery precision we were able to pries free.
However difficult this first step, the hardest task was to persuade the enthusiastic builders to demolish the garage without damaging the wisteria! Helped by frequent stern reminders (and serious threats on their own lives should anything happen to the wisteria) they were able to successfully work round the primary trunks and remaining branches to leave the wisteria safe despite a demolition site all round.
As soon as possible we'll get a temporary pergola put up on which to fix and further protect this wisteria from future damage.
Having so lovingly and carefully rescued it we will be expecting ... nay, demanding! ... that it puts on a spectacular show for us this spring. We feel sure it will not let us down ... watch this space.
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