I’ve written earlier that a garden is for turning your attention to outside of yourself and your four walls. You can find that here
Here are my latest thoughts interspersed with recent photos of the garden.
We are lucky to have a long front path, quite unusual in a town garden.
A garden is for thinking about when you don’t want to think about other things; big world politics other things or worrying personal other things.
Any outdoor space is a comforting ever-present distraction where planning and daydreaming can be done every day of the year to take your mind off reality. As a distraction from the real world it’s safer than booze or hard drugs although not cheaper.
Whichford pottery pots for herbs on the table
Just being outside is engrossing and absorbing. Then when it’s cold, wet or dark we can read gardening books, gardening blogs, catalogues and magazines and daydream about plans for the next season.
Dingle in the garden
The secret is not to turn having a garden into yet another list of jobs and tasks to make you feel guilty you’re not doing them. With less energy than I had 30 years ago I am happy with what I can do and I don’t beat myself up about what I’m not doing. I shudder at the phrase “jobs for the weekend”. I wince on hearing “what to do in the garden now”.
Greenery in the back garden
So for a short respite I’m just popping out into the garden to aimlessly wander about and this about maybe cleaning out the birdbath sometime soon……………
For great garden ideas from the latest shows do go to Alexandra’s blog at middlesizedgarden.com
A garden for me, is somewhere i can relax & ponder & work out my day to day problems, and think about how to make my garden more appealing to the wildlife and my eye. 🙂
Thankyou so much Beverly. It’s all looking lush at the moment because of all the rain and no hot hot weather. It’s like Spring is still here rather than summer. Thankyou for getting in touch, it really does cheer me up and make me realise blogging is such a lovely way to be in touch with people.
I discovered your blog just this year – I love it! Am reading through your archive and it’s a real treat. I’m creating a cottage garden from scratch at the back of my Glasgow city home. We had to dig out ten tonnes of thick Victorian concrete (us, sledge hammer, crow bar and wheelbarrow), then I laid paths using old tenement sandstone blocks and gravel. I planted some of it in spring 2018 and some more this year, but it’s a long way from your invisible soil look. I’m impatient for the height to appear and my boundary walls to be clothed. Like you I have a large back wall window so I can be in ‘in’ the garden all day whatever the weather.
Such is my obsession, I am a garden bore. Your blog nourishes me!
Thank you for writing and for your great photos.
Maggie how lovely to hear what you have to say. It means a lot when people get in touch. You have clearly worked incredibly hard and now the fun part begins. have you discovered the wonders of hardy geraniums? – they will cover every inch of bare soil while you decide what else to plant and in fact most of my planting is geraniums. Ivy is fab for fences and walls I find and NO NO way are you a garden bore!! Please keep in touch and maybe post some pics on Instagram or somewhere. It’s great that you have a city garden because that is what I am mainly writing about – a cottage look in a city garden – so keep at it and tell me how you are getting on.
Thank you for the mention. And you’re so right about ‘what to do in the garden now.’ I have a mental listed labelled ‘what not to do in the garden now.’
Hi thanks Alexandra, I’m sitting with teabreak gardener, Katharine, in her kitchen talking about blogs and your ears will have been burning – in a good way. Xx
Your garden is what I aspire to. Natural and wild with a kick of personality thrown in. Have just started reading your blog and cannot believe how you are saying what I am thinking…. It is uncanny and enjoyable……My mind is transferred to the garden as soon as I step outdoors and the worlds problems are carried away on the wings of butterflies…..
Lynne that’s so nice of you to say so, I want nothing more than to connect with people who feel the same way I do about a garden. Wild and full of wildlife but looked after too and never neglected. Aren’t we lucky to have a garden to spend time in. Thanks again and best wishes, Julie
It's my 67th birthday today and here is a very short story of my gardening life through six decades. [caption id="attachment_1756" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mum and…
After attending Adam Frost's September Masterclass, I wrote in a previous post about his ideas for thinking about designing and using your garden space. Adam’s…
A garden for me, is somewhere i can relax & ponder & work out my day to day problems, and think about how to make my garden more appealing to the wildlife and my eye. 🙂
Perfect Colin. Just what a garden is for – with a bit of gardening now and then too I’m sure.
Love all of the pots and the over grown look.Someday I’ll get there in my garden.
Thankyou so much Beverly. It’s all looking lush at the moment because of all the rain and no hot hot weather. It’s like Spring is still here rather than summer. Thankyou for getting in touch, it really does cheer me up and make me realise blogging is such a lovely way to be in touch with people.
I discovered your blog just this year – I love it! Am reading through your archive and it’s a real treat. I’m creating a cottage garden from scratch at the back of my Glasgow city home. We had to dig out ten tonnes of thick Victorian concrete (us, sledge hammer, crow bar and wheelbarrow), then I laid paths using old tenement sandstone blocks and gravel. I planted some of it in spring 2018 and some more this year, but it’s a long way from your invisible soil look. I’m impatient for the height to appear and my boundary walls to be clothed. Like you I have a large back wall window so I can be in ‘in’ the garden all day whatever the weather.
Such is my obsession, I am a garden bore. Your blog nourishes me!
Thank you for writing and for your great photos.
Maggie how lovely to hear what you have to say. It means a lot when people get in touch. You have clearly worked incredibly hard and now the fun part begins. have you discovered the wonders of hardy geraniums? – they will cover every inch of bare soil while you decide what else to plant and in fact most of my planting is geraniums. Ivy is fab for fences and walls I find and NO NO way are you a garden bore!! Please keep in touch and maybe post some pics on Instagram or somewhere. It’s great that you have a city garden because that is what I am mainly writing about – a cottage look in a city garden – so keep at it and tell me how you are getting on.
Thank you for the mention. And you’re so right about ‘what to do in the garden now.’ I have a mental listed labelled ‘what not to do in the garden now.’
Hi thanks Alexandra, I’m sitting with teabreak gardener, Katharine, in her kitchen talking about blogs and your ears will have been burning – in a good way. Xx
Your garden is what I aspire to. Natural and wild with a kick of personality thrown in. Have just started reading your blog and cannot believe how you are saying what I am thinking…. It is uncanny and enjoyable……My mind is transferred to the garden as soon as I step outdoors and the worlds problems are carried away on the wings of butterflies…..
Lynne that’s so nice of you to say so, I want nothing more than to connect with people who feel the same way I do about a garden. Wild and full of wildlife but looked after too and never neglected. Aren’t we lucky to have a garden to spend time in. Thanks again and best wishes, Julie