Author: Fen

tinybloomingplaces was set up by Fen, designer of sustainable and naturalistic small outside spaces, to spark your imagination and inspire you to get stuck into the garden to create your very own piece of paradise giving you endless hours of therapy, pleasure and escapism from the pressures of modern life in a big city. The ongoing legacy of a beautifully designed garden will be yours to enjoy for a lifetime. Discover the healing power of nature. If you don't know where to start and just get in touch, I offer full design service and design your own garden workshops. The important thing is somehow to begin. Full design, plan and build service available.

Summer Days Drifted Away……..

Where did they go to? Now we are well into September and many of the summer blooms have faded it seems that we hardly had any summer days at all – but my photos of a blooming garden earlier this month are telling me something different……………..

Summer Patio with white geraniums, purple agapanthus (african lilly) and lemon tree planter with white million bells planted beneath

The white geraniums are still blooming well into September.  Once it gets a bit colder I will be taking them indside to a sheltered spot otherwise they will die off in a hard frost over winter

It’s September but the marigolds are still blooming like it is mid summer – they have a fantastically long blooming period, feed them and they will keep on going long after others summer blooms have faded.  Their deep orange colour looks fantastic in the late September sunhine. Once the last blooms fade I will be collecting the seed heads to plant in early spring to produce me some more summer blooms for next year.

 

The feel and colours of the garden have however distinctly changed to darker deeper colours

 

 

The deep red chrysanthemum pot produces  early autumn blooms-a-plenty. It will bloom for several weeks on end and well into the autumn, dying back in winter only to sprout forward again starting in the spring

 

 

The beautiful deep orange of the chinese lanterns has appeared following on from it’s deep green stage – this rewarding perennial brings a very seasonal touch to the garden.  They can be invasive and travel underground via rhizomes but they are easy to control by pulling up any unwanted ones.  They give a great display in the border early autumn when most of the summer bloomers have died back. Each year they die back to ground level and sprout forward the following spring.

 

 The red berries have also started to appear on the pyracantha grown from a slip taken from my mums garden. Berries are great to encourage wildlife  into the garden.  Grown against a wall in full berry bloom it is quite a spectacular sight when maturity is reached.

 

 

The yellow pom pom dahlia bobs about gently in the autumn breeze another favourite perennial that dies back each winter and re-emerges the following year to give late summer, early autumn blooms

Geranium and Bacopa hanging basket

Would you believe a display like this could keep on going from late Spring right through to late September with no signs of fading just yet – just feed and water on a regular basis – what a reward for very little effort

 

Now is also a good time to think about getting spring bulbs down be it in pots or straight into the borders especially snowdrops if you want them popping up in late winter.  Check out the category “spring blooms” on the blog under the “about” page for memories of spring sprouters and flowers you might want in your garden next spring.

 

As the summer moves off and autumn falls quicker and faster the planetary pull on the earth will be affecting us all in a physical and psychological sense.  I came across this book about mindfullness and even if you only read the excerpt  you may find it revolutionary.

http://www.beatinganger.com/docs/angermindfulextract.pdf

 

Marigolds basking in late September sunshine

 

 

And the Hits Keep on Coming

Throughout July and August the blooms came and went in the garden giving ongoing and ever changing colourful displays to feast the eye.  It truly was a treat.

Perrenial bulbs such as the lilly will give you endless pleasure year upon year and you can always add to them as the years go by. I have planted all of my favourites.  Plant bulbs out in early spring for summer blooming.  If you notice anything nibbling the leaves and flower buds it is more than likely the lily beetle, get some spray that will eradicate them otherwise the buds will never get to bloom.

Agapanthus
Summer blooming agapanthus

The african lilly (agapanthus) with it’s elegant long stalks and and large blooming heads, made up of many little flowers to give  a spherical shape,  enjoys semi shade and will bloom for six to eight weeks throughout the summer. You can buy plants with  purple flowers or with white flowers.  When the flowers die back they leave behind an interesting structural shape, giving stature and architectural form to the garden,  for you to enjoy into autumn.  Plant corms in early spring or if you have existing plants you can dig them up and separate them out after they have finished flowering to produce more plants for the following year

Tiger lillies blooming early summer

The tiger lilly usually blooms early on in June each year giving me a bright colourful display

The perfume of the oriential lilly fills the air
A smell you will want to remember and never forget

The oriential lilly blooms a little later giving a flouncy display with it’s blousey blooms and will fill the whole garden with the most amazing smelling perfume.  The usually flower to two to three weeks.  Keep them well watered if in pots.

The elegant white longiflorum lilly

Along with the longiflorum lilly which I love to grow for it’s long elegant shape and form with trumpet shaped blooms and subtle scent. Mine are really late this year but the blooms are just about to break forth – waiting patiently!

about to burst open lily blooming in late July
White Patio rose in a pot bringing blooms every summer

Roses are another great summer plant – they will die off in winter back to twiggy stalks and regenerate themselves in spring – I like to grow small patio roses in pots if you feed them they will give you a long summer blooming reward.  You can prune them back in late autumn or winter.

White Hydrenga

Hydrengas will  bloom prolifically throughout the summer and in to september adding colour and life to a shady corner.  They will die back in winter and sprout back out again the following spring.  A great low maintenance plant providing you with lots of summer blooms

Violas
Pretty Violas grown from last years seed head collected late autumn and planted early spring
Purple violas in terracotta window box planter

Violas  are similar to pansies but produce smaller (and I think cuter) flowers in abundance, plant bedding each year or grow from seed yearly to give colourful displays of pots.  They smell so sweet when the sun is shining on them and they will tolerate a semi shady area. Deadhead and feed on a regular basis for a long flowering period throughout the summer.  Seeds will form on dead flower heads that are not removed, you can collect these and grow bedding plants for the following year.

Marigolds
Sunshine in a pot!

It’s truly summer

The bright summery colour of the marigold will herald summer whatever the weather – guaranteed to cheer you up on the gloomiest of summer days.  They have a long blooming period and flower on for months on end throughout the summer and early autumn season.  Feed them and deadhead them regularly to get the most from the plants.  Plant bedding each year or collect seeds from the dead flower heads to grow plants for the following year. They love a sunny spot.

White Geranium

Geranium window planter – open up your windows and bring the summer inside!

Geraniums will bloom for months on end throughout the summer.  Feed them now and again to keep the blooms going and take them inside in winter to protect from the frosts and they will gladly bloom for you again the following summer.  They will happily bloom in a semi shady spot.

Geraniums to the front with pots of million bells to the back planted beneath the lemon tree

Million bells seen to the rear planted beneath the lemon tree produce blooms all summer long and are great all summer long bedding for pots or hanging baskets.

Buddleia in bloom brining in the butterflies

The Buddleia in bloom to the left of the picture blooming throughout late June and August attracting butterlies into the garden – they love this tree. It gets chopped right back each year and sprouts out again in early spring producing deep purple flowers.  Staring into the distance I am already thinking about next spring! Now is a good time to get spring bulbs in.

Apples a plenty

If I say there are about one thousand apples on the tree this year it is probably an accurate calculation.  Have started to harvest some and distributed amongst friends and neighbours.  They are delicious to eat really juicy and quite sharp and leave  an after sweetness lingering in your mouth. Great for cooking as well because you don’t have to add any sugar.  Loads more left to pick – mustn’t grumble apple crumble. Apples anybody?

Home grown carrots

Home grown carrots – where else in the world would you get carrots that looked or tasted like this?

A Summer to remember

 

Make Hay While The Sun Shines

Well not literally hay but as close as you might get to making things from nature in an urban environment.  The sun shone and it was hot and sunny for the first time in a long time this summer. No better time, I thought,  than to make a refreshing elderflower drink from the trees that have been blooming away at the end of my garden and has upon it some elderflowers at their optimum – heady, perfumy in the peak of their blooming life- giving joy from above before the tiny flowers begin to fall to the ground below creating a summer “snow effect”

Heady and perfumy the elderflowers are ready to be picked usually towards the end of June
Summers arrived

I have been waiting since the beginning of summer when they first started to bloom and when the time feels just right and the air is filled with their perfume on a sunny day I know it is time to swing into action and begin the process to make a very tasty and most refreshing summer drink.  Drunk in your garden on a hot summers day it is only what I can imagine it is like being in paradise.

Chill with a glass of sparkly elderflower

I got this recipe from a friend who is a natural master chef extrodinaire and her daughter, Alexandra, drew me up this pretty diagram to help me on my merry way to making the delicious summer drink, I find it a  very useful reference picture in the potion making process.

All you you will need is

250 grams of sugar

6 heads of elderflower at their optimum blooming point

yeast

two to three non waxed  lemons

2.5 litres of water

Here’s what to do

Put the sugar in a jar and add some warm water to melt the sugar

cut the lemons into chunks and squeeze the juice into the sugar and water

throw the remaining bits of lemon into the syrup mix

add the elderflowers and mix

add the yeast

fill the jar with 2.5 litres of water

cover the jar with a lid if it has one or just use a piece of kitchen roll and an elastic if not

mix (making sure you touch the bottom) three times a day and keep in a sunny spot

taste after four days it is has been sunny it will be ready if not leave for five days but no longer as the taste will turn bitter after this.

Strain through a sieve into a bowl, bottle it up and keep in fridge

simple and delicious!

The potion.  Elderflower- drink – a – brewing loving a sunny spot to get the fizz going

(Making Elderflower cordial – this post was due to be published at the beginning of July but was not finished or published  due to me being out of action  so bear the time of year in mind if you decide to make this  delicious summer drink)

Sites to remember

Having spent the last six weeks  with a serious back injury (and a holiday on the side) I have been totally off gardening duties (and blogging duties) for quite some time.  Luckily the garden didn’t need too much tending thanks to nature and it’s generous rainfall this year and I still managed to capture the garden, as the blooms came and went, in photos during this period so I can look back on them now.  The garden seems unaware of our complete lack of a summer in the UK this year and plants are blooming bigger, better and longer than ever before.  The plants are loving the combination of the  rain and the coolness  and it seems the blooms  are starting earlier and  staying fresher for longer. The intermittent bursts of sunshine have been enough to keep the plants flowering – so they are not complaining – neither am I now come to think of it – well at least I’ve had ten days in the sunshine and my back is on the mend – things can only get better.

June was the month of……………..

The self seeding foxgloves.  They love a shady spot and will set themselves down and naturalise over time giving your garden that lovely “wild and natural” look.  They flower every two years so plant blooms for alternate  years if you want a blooming session every year. Put in a couple of plants in early spring and nature will do the rest.

I love the serenity of the white ones but they also come in a deep velvety pink, these are the ones you normally see growing in the wild, and they give a lovely countryside feel to the garden.

Foxgloves and ferns compliment one another beautifully as they are both like shade  and look happy and natural growing together as a combination in the garden

The ferns finally unfurled in full to join the party with the foxgloves

The orange lillies under the apple tree  burst open with annual regularity.  Annual bulbs like lillies are always a joy they usually flower for about two to three weeks depending on the conditions and never fail to bring joy with each year they bloom. Plant the bulbs in late Autumn or early spring.

What depicts a summers day more than this? Pink lupins, I grew these from some seeds collected from seed heads of fading plants, that I happened upon on one of my many walks. You can easily grow from seed or purchase some ready grown plants in Spring, they will come back year after year and you can collect the seeds each year from the heads to grow on into more plants.  But be careful the slugs and snails love these! So protect the plants especially the young ones otherwise they will never reach maturity.  I grew mine in big deep pots which makes pest control a bit easier.

Crown and Glory

Interspersed with the ongoing poppies and forget- me- nots that insisted on  “not being forgotten”, June has been  a very prolific and colourful blooming season this year.  The scene has now moved on and the garden looks completely different.  That’s what is so great about spring and summer a very colourful and a very different garden comes with each month.  More to come……………………………..

The Child Within

Read on for some ideas for a fun outside small space.  As our outdoor space in the urban environment gets smaller the need to escape into nature gets bigger.  But as the demands of juggling home, work, family and play become ever increasing, the desire for an enjoyable outside space that is part of our home  becomes  more and more essential for us all.    Many times I have heard people say but the “garden is just not big enough to do anything with”  or “it is just too small for the kids to play” I would argue that you are only limited by your imagination.   Once you let go of what is seen as a ” traditional garden”, (a lawn and borders could be compared to the meat and two veg dish of the gardening world and sometimes needs a bit of spicing up)  and release the child within you could develop your postage stamp yard into a haven where kids will explore their imagination and role play for hours, a place where you can sit and dream your dream and cleanse your mind and thoughts.  If imagination and creation elude you,  no need to move home it will be cheaper to  just get yourself a good garden designer.

To feed kids imagination build a den out of anything you can find around naturally like old tree branches and dried ferns, or for a  designer element buy a more sophisticated pod that can be used as a playhouse, a spaceship to transport them into space or a submarine to explore the ocean world that lies beneath.

How cool is this, kids play den made from old tree branches and dried ferns
Work of Art
Garden pod from archipod. Five, four, three, two, one blast off!

Who knows what genius the next generation will bring us let’s hope it is as good as some of the past

There are times I wish I could blast off to space, travelling in light years not feeling the pace

away away escape escape

I’d be gone gone,   shooting up to the stars, popping in to visit Jupiter and Mars

Seeing, exploring the wonders of it all, that which makes our world seem so very very small

Understanding our importance really is a must, it’s the soul that lives on when the body turns to dust

Diving below into the deep blue sea, it is calm, it is quite, it is really just me

and the beautiful magical world all around, full of new and exciting things to be found

new colour, new life with each turn of the head, makes me wish I lived down here instead

it’s a great place to escape and explore a while, guaranteed to restore a smile

 

Use lots of large plants that will tower over their heads and ones they can wander in and out between, create little pathways they can follow through the foliage from railway sleepers or flat pieces of slate. Place some large rocks underneath the giant leaves , or some log pieces to sit on.  For a more magical feel position some mushroom shaped  wood carved stools where they can sit and explore their imagination.  Add in some scented plants, like jasmine to climb the walls or fences, creating a cosy backdrop, stimulating the senses.  With the right combination the space can be beautiful to look at as well as being fun and child friendly, a place that kids can spend endless hours exploring, make-believing and learning.  Feeding their imagination and senses will help us all avoid a  generation devoid of the artistic and the creative.

mushroom stool by chiselcraft.co.uk

If you are designing with children in mind get down on your hunkers to experience first hand how large things will appear to them.  Use bamboo to create a woodland through which they can meander, wandering underneath the magical giant leaves of the gunnera will transport them into the land of fairies (plant some lupins  along a leading pathway to the gunnera for an extra special touch evoking thoughts of fairyland ), or the giant elephant ears of the alocasia and soft palm shape leaves of the fatsia japonica to send them on a jungle exploration.  Keep the planting simple, using lots of a few types of plants, planted together for impact,  rather than a few of  lots and lots of different types dotted around.  This will help you to create the desired effect of being in a woodland or jungle.

kids can explore and sit amongst the giant gunnera leaves
Giant gunnera in bloom
Alocasia or elephants ears will sprout out in summer adding excitement to the jungle explorations
The evergreen fatsia japonica, easy to maintain, plant in groups to create an instant jungle effect, leave some  space in between plant so kids can wander amongst them

 

Eternal Sunshine of the Occupied Mind

I love the satisfying circle of prolific self  seeders,  partnered with a combination of other perennial plants and bulbs,  my idea of a  perfect garden is complete, wild, natural and self perpetuating.  For plants that need a helping hand I like nothing better than to collect their seed heads in autumn, plant them in some good compost in pots and reap the joy of their rewards the following year.  Potting up and prettily presenting your excess plants grown from seeds will help spread the joy amongst others that you know.   If you are a beginner, try sweet pea, nothing could be more easily grown and beautifully rewarding when in bloom  The plants will provide you with cut flowers for the home throughout summer, the more you cut the more they bloom.  Plant the seeds in autumn in some good compost and when they begin to sprout in spring support them with some bamboo or wicker which they will readily spiral up, cut the flowers for indoor display , this will keep the sweet pea blooming throughout the summer months.

The perennial bluebell bulb and the prolific self seeding forget-me-nots and poppies make a marvellous colourful display year upon year with little or no tending apart from some gentle taming of the poppies which involves removal of some seed heads before they set themselves down in your garden
Bees luvin’ the poppies

forget me nots profilific free seeders for that wild natural look

The perennial fern they never fail to unfurl each summer bringing joy, greenery and serenity to the garden, great for that shady corner where nothing else will grow, there are also many ever green varieties which are hardy throughout winter for all year round foliage
Nearly there
Ferns – luving’ this shade!
Support the sprouting sweet pea seedlings with bamboo cane, they will latch on with their tendrils and climb the canes
What a sweet gift they make
The gift that keeps on giving, sprouting sweet pea seedlings. They will bloom in summer,  when the seed heads are formed in autumn, collect the seeds from the pods produced and plant in a pot filled with some nice compost.  The seedlings will sprout the following spring giving you flowers for next summer

The art of creating a beautiful space……….

The solace of a space, love, nurture and cultivate

giving you time to  contemplate

tend and nurture it will grow

not enough, stunt, it’s slow

too much drains the natural flow

would anybody ever really think

too much love and it’s over the brink

strike the balance, find your feet

then all around will tap to the beat

strong, decisive, apply what you know

now you’re gardening in rhythmic flow

 full of joy the learning’s life long

creating, just being and singing your song

Sitting Pretty

As most of the hard work in the garden gets done in autumn, early winter and early spring, by late spring and summer it is time to tools down, sit, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour with a long cool drink with a bit of  light pruning on the side.  A crucial requirement for this is a place to sit and enjoy the views from every angle.  Here are some of the  spots in my space that help me do just that.

Mediterranean Medley
The Scented Patio, Jamine, Lavender, Lemon blossom

Patio chairs and table surrounded by a lemon tree, geraniums, jasmine, basil, bay and lavender.  For a small terrace or patio all of these can be planted in containers around your dining area to bring a little piece of the mediterranean to your space.  The lemon, lavender and  jasmine flowers will fill the air with a delicious scent on a summers evening.

Parisien Parlour
Lemon Tree with Narcissi and Muscari bowl

The same patio in spring – pop a big bowl of your favourite spring bloomers on the table, muscari and daffodils are in this one, and with the  all year round blooming lemon tree as a backdrop it brings a little bit of  glamour to your patio – Paris in the Spring anyone? Just step outside.

Under the shade of the tropical looking and shade loving Fatsia Japonica

Cute and convenient – this ceramic stool can be easily moved around and is great extra outdoor seating that doesn’t take up much space. It adds a dash of bright colour on a dull day.   I popped this one outside my bedroom door. Perfect for those moments when you just want to be away with the birds!

This bench was hand made from the same wood as the decking, it was concieved, built and hand-painted by the amazingly talented Frex, it is a great sunny spot to sit in spring and shady in summer, it also doubles as a display for  spring planted pots and acts as extra outdoor storage.

Simple but effective, this bench was made from a slice of wood cut to order at a timber merchants in the lake district and is supported on circular slices of log,  it is simple and rustic and gives that lovely low level of seating so you can really sit “in” your space, simple to assemble.

“Get Amongst It” the sunken deck, adding a new dimension to your space

One of my favourite places to sit, the sunken deck,  here you can view the garden on another dimension and really ” get amongst it”, for a  summer  garden party I  usually pop in some cushions to make it extra comfy

The sunken deck lined with artificial grass, we use it like a rug and roll it out on those hot days when all you want to do is lie but the grass it too wet also ideal for a small space where you don’t have a lawn …………

 

Pop in some cushions and get amongst it

 

 

This image was taken before I had my side terrace built.   I was gearing up for the planting in the area so  I test planted in big pots.   I wanted a tropical feel in this slightly shaded area of the garden and it inspired me to see that a tiny space with the right planting could be heaven (tropical heaven) on earth.  The chair is surrounded by Elocassia, hardy palms, ferns and bamboo to give that tropical feel.  Another good tropical-like plant but tough as old boots is fatsia japonica which features in  my wrap round tropical terrace.  All can be grown in pots and containers and can really give your terrace or balcony an amazingly tropical evergreen feel.

hardy palms, evergreen ferns, fatsia japonica, bamboo and elocassia all contribute to that tropical feel

Spotted in Ireland on a beautiful walk in co. Kilkenny – this one just had to be shared – a garden bench handcrafted from nature

Handcrafted from Nature Simply Stunning
it’s all in the detail  – the bench composition

A great idea for a small space, plant up a tree of your choice in a large pot,  this one is an olive tree,  make a wooden top to for the pot and  create a table – a garden, a dining space and a light shade all in one.  Perfect for tiniest of patios or balconies

This pretty dining set spotted recently in columbia road market – a great place for all your gardening needs (perfect size for a small terrace or balcony)

Also check out Oliver Bonas   http://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/furniture I recently noticed they were doing some really  cute and colourful patio sets this year – perfect for your tinybloomingplace

Create a little outside space to enjoy, a place to explore your thoughts, inspire you, relax you, a place to sit and contemplate, but don’t just think about it……………

The Kitchen Planter

Even if you only have the tiniest of outside spaces  a  balcony, terrace, window ledge or the front entrance to your home, window boxes and containers can open up the world of gardening to you,  any space is  enough to create the perfect kitchen garden.  Plant up  hardy herbs together,  they will last all year round and will help inspire your winter cooking.  Those non hardy herbs that prefer a warm sunny clime, will thrive throughout the summer and  lend themselves nicely to the quick and easy oriental style and mediterranean cooking (much needed when life is too short and the days are too long to be spending too much of it inside).

Winter window box for the kitchen (think winter casseroles and slow roasts)

Bay, Rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano

These hardy herbs will last all year round – don’t forget to keep them watered during dry winters!

Spring to Autumn Window box for the kitchen – Semi hardy herbs  (feeling like a lighter meal,  think potato salad, fatoush, pasta or fish with creamy, herby sauces)

chives,  parsley, tarragon, mint

(will die off in a frosty winter if kept outside but will grow back again the following spring)

Summer window box for the kitchen (think mediterranean,  marinades,  salads  and quick and easy chinese and thai inspired stirfries)

lemongrass, basil, dill, corriander, chillies, spring onion and garlic

Enjoy the fruits of your labour

Grow herbs in a window box whatever size to suit your space
It’s amazing the variety you can pack in, your very own organic mini supermarket
Plant some herbs in a big wooden barrel or terracotta pot on your terrace or pop it at your front door, I usually dry out the abundance of hardy herbs they always come in handy in the store cupboard
Basil likes to stay inside when it is cold outside but will thrive outdoors in your window box during the summer months

Have a look at this great site selling unique trough containers – They not only look picture pretty but are great  for a small outdoor space to  grow your all your kitchen requirements

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/pages/product/product.asp?prod=GPL-695

Growing Lavender

If you have only the tiniest of window ledge,  providing it is a sunny spot,  why not grow lavender in a window box.  When you open your window the summer flowers will make you feel like you are in your own little garden,  bringing the outside in. Lavender also has many culinary uses, infuse in your tea,  make lavender cupcakes, lavender sugar and lavender vinaigrette.  Use the dried flowers to make lavender pot- pourri to use around your home or put in little muslin bags to freshen up your wardrobe or mix with some sea salt and olive oil to make a luxurious foot scrub.  Trim the lavender plants back by about a third each year after the flowers have faded and they will bloom for many. Lavender is quite tolerant to dry conditions and loves to be in the sun.  You will know it is summer when your lavender is in bloom, touch it, smell it, you will definately love it!

Grow Lavender in your window boxes
Infuse your tea
Create your own tea infusions, this one has green tea, camomile, hisbiscus, lavender and lemon
Bake some lavender cupcakes
Make some home made pot pourri – I pulled the lavender flowers from their stalks after they had dried out and mixed with some dried rose buds collected throughout the summer – you can also package these in little bags and tie up with ribbon – they make a pretty gift
Dried lavender also makes a great wardrobe fresher – pack in pretty bags and hang in your wardrobe
Keeps my wardrobe smelling fresh
The smell of lavender will keep months at bay

Here is a great link I found to explore the many more uses of lavender http://frugalgranola.com/2012/02/culinary-uses-for-lavender/

Fen's avatarBloomingplaces

With a little thought about what you plant  in your outside space it will not only look beautiful but will yield some very useful and inspirational things prompting the unleashing of  the creative you.  Lemon trees  look great and you can grow them in a pot on your balcony or terrace (they will flourish in a sheltered area or you can take them inside  if the winter is very harsh).  The tree will give fruit all year round.  When the blooms appear before the fruit the air is scented like a heaven send – it doesn’t get much better than this.  Lemons get used lots in summer to help olive oil dress your salads or squeeze into a summer cocktail or fruit add to a fruit punch. In winter try making your own lemoncillo the perfect winter schnaps or a lemon loaf to help keep your cockles warm, entertain guests and make your kitchen smell…

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Looking Lush

At the moment if feels like we are living in the times of Noah’s ark – it started to rain nearly two weeks ago and has hardly stopped since with no end currently in sight but nobody still seems to be sure whether or not the hose pipe ban has been lifted???? Not that we need to use them anyway given the current climate conditions.  Despite the predominant overcast skys spring is still blooming away everywhere you go and seems even more vigorous fuelled by the heavy downpours.  A recent lunchtime pop to the sandwich shop revealed different blooms with nearly every step.  The plants are so grateful for the rain but I am hoping it will move on soon – anybody know how to do the sundance? In the meantime keep on a singing in the rain.

Even the puddles are looking lush

Dancing petals
Beautiful blousey blooms
Spring romance is alive and kicking

It’s raining blossom

Some lilac had fallen from it’s bush so I took it back to brighten up my workspace
I’m singing in the rain

In The Name Of Progress

TUMBLED STONE AND RAIN SHOWERS

Well after major devestation to the house, garden and the grafters the hardscape is finally down phew! We can now  start clearing the debris from the bomb site and begin to realise the vision. Peace will reign once more on this shore.  An oasis of calm will be instated over the coming months.

Observing the stone after a rainfall and admiring how it enhances their beauty even more I certainly realise they were so well worth the cost –  never compromise on a good stone.   I got this one  from Adrian Hall garden centre where they have a vast array to choose from – check them out they have various locations around the capital.

The Vision (subject to change)
There’s no going back now – onwards and upwards!
The new pathways made from
lovely tumbled textured natural stone

Out with the old – with a little help from my friends
Timberrrrr The conifers come a tumbling down

Glossy Green Laurel Leaves will grow into a manageable mature hedge over time to give a little privacy to the small front garden

watch out for more updates and development of this space throughout the coming months