After a rather frustrating visit to Norwich we decided to go into the garden for the afternoon. I have had a slow start to the year, fairly minor medical things in the great scheme of things, but nevertheless meaning I could not garden, or do much of what I loved for over about 3 months. Usually I try and garden for an hour a day when we are here, so that is a lot of missed gardening! But today the sun was out, and I decided I could give the garden a bit of my time.
Last autumn we had the first part of the landscaping done, in the back garden. Much thought and planning went into this and it is just beginning to be absorbed into the garden as the plants grow apace. I enjoy gardening but previous to the changes we had too many areas that I had to devote my time to and it became a chore not a pleasure. So we wanted to make the garden easier to manage but still feel like our garden! We like a garden to look natural, lots of plants but it will never be a show garden, but a ‘lived in garden’!
We are delighted with how it has turned out and today was the first time this year we have been able to sit in our new ‘bottom of the garden’. This is now probably my favourite spot in the garden. I can envisage lots of, spinning, knitting and hand sewing happening here.
This is how it was this time last year. A complete mess, lots of bramble and nettle! I could not keep on top of it. I replanted the Tansy to be with other dye plants and it is doing brilliantly with the madder and dyers greenweed.
Michael enjoying a cup of tea
Sitting looking towards the stream at the back, which I have mentioned in other posts.
In the past I suspect it was a bigger waterway, it leads into the River Tas to the right of the photos, south. I will write more about this in another post. Very peaceful. We are still to decide if we want to keep the mini pond mould left us by the previous owner and if so just where.
Looking across the garden
The hares in more detail, these are made by a wonderful craftswoman, Katherine Womack, from the village. The red kite on the shed in the previous photo was our first one of her pieces.
..and today the first of the iris came out, a real treat.
(This was actually yesterday, today has been just as good, the only change to these being, 4 iris are now out and I dug up more interesting flints from beside the stream! )
