Even though I should have been busy in the workshop, I couldn't resist a walk around the garden on such a beautiful day. I call the garden my 'work in progress'. I should point out, in the interests of honesty, that I have been describing it thus for the last 4-5 years!
Whilst I love living on a farm, it does have its drawbacks when it comes to gardens. Firstly, farmers do not like gardening. My OH claims he gardens on a larger scale, for little or no money, every day of his working life so why should he do it on his rare days off? He has a point, I will grant you, but it still leaves it all up to yours truly! Secondly, our garden is not much more than a partially reclaimed field and it has been an ongoing battle to rid it of wicks, ground elder and bindweed. Our gorgeous lavender bordered, gravel path succumbed to these merciless invaders and we had to replace the plants with sleepers - try growing through solid wood you rotters!!
The sleeper path did, at least, give the garden some structure but, over the last few summers, due to a very busy work schedule, everything else has been neglected and allowed to grow wild.
Now, I love a wild garden as much as the next person but I do want some level of control and would like to enter the garden, in summer, without the need for a machete and compass! So, spurred on by an impending magazine photo-shoot, which may or may not include the garden [but I am not telling my OH that], I have convinced OH to get professional help. So, Gerard [no, not Butler but a girl can dream!] the gardener will be arriving in the morning to tame my wilderness - sorry still thinking about Gerard Butler!
The wilderness will be cleared, ready for a wild garden that comes out of a seed packet and hasn't been blown over the hedge from the field next door! The pond margins will also be given a bit of a makeover, with due regard being given to the newts and frogs who are in residence, in abundance, if today's sightings were anything to go by.
I will be sad to see the remnants of last year's growth finally cleared away. We tend not to do this until Spring as I think it adds interest to the garden during the winter months. Well, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it! I mean, you just can't beat what nature serves up... like these wonderful wispy clematis seed-heads.
It will also be a shame to clear away the lichens that have grown on top of our table over the winter. You couldn't recreate these wonderful textures if you tried...
It was lovely to see signs of spring everywhere in the garden though. From a basket of muscari [all ready for Mother's Day], to the buds of magnolia blooms [this normally spells cold, wind and rain!], the bright yellow of forsythia and, of course, the compulsory nodding heads of daffodils.
I will keep posting about the makeover, as it progresses, and hopefully you will be able to see a difference. Design ideas and general advice gratefully accepted!
