Good For The Soul

So The Chelsea flower show has come to an end for this year. Maybe next year I will get to see it again.  I love to see the big show gardens and see how they use plants to create these beautiful areas which I think look stunning at Chelsea, but  my favourites are the small artisan gardens.  They are little areas of pure magic that give an idea of what you could do no matter what  size your garden, whether you have just a small courtyard or a little area in your large garden that you want to change. I find them  an inspiration and keep looking at my garden wondering where I could be that creative (maybe).

I love my garden.

It is a place I can be , nurturing, energetic, creative or contemplative depending

on how I feel.

I love to wander around with a cup of coffee deciding what I want to do, choosing which plants to move,which to propagate  or just admiring the wonderful variety that Mother Nature comes up with. Although quite often  I end up going indoors with dirty hands.

A garden is ever changing, a flower that wasn't there yesterday has suddenly sprung forth over night or a bud has appeared on that new plant you put in  recently. 

You find visitors that you didn't invite but who have decided this is a nice place to make their home. Some are very welcome but of course some most definitely are not.

  

  We even have a resident hedgehog we call Russell who we see occasionally.

My garden has helped me get through   bouts of depression and get my head back together again  on more than one occasion.   It has seen my 3 children grow up, birthday parties,family reunions, water fights, fireworks and BBQ's. It has changed dramatically over the years from a playground and race track for the children, to what it is today,--something  which I think looks beautiful and which I am proud of.    

    Etoile de Hollande Climbing rose

    Gertrude Jekyll

    Moss Rose originally from my Grandfathers garden.

Bay Tree

It also holds so many memories,  many of the plants have a special meaning. Theres the Bay tree my mother gave me nearly 20 years ago as a tiny little thing( one of dozens of plants she gave me all of which remind me of her), the beautiful white rose ( silver celebration) we got as a silver wedding present, the rose called Patricia I bought in memory of my Mother in Law and the wonderful Clematis 'Marjorie'  I planted in memory of my Mum and which scrambles through our apple tree.  

Clematis  Montana Marjorie

We also have all sorts of other things hiding out there such as the bird bath my little one made me buy when she was 4 years old and the industrial drill bit my husbands oldest friend gave him one day ( it's  a boy thing) and even some stone carving done by my own fair hands.

A north facing bed plus drill bit.

Herbs by the back door

 Gardening is something that both my husband and I love doing and brings us closer together, he does the veggies and I do the flowers.  Everytime we consider down sizing to a smaller house it's the garden that makes us think twice.

Gillxx