Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

These days I cannot walk past a garden center without checking out the far end of the plant section where they usually put all the discounted plants. These poor plants are generally tired, limp and dry as a bone. All jumbled up together unloved and unwanted. Frankly, I find it very sad that had they just been watered regularly they would probably be just fine right now.  Anyway, usually heavily discounted, I search through them all to find ones that have a chance of survival. Often I find ones with good root systems and given a little tender loving care I take a chance on reviving them.  Today it was the turn of three Rosemary plants and a French Lavender. In particular, the French Lavender was a sorry looking plant half dead and very limp, I wasn't sure, but it had a good root system and urged on by my hubby (a recent gardening convert !) decided to take it home. An hour later after a good watering and re-potting and light pruning, it stands up proud in its new pot o...

Why I Love Summertime Summer is a lovely time of year. In summer we have long days and hopefully longer warmer days and sunshine, vacation time and beautiful flowers. Its quite an easy time of year to love. Life is easier in the Summertime... Vivaldi Four Seasons-Summer Gorgeous music which is beautiful to listen to. You may like to have this video playing while you look through the rest of the page....I find it puts you in the summertime mood. I'm Loving Summer!! What can I say about Summer? In a country where it's not that warm most of the year Summertime is our big chance at some high temperatures, occasional balmy days and warmer evenings....for a little while at least :)  A time where we can actually eat out of doors have picnics and breakfast on the patio.  Summer is a time to wear lovely dresses and beautiful cool fabrics. Maybe even a sun hat! A time where the days are long,...

I love it here in this hidden, not well known garden somewhere near me in rural England.  It is not my garden but one I travel to when I am in need of recharging my batteries, inspiration and a welcome break from the pressures of the world. I always come away feeling a sense of lightness of being and a refreshed way of seeing the world and any challenges I am facing in my life. I have needed this place of quiet and reflection more than ever in recent weeks.... I would love to share this special place to me with you.   “ The poetry of the earth is never dead." John Keats A Place To Retreat I wonder how many of us have somewhere to go when we feel the need to relax, chill out and recharge? Or maybe we don't all need to go away somewhere physically and can do it mentally/emotionally? Do you have a place to go to get away from it all?     Bridge In The Hidden Garden. This is one of my fave views in the garden, so beautiful...makes ...

At last a sunny day ! What is that golden globe in the sky? Well, it has seemed a very long time since we have seen it for a full day, or at least for it to give much warmth. However, the sun was out today and the landscape was bathed in a beautiful golden light so I got out into the garden! It is so lovely to see the green shoots of the larger, taller daffodils coming up, no flowers on most of these larger varieties yet, but they will surely come to delight us later in Spring.  The flowers of the tiny Tete a tete daffodils sheltering under the bamboo have decided to flower though and their tiny, courageous, perfect and pretty little sunny yellow flower heads being a smile to my face... The pure white pretty snowdrops are in full flower now and I am very happy about just how many there are this year. Pure white and so simple yet so brave and the first to face the cold, the snow and the winds, yet looking so delicate and gorgeous.  I have gathered snowdrops slowly over ye...

The garden, even in its total desolation, has a beautiful splendor... The morning sun gradually permeates everything, transforming black night to yellow hue to blue and silver, highlighting the glistening frozen dew drops. As it grows more vivid and exact you can detect dazzling, dancing ornaments and figurines in the snow. Birds awake to a wintry wonderland, feathers fluffed out, keeping warm as they can, looking for food. Like us they are waiting for Spring.  A million intricate icy shapes are unbelievably ornate and perfect. The snow takes on a life all its own, like the sea or the earth but secret and silvery. Hiding the landscape beneath, transforming the outlook to a new scene. Snowflakes, each unique and stunning. A short perfect life, turned forever upon fragments of its own self and destined to fruitlessness and silence. Crystals of infinite complexity living for nothing but to gradually dissolve their own perfect unique selves. Crystals growing slowly into each ot...

Is anyone else feeling the winter blues...?  I don't mind January too much really. Maybe it is because we have had days of grey cloudy skies, gales and winds and hard-driving cold rain. In reality, the weather is not as severe as we might get at all and we have had much more severe conditions.  In a way, it is a quiet time,  welcome after the hectic time of December and a New Year is always a chance to adopt new habits, new hope for the future. However it is still mid-winter, cold, windy, rainy and I still cannot get out in my garden very much. Our heavy clay soil is sticky and difficult to walk on and ruins the grass and soil if walked on much so we keep it to a minimum.  I watch from the patio eagerly looking for signs of new life and I know they are there. I generally feel quieter, more sluggish, more in hibernation mode in January. So just reflecting and looking forward. We are moving away now from the winter Solstice which was on December 21st. It is often...

It is the Winter Solstice today 21st December 2014 and right now is the shortest day of the whole year. That is the shortest hours of daylight for the year. After today we very gradually gain a little more daylight every day and nature responds. Where I live the worst of the weather is potentially still to come. I has been quite a mild start to winter really this year.  The garden is still and quiet to our eyes but is getting ready to steel itself through the winter and burst forth in Spring.  Many of our creatures like the hedgehog are still in hibernation. Sometimes I think they have the right idea! They will have found a cosy spot in the gardens or maybe even in our garage for the winter. If you do see a hedgehog outside in winter and it looks underweight or sick do contact your local hedgehog rescue or wildlife team for advice. Hedgehog, Mug by mag26s Browse Hedgehog Mugs online at Zazzle.com  Others like the Robin are a regular feature in our ...

We have several trees that shed their leaves in late Autumn.  We get a beautiful carpet of glorious golds, bronzes, reds and bronze on the grass and gravel. It's gorgeous... It is so lovely it is tempting to leave it there but for some at least we have a good use for it.  We used to just rake them all up and put in the bin for the council to take away. However, we have since discovered a few better uses in our own garden to help us and the wildlife.    We take some of the leaves and use them to cover our little wild mammal shelter. It is really just a collection of logs and sticks leftover from pruning in a corner of the garden but I like to think it gives some shelter from the wind and cold and rain for the little mammals and the hedgehogs if we are lucky. So the leaves go on top for some added warmth. We add a few more sticks on top of that to keep them somewhat in place. OK, some of the leaves we put in the borders. There they provide a little shelter for ...