The end of an era
Fitful rain and a biting wind do not make venturing into the garden an enticing prospect, so I am looking down on it intently from my study window, making little forays outside when I need to check on the precise location of a plant. It continues to look beautiful, and is full of subtle colour.
The leaves of the Hydrangea petiolaris and the Magnolia stellata are turning yellow, but the predominant colour is still green. ‘Margaret Merril’ and the charming little climbing rose ‘Seafoam’ continue to bloom valiantly as the month runs on, but their flowers already have the waxy look that claims them in winter. I particularly love the garden in its quieter autumnal tones.
I am preparing an inventory of plants in my garden, and at the same time recollecting the happiness of making it (one doesn’t dwell on the frustrations and failures). The astute reader will have already guessed: the purpose of the task is to hand the garden over to the tender care of a new owner. She is not yet a gardener, but is avid to learn. I am hopeful that my elegant small garden, packed with plants but easy to manage, will be an excellent teacher.
I moved here eight years ago and started the garden a year later, bringing in a talented local designer to create the structure. At the time, the site was pretty much a blank canvas – a large expanse of shingle with a concrete path down the middle, two ailing ‘Peace’ roses and two sad cordylines in pots. The brief was for a good-sized terrace, for eating out and for containers that I could change with the seasons, a stout pergola for climbing roses and clematis and to create compartments to make the garden seem larger, a lawn and lots of planting space.
All this was achieved on a modest urban plot measuring 15 x 56 feet. There is also a bonus, a sitting area at the bottom of the garden, under an old, 12-feet-high, south-facing brick wall. Here, there is a garden bench for reading and a glass of wine, the cold frame where I grow on seedlings, a fig and a cherry in large pots and in summer all the tomatoes I have no room for on the allotment, mostly the productive cordon, ‘Black Cherry’.
So why am I leaving a garden I created from scratch, which provides constant pleasure, and which prompts gratifying squeaks of delight from visitors? The reason is that I was born and bred a countrywoman, and despite the blandishments of cities, I have always yearned to go back. The right moment never seemed to come. Jobs were in cities, Paris, then Brussels, and latterly London, where my children and grandchildren are happily settled. However, I have been hatching a plan and I’m on my way!
My destination is Faversham, a charming and historic market town nudging the Kent Downs. The town grew up around an ancient seaport on Faversham Creek. It is surrounded by coastal wetlands and glorious countryside, but has a fast train service to London. It is a thriving, bustling place, but offers country customs and values. I have found a pretty 1920s house, somewhat faded and in need of repair. It is a perfect size: I shall not rattle around in it on my own, but it will happily accommodate visiting family and friends. The house is detached and the garden is south facing, its features and boundaries concealed by undergrowth.
What an adventure it will be to reveal this garden and to give it new life. I am having a few weeks off to get to grips with the move, but will be back in the new year to report on progress. I wish all readers a very Happy Christmas.
Creating a wild flower meadow – or a wild flower window box – can be tricky. Simple Sowing, an online seed mat and seed tape specialist has an answer. The company has developed a biodegradeable carpet, with seeds of over 50 wild flowers pre-sown into the mat. The wild flowers include corn flowers, field poppies, teasels and salad burnet.
Just prepare the seedbed, cut the carpet to the size you require, lay on the soil, water thoroughly, cover with compost and water in. Sow in a flower bed or on the veg plot in autumn for flowers from April to October or in spring for flowers the next year. Wild flowers also thrive in a terracotta window box. Seed tapes are brilliant for children who’ve yet to acquire the dexterity to handle tiny seeds. The Annual And Perennial Mixed Wild ower Seed Carpet costs £9.99.
0845-474 4272, www.simplesowing.co.uk
Streptocarpus ‘Crystal Ice’, the Cape primrose from southern Africa, is a superb houseplant that owers throughout the year. It comes in a ceramic pot; a lovely present. £19.99: www.crocus.co.uk
The leaves of the Hydrangea petiolaris and the Magnolia stellata are turning yellow, but the predominant colour is still green. ‘Margaret Merril’ and the charming little climbing rose ‘Seafoam’ continue to bloom valiantly as the month runs on, but their flowers already have the waxy look that claims them in winter. I particularly love the garden in its quieter autumnal tones.
I am preparing an inventory of plants in my garden, and at the same time recollecting the happiness of making it (one doesn’t dwell on the frustrations and failures). The astute reader will have already guessed: the purpose of the task is to hand the garden over to the tender care of a new owner. She is not yet a gardener, but is avid to learn. I am hopeful that my elegant small garden, packed with plants but easy to manage, will be an excellent teacher.
I moved here eight years ago and started the garden a year later, bringing in a talented local designer to create the structure. At the time, the site was pretty much a blank canvas – a large expanse of shingle with a concrete path down the middle, two ailing ‘Peace’ roses and two sad cordylines in pots. The brief was for a good-sized terrace, for eating out and for containers that I could change with the seasons, a stout pergola for climbing roses and clematis and to create compartments to make the garden seem larger, a lawn and lots of planting space.
All this was achieved on a modest urban plot measuring 15 x 56 feet. There is also a bonus, a sitting area at the bottom of the garden, under an old, 12-feet-high, south-facing brick wall. Here, there is a garden bench for reading and a glass of wine, the cold frame where I grow on seedlings, a fig and a cherry in large pots and in summer all the tomatoes I have no room for on the allotment, mostly the productive cordon, ‘Black Cherry’.
So why am I leaving a garden I created from scratch, which provides constant pleasure, and which prompts gratifying squeaks of delight from visitors? The reason is that I was born and bred a countrywoman, and despite the blandishments of cities, I have always yearned to go back. The right moment never seemed to come. Jobs were in cities, Paris, then Brussels, and latterly London, where my children and grandchildren are happily settled. However, I have been hatching a plan and I’m on my way!
My destination is Faversham, a charming and historic market town nudging the Kent Downs. The town grew up around an ancient seaport on Faversham Creek. It is surrounded by coastal wetlands and glorious countryside, but has a fast train service to London. It is a thriving, bustling place, but offers country customs and values. I have found a pretty 1920s house, somewhat faded and in need of repair. It is a perfect size: I shall not rattle around in it on my own, but it will happily accommodate visiting family and friends. The house is detached and the garden is south facing, its features and boundaries concealed by undergrowth.
What an adventure it will be to reveal this garden and to give it new life. I am having a few weeks off to get to grips with the move, but will be back in the new year to report on progress. I wish all readers a very Happy Christmas.
A CARPET OF WILD FLOWERS
Creating a wild flower meadow – or a wild flower window box – can be tricky. Simple Sowing, an online seed mat and seed tape specialist has an answer. The company has developed a biodegradeable carpet, with seeds of over 50 wild flowers pre-sown into the mat. The wild flowers include corn flowers, field poppies, teasels and salad burnet. Just prepare the seedbed, cut the carpet to the size you require, lay on the soil, water thoroughly, cover with compost and water in. Sow in a flower bed or on the veg plot in autumn for flowers from April to October or in spring for flowers the next year. Wild flowers also thrive in a terracotta window box. Seed tapes are brilliant for children who’ve yet to acquire the dexterity to handle tiny seeds. The Annual And Perennial Mixed Wild ower Seed Carpet costs £9.99.
0845-474 4272, www.simplesowing.co.uk
