Garden inspiration and guidance through the seasons
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I often write about the pleasure I get from the pots I display by our front and back doors. They’re a collection of evergreens, small shrubs and seasonal lovelies and I love creating, caring for and admiring them. However this post is about the containers, my collection and where I find them.
Stoicism is not a virtue - so said a wise woman recently and I felt something inside me chime.
So many of us live, often unconsciously, by an outdated, patriarchal, and plain unhelpful (if not dangerous), edict that there is merit in our keeping quiet, not ‘making a fuss’ and being stoical; that we should be ‘sweetness and light’ and get on with life without creating a disturbance; that women are supposed to be ‘ladylike’ and that it’s unattractive to be angry.
Well stuff that!
As someone with a history of depression, anxiety and panic attacks I’ve found ways in my normal life to manage myself well - to be as good as I can be for my family, and myself of course, and many of these activities involve being out making daily contact with others, getting support, being part of a community.
If radical change is needed in your garden and you want to create a space that is gorgeous; cohesive, functional and easy to maintain there are lots of things to think about before you even pick up a spade.
A quick look at some of the things I’ve done that have helped me to have a better winter this year. Usually the dark, and cold, get the better of me and my mood gets quite low. This year I took action in advance, and throughout, the early winter months and so far, so good…
The CAMFED garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show reminds me how much my values have changed around creating gardens.
Golders Hill Park, in North West London, has been a favourite haunt of mine for many years. My children used to climb over this statue but please don’t tell the park keepers…
Introducing my new greenhouse. I am seriously excited about this next stage in my gardening life. Can’t wait to get in and start growing. Share my journey…
Oh the joy of the hellebore. At this time of year, as the darkness persists despite the passing of the shortest day the vivid little faces of hellebores make me very happy…
The nights are drawing in, the perennials are losing their leaves and its time to pretty up your pots for winter….
Today is so called ‘Blue Monday’ (a PR exercise for a travel company it seems, dating back to 2005 but useful all the same) and I’m wondering how you’re feeling.
I’m not feeling too blue actually but I did have a bit of a melt down at the weekend and which me realise that I’d been tolerating too much without expressing it. There’s a lot to tolerate at the moment and the rats in our roof are just one more thing!