Since this post about the garden at the beginning of April there have been a few small changes.
Until recently I have always thought of gardening as a bit of chore. The intention was to move house anyway, so as long as the grass was trimmed, weeds kept under control and it looked OK with minimum effort it was fine by me.
All well and good but lately I have been bitten by the bug. This gardening malarkey that people get excited about. Maybe it's because we are staying put in this house for now, I'm getting older, the weather is more favourable to being outside, I don't know, but I'm actually enjoying it! Getting my hands dirty and being able to grow things is very satisfying and a wonderful way to unwind.
I have given the planters, shed and garden furniture a coat (or two) of paint - Wild Thyme was my colour of choice - and it's made such a difference. They look almost new again and it's given a new lease of life to what was otherwise looking faded and tired.
The vegetables in the small raised bed are coming on a treat and I have used lots of the spinach in my cooking already.
The stony flower bed has been planted with Mint, Thyme, Rosemary and Lavendula. At the back there is a Clematis and Lily's sunflower for her pre-school growing competition.
To add a splash of colour I filled the large planter with Pansies. I've used the smaller planter in front of the shed for our strawberries, which have since been moved to an area which gets the sun for longer.
The pot on the table contains our tiny oak sapling. We have grown it from one of the acorns we collected on our walks last Autumn. It is growing quickly so it wont be long before I put it in a larger container.
The grass is now home to Lily's swing and on sunny days the large paddling pool.
It is only a small garden and is therefore, thankfully, quite low maintenance (I am aware my new found enthusiasm is likely to wane once the weather turns). It's not a lot but it is ours and now we have a pleasant and relaxing place to spend our time.
J. X
