A Peek into the Garden

This time of year is when the garden is looking at its best. I don't have plants with year-round colour, so during the colder months, it usually looks drab and unkempt. My lack of any sort of garden planning doesn't help with that, and I'm really not green fingered, no matter how much I wish that were the case. Then, of course, the long, dark, and extremely wet winters see me preferring to keep cosy and dry indoors instead of tending to the soil. And on those days when the sun is actually shining, I'd much rather be out walking in the fells. So, it's during high summer that I enjoy being out in the garden the most. 

My garden isn't anything special. In fact, any real gardeners might question more than just a few of my choices, but it's mine, and I realise just how fortunate I am to have this little outdoor space.

I remember during the pandemic, we spent so much time in the garden. I'd even been gifted several plants from a local garden centre when they'd initially had to close their doors. One of which was a fabulous hydrangea, which really brightens the corner space in front of the kitchen window. During the earlier lockdowns the weather had been glorious, and as I'd been unable to work for the first few months, we spent the majority of our mornings home learning, then our afternoons we would be spent outside, enjoying the sunshine. The paddling pool got a lot of use during that time, and I have some very fond memories. Although I am in no doubt, it was a very different story for many. 

Most of the plants have been added over time. Some have been gifts, like my lovely acer. One of my pots was won in a raffle, and this year's sweet peas were grown from the seeds of the plants it contained. Then, of course, there are the lemon and apple trees, which grew from the pips I planted. I'm still waiting for them to produce some fruit, but I might need to wait a while longer :) Thankfully, the blackcurrant bush has already earned its place in front of the dry stone wall.

Some of the flowers only last for a summer, although thanks to the slugs, the marigolds didn't even survive that long. The lone sunflower is growing taller by the day, and the bees and butterflies are enjoying the continually flowering nasturtiums. The carnations were a random purchase, as they're far from being one of my favourite flowers, but they are conveniently hardy and very low maintenance.

Then there's the little raised bed. This year, I've grown spinach, spring onions, carrots, and beetroot. I do enjoy being able to grow just a few of our vegetables. Much as I would love a larger area in which to grow our own food, I simply don't have the time just now. 

We have strawberries and blueberries growing in pots, an abundance of mint, and just today, the recent addition of some chives, which I brought home from work :)

And yet, I never did get round to buying myself some new garden furniture. Maybe next year.

J. X