Month: August 2015

A is for Asters in August :: A to Z of Gardens

It’s the back-end of summer and your garden may be looking rather tired; as I do, frankly, five weeks into the long school holiday with two kids. By mid-August, the gorgeous, floriferous peak of early summer stalwarts is long past. The wisteria, geraniums, aquilegias, alliums, foxgloves, bearded irises and roses have ‘gone over’, and either been cut back or left… Read more →

Up The Garage Wall (Part 1)

Everyone has a part of their garden that drives them up the wall (forgive the pun). For some time, I have been searching for a way to disguise this mock stone, garage wall. Whenever I look out of the kitchen window, I think how lovely my garden is, and what a shame that this grim, grey thing has to be in… Read more →

The wind runs in the reeds

I’ve just had a rare two days away with my husband at the north Norfolk coast, while our kids stayed with their grandparents (my lovely in-laws). We stayed at the Windmill in Cley, which has the most stunning views over the marshes to the sea. We saw this sign on a walk along the coastal path through Cley Marshes nature… Read more →

How to renovate a border

In my last post, I mentioned that I wanted to renovate the border in front of my living room window. The fact is, we have quite literally no money to spend on the garden at the moment, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. The border in question is at the front of the house. It was one… Read more →

An afternoon at the park

I think my corms may be congested. Let me explain… This is crocosmia Lucifer, and this is what it should look like at this time of year: a stunning display of vivid reds and oranges in a sea of lush green foliage. Isn’t it fabulous? These plants are growing in Eaton Park, Norwich, planted in repeating blocks, in a series… Read more →

Tiny terrarium gardens (Part 1)

It’s my sister’s birthday in a few weeks, and I’m going to buy her a terrarium to go in her very stylish home. (Actually Hannah is in the process of a massive renovation, so really it is a soon-to-be very stylish home. You can follow her progress on her blog Hannah’s Home.) There are lots of terrariums in the shops… Read more →

Gardening is therapy

To quote my gardening hero Monty Don*, writing in August’s Gardeners’ World magazine: “Working with plants and dealing with the rhythms of the seasons is powerful medicine.” Monty, like me, is prone to depression. I suffered very badly in the years following the birth of my son, and have only this year started feeling more like myself again, whatever that… Read more →