Before I start: WE HAD RAIN. Never have I been so excited to see wet seat cushions:
And then guess what? It carried on raining:
Some remarkably buzzy energy has arrived with the return of the rain and greyer skies, and I realise there’s just so much I want to tell you about that I have absolutely zig-zagged everywhere in this article: gardening on a budget, design, plants, gardening basics, pretty bouquets, and more. I also pulled out of a house purchase this week because I kept having bad dreams about it, and I’ve also fallen in love with another house. A friend commented that it looked like Paddington’s house.
I’m quite susceptible to these sorts of associations: if I found A Nice White Cottage with a Thatched Roof, I’d probably want to move there too:
Contracts are about to be exchanged on my own house any time now, so, as you can imagine, everyone is not delighted with me. Onwards…
Welcome to The Gardening Mind - we have 40,000 subscribers in 178 countries, and I’m sharing everything that I’ve learned over the last 30 years about garden design, gardens and gardening.
I’d absolutely love it if you could come and join us - and if you do, please do drop me a line about your own garden.
With a new house in mind, I’ll have a new garden to create. BUT, the irony is that although I’m a garden designer, I couldn’t afford me, so I’ll be creating a brand new garden on a budget. I’ve put together how I’ll be starting - and I’ll be sharing the whole process with you every step of the way.
“Create your garden slowly. Not everything needs to be done at once. Start with the essential structure and plant framework, then add things as your budget allows.”
A reminder: the Garden Design Studio is running again this autumn - Founding members will get first dibs, followed by paying members: I’ll be emailing you separately about this, so do look out for that. There are some general details below.
Don’t order your tulips just yet! You’ll be seduced by everyone’s lists, but do wait. I’ve designed a brand new tulip collection just for The Gardening Mind, which will be heading your way soon, but in the meantime, daffodils will not let you down.
In this week’s HOW TO GARDEN section, together with gardening on a budget, we’ll also be taking a look at some more Storecupboard Basics: if you’re a beginner gardener and you’re wondering about the difference between hardy and tender, pot sizes, and if you’re befuddled by plant labels, today’s post is for you.
Plant list of the week: In all the drought-tolerant plant lists that have been rolling out everywhere, the best-performing, drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant plant in many gardens hasn't been getting a mention. My rose-filled garden has been full of colour for the last two months: on Monday, I cut these blooms from my garden. I have the names of each of these for you:
There are HUNDREDS of articles in The Index - do come and have a browse!
Also, remember to come and join in the weekly ‘Show Us Your Plots’ where we all share photos of green spaces wherever we may be - on Sunday morning you’ll see a post on the Chat which starts ‘It’s Sunday 23rd August and it’s time to Show Us Your Plots!’
Being of a somewhat contrary bent, I question anything presented to me as THE WAY to do something. Gardening maintenance, especially, has presented a lot of quandaries. Pruning, cutting back - why do we have to do things certain ways? Over the years, through trial and error, I’ve realised that whilst there is of course much based on science, there’s a lot which can be done more easily.
And so here in The Gardening Mind, I set about clarifying, demystifying, and sharing with you the shortcuts.
We’ve talked about the fundamental things we should think about when we’re out there making friends with our space including soil, aspect, and how to make your own compost. We’ve looked at topics such as how to buy the best plants at a garden centre, and what is an annual.
There are certain bits of gardening knowledge which soon become second nature, but which, to begin with, are somewhat frightening. When you hear people talking about good do-ers and thugs, you could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve ended up in some dodgy corner of the world. The fact is, it’s all common sense.
‘Good do-er’ is a really handy expression - I’m not sure it’s used outside the world of gardening? It’s basically shorthand for any plant that is reliable, performs well, and perhaps even tolerates a bit of a mullering. The first that spring to mind are Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Rosa ‘New Dawn’, Alchemilla mollis, though I know the last can be a bit of a thug - another handy horticultural term for plants which spread and smother if left to their own devices, but with a bit of an intervention here and there, can actually be your friend. You’ll probably have a list of your own old faithfuls too.
You can find all the articles here in How to Garden - practical know-how.
Yes, I have finally made a decision, having wavered over and then pulled out of the house I was about to buy. There was something that just wasn’t quite right, and however bad I felt for everyone else, I just had to go with my heart.
There are still all sorts of hoops to jump through, but I have found a house. I’ll miss my rose-filled garden here, but the new one has got a small garden to be made. And I have NO BUDGET for it. I’m hoping you’ll join me on the journey:
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