Hello there! How was your weekend? Hopefully you had some pleasant mild weather, as we did. Perhaps you also had a chance to get out in the garden. I had an enjoyable kind of slowish day pottering around the garden yesterday (also thanks to the finish of daylight saving). Thankfully most of the weeding has been done, so we watered and planted a few new shrubs and groundcovers.
My little cottage style garden out the front is slowly coming to fruition. I love the slightly messy, mingling, romantic feel of a cottage garden. If you remember this, then this, is what we started with a few years ago now. Progress has been slow, with other parts of the garden often needing more attention and money spent. There is still many gaps to fill in and plants to mature. But I think it is more fun to add bits and pieces as you go along. I try to divide bought potted plants where possible to make them stretch a little further, as well as dividing the ones doing well along the way. Or from plants in friends or families yards. It helps fill up the garden for a little less.
Daniel's pergola turned out beautifully, and the next step is to add some beds to the side (I've been promised nice wide ones) , a grapevine, some paving and perhaps some side seats. Hopefully one day it will be a pleasant little space to curl up with a book.
My little front garden may not be practical like my vegie garden, but I think that it brings me (and hopefully others) just as much joy. Flowers, cut for vases or intermingling together in the garden, with their constant colour and change, tend to make me a happier person.
Do you enjoy a non-practical garden too?
I sure do, Tania! Flowers are so lovely to have in the garden and I so am loving every tiny one that appears in the new garden of mine. There's not much in it yet but every little bit helps. Souds like we garden in a very similar way. I'm always making things stretch and love gathering bits and pieces from friends and familie's gardens. Love sharing with them too:) Loving being back to normal time in normal (cooler LOL) weather x
ReplyDeleteHi Tania
ReplyDeleteLovely garden our front is a work in progress lol but we will get there we are more into a productive garden . Have a great day
Linda
Oh I don't think it's impractical to have a beautiful garden like this. I would love just sitting out there relaxing and taking the beauty of the outdoors inside to vases.
ReplyDeleteI have been very slack this year Tania, I've even let my herbs die down. Not knowing how much longer we will be here doesn't really inspire motivation to garden but one day I dream of having a huge self sustaining garden and a smaller scale 'impractical' one too :)
xx
Hi Tanya, the garden is looking lovely, I agree cottage gardens are just perfect for beautiful flowers, i too had a similer weekend pottering in the garden, wasn't the weather just perfectfor it! xxBrenda
ReplyDeleteI LOVE cottage flower gardens, exactly as you described. I too have been doing a bit of flower gardening lately. I prefer the cooler weather for gardening. Love what you've done Tania and I look forward to seeing the progress. xxoo
ReplyDeleteThe pergola looks fantastic and your plans for it sound lovely too. I too love cottage gardens for the casual slightly messy look that they have, we can't wait to get stuck back into the garden when the house is sorted. mel x
ReplyDeleteThe garden has to have balance and you need flowers for bees and pollenation. Oh and who said bringing joy to the soul isn't practical. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteMy front garden is easy care - lots of shrubs, interesting foliage plant and gaps for annuals - I have just planted a whole lot of sweet william - hopefully they will give me lots of colour for winter both inside and out. Still another patch to plant up yet - am thinking iceland poppies - they seem to survive most things an Auckland winter throws at them.
ReplyDeleteI've just found your blog.
ReplyDeleteI've a fledgling garden that I am trying to make cottagy and romantic. I totally get the slow pottering and desire to create a pollinator friendly haven.
Leanne xx
Don't you love how a garden can soothe your soul? Your garden is looking good! I like the pineapple sage. I don't have any here but I used to have it. The kids love to drink the nectar from them. When I walk around my garden there is so much history (a rose from Nana, the bulbs from Mum...) that it is so much more than a simple garden for asthetics!
ReplyDeleteI'm having a cottage garden one day. One day. A garden devoted solely to pretty plants, with maybe the odd flowering herb.
ReplyDeletexx
The pergola looks fantastic! Well done, Daniel. This year, I'm FINALLY planting flowers. We've been busy with renovation work and last (but not least) is the front verandah including access to the front door (after 3 years of living here). Everything in time... Once the verandah and steps are built, we can finally plant the front garden around it all. I can't wait as I've been trying to patiently wait for all this time, BUT the time has finally come for flowers (not just for me but for the bees, too!). If only the snow would stop falling, we could get started!
ReplyDeleteI love your beautiful cottage garden - I think I've got cottage garden envy x
ReplyDeleteWow your garden is coming along....slowly but surely....it's going to be beautiful as it matures.....loving that pergola! Will you grow the grape vine over it? Or wisteria would be lovely? :)
ReplyDeleteI love coming and visiting you here to give ME a big kick in the pants to try new things! (like circular knitting of the gorgeous tea leaves pattern for one!!) Gardening (of veggies and flowers) brings so much joy to my soul. HOpe you get to curl up under that pretty pergola real soon!!
ReplyDeleteThe cottage garden look is such a pretty one. Is the perfect garden for cut flowers in the house too.
ReplyDeleteYours is looking lovely.
x
Your garden is BEAUTIFUL!
ReplyDeleteAlmost every plant in my garden has been from a cutting or dividing someone else's perennials :)
ReplyDeleteIt takes (a little) longer for a garden to get established that way, but i love that so many of my plants have a story.
(It's also much cheaper, too!)