It's only now, four months later that I can celebrate all the hard work we did last March in our front garden.
Since we moved here 18 years ago it has been ok-ish space. (We're on a main road with strip of flower bed next to the car space, behind a bus stop so it's not a great place to garden.) The previous owners had sensibly spent some dosh and put some thought into a low-maintenace front with a lovely ceanothus, a rose and a laurel. For years I had sort of maintained them with the occasional prune, and filled in the gaps with grasses, a yucca, lavender, hollyhocks, cardoons and lots of big pebbles.
In time I realised my additions had the potential to become the real stars of the show but the shrubs were ragged and overgrown and still quite dominant in the space due to their size. The trouble was, taking them out was going to be a nightmare job.
Thanks to the lovely sunny weather back in March (remember that?) I did start and what I start I always (doggedly) finish! Not before we had endured much extreme digging and sawing, not to mention trips to the dump and not inconsiderable backache for me and Mister.
The job was finished with a scattering of yellow and orange calendula* seeds and one of those mixed annual seed packets which I flung around with great abandon. Of course this year no watering was required through the spring as we watched and waited as the seedlings and inevitable weeds emerged. Some other flowers I added later did require some more care - the red sunflowers and dahilas are yet to flower (probably holding out for some err, actual sun). (The morning glory plants, which need sun, sun, sun have quickly chucked out a few puny flowers and given up in despair.)
So despite this vile summer here in the UK and the depressing lack of picnic, barbecue and seaside visiting opportunities, I rush to the rainy front window every morning to check what's new in the flower patch - simple pleasures!
* Bright and breezy but inexplicably unfashionable Calendula is one of my favourite healing herbs. Its soothing properties mean its flowerheads are fantastic in home-made skin creams. The flowerheads are also great in tea for sorting out upset tummies. James Wong is my guru for this kind of wisdom - I find his natural remedies are fun to make and often do work wonders.
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