One of the things I love most about our new house is the garden, which already feels like it has the potential to become such a lovely space for us.
It’s probably my favourite part of the house, if I’m honest, and ever since we moved in I’ve been itching to get out there properly. I want to learn more about the plants that are already here, work out what needs a bit of love, and slowly start putting my own stamp on what is clearly an established garden, even if it has been a little bit neglected.
The plan is to share a monthly “what’s growing in our garden” post so I can keep track of what appears, what survives, what definitely does not survive my enthusiastic but very amateur gardening attempts, and what I learn along the way. I am very much not a gardening expert, but I’m excited to learn as I go, especially in a garden that already seems to have a few surprises waiting for us.
My doctor gave me the go-ahead a couple of weeks ago to start doing a bit more, so whenever I can, I’ll be out there doing little bits at a time. I’m trying very hard not to go from “rest and recover” straight into “dig up the entire garden in one afternoon”, because that feels like exactly the sort of thing I would do and then regret for the next three days.
The garden itself is a bit unusual because it’s actually at the front of the house rather than tucked away at the back. It’s a big space that runs the whole length of the house and wraps around the side, and I’ve surprised myself with how much I’ve enjoyed spending time out there since we moved in. I thought I might feel a bit too exposed with it being out the front, but actually it feels really calm and lovely when I’m sat out there.
I wasn’t able to do much at first because I was still recovering from my operations, but we did manage to add some lovely bright flowers and a gorgeous hydrangea plant into some pretty planters that we found in the garden. It was only a small start, but it made such a difference and gave me that little spark of excitement about what the garden could become over time.
I’ve also managed to get started with planting a few vegetables and herbs because I really didn’t want to miss the window and then have to wait until next spring to have a go. I kept things very simple because I am definitely not a gardener yet, and I wanted the kind of plants that felt low effort but hopefully high reward.
I started with a mint plant, which is already outgrowing its little tub and making me feel like I’ve achieved something even though I’ve done very little. I also planted some rocket and radish seeds in my raised planter, which I’ve put under the dining room bay window, and then I added some sugar snap peas next to that.
We also seem to have inherited a rather large rhubarb plant, which would be much more exciting if either of us actually liked rhubarb. I’m not quite sure yet whether it’s staying as a big leafy garden feature, being gifted to someone who’ll appreciate it more, or eventually making way for something we’re more likely to eat. For now, it’s still there, looking impressive and doing absolutely nothing to tempt me.
It’s not exactly a full kitchen garden, but it feels like a really nice start. I like the idea of being able to pop outside and pick a few bits to add to meals, even if it’s just a handful of rocket, a few radishes or some mint for drinks. It makes the garden feel useful as well as pretty, and I’m weirdly excited to see what actually grows.
I’ve also got a single tomato plant at the moment, but we do plan to add a few more because I absolutely loved having home-grown tomatoes last year. There’s something ridiculously satisfying about picking your own tomatoes, even if it’s only enough for a salad or a sandwich, so I definitely want more of that this year.
This is the area of the garden we’re working on first because it’s such a lovely little spot. There are two beautiful Acer trees either side of what we think is a privet hedge, and because it’s right outside the living room window, it made sense to add the bird cafe there too.
That has turned out to be one of my favourite little additions so far because it’s a proper hive of activity all day long. Even better than that, it’s bringing robins into the garden, which makes my heart very happy. I always say that little rhyme in my head when I see one — “when robins appear, loved ones are near” — and robins are as symbolic as rainbows to me. I know that might not make much sense to anyone else, but it makes me happy, and that’s enough for me.
I can sit in the living room and watch the birds coming and going, and it makes the space feel so much more alive already. It’s only the start of what we want to do out there, but this little corner already feels like it has so much potential.
We have lots of bluebells in the garden, but this is my favourite little cluster. They’re surrounded by ferns which are just starting to come to life, and I swear they’re unfurling a little bit more every day.
It’s one of those tiny garden details that I probably would have missed if I wasn’t making a point of slowing down and actually looking at what’s growing. The bluebells already look so pretty tucked in among the greenery, but watching the ferns slowly unravel around them makes the whole little patch feel like it’s changing by the day.
This is just a small area of the garden but I’ll share more next month. 😁
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