ad. Lately, I’ve posted a lot about what I am growing in my new garden, mostly related to growing fruit and vegetables. But that’s not all there is to do in our garden. We have a third of an acre, and it’s a bit wild. I’m a bit scared of it, if I am completely honest.
The garden was a big selling point for us. We loved the space, the wildlife and the potential to be able to create my own vegetable patch. But there’s a lot of work to do. The previous owners were in their 80s and struggled to maintain it over the past few years.
Over the easter holidays, we made some good progress in getting the garden how we want it, but there are still more things left to do. Let’s take a look at what we’ve done so far.
Building a raised bed
I did a terrible job at building a raised bed on my own, but I don’t care because it works, and I did it. By myself. Without the help of even one man. It’s ready to use now, so I’m planning to sow some seeds in it next week. I also want to build a few more beds over the next year to grow as many vegetables as I possibly can!
The ultimate goal would be to grow all my own food, so I never have to leave the house again. An introvert’s dream.
A Beanbag Chair!
I’ve just got myself an outdoor bean bag from Great Bean Bags. It’s suitable for indoor use as well and is made from soft, shower-proof, UV-resistant woven polyester. You can get them in lots of different colours, I went for olive green but wish I had got a purple one now!
It’s so comfy and great for relaxing in the garden. I also use it in front of the open fire when we have it on in the living room, so I can get close to the warmth.
Cutting down trees
We have loads of trees in our garden – we have a wildlife area which we want to keep as natural as possible. But some of the trees were causing issues.
We cut down a big conifer tree which was close to the house and blocking light to the front room and my son’s bedroom. Getting rid of it instantly made a massive difference to the light in our house. And don’t worry, we checked for nesting birds before!
We also cut down a tree that was dead, and one that was growing at an angle. Then we cut off a lot of branches that were hanging too low or needed to come off.
Creating a wildflower garden
There are loads of weeds in the garden – I’m never going to tackle them all at once. Though knowing me, I’ll probably try. Then get distracted. Then start doing something else because I’ve forgotten the whole point of what I am doing. Then realise that I am not actually achieving very much before losing all motivation.
So to combat this, I’ve been working on small areas at a time and trying to keep myself on task.. One of these areas is near the entrance to the drive, it was covered in weeds – the type that flowers, explodes everywhere, and spreads. So I spent a morning pulling them up and trying to get as many roots up as possible.
A few days later, I went over the soil with a fork to loosen it and get more roots out and then put some topsoil and compost on the top, scattered with wildflowers and covered wth garden mesh to prevent the birds from eating the seeds. Hopefully, it’ll be a beautiful wildflower garden this summer, but I may have to wait until next year for it to become properly established.
Pretty Up The Porch
I’ve wanted to get some flowers by the porch for a while now, and we’ve finally done it. I got some bedding plants from a local garden centre and put them into big pots, My husband also bought me some lovely flowers for our anniversary, which I’ve also put on the porch. I need to change the doormat, though, and give the tiles a clean!
It’s going to look lovely in summer, especially with the roses above the door. Watch this space!
Edit: I’ve just updated the porch with a new doormat, wreath and lavender tree! I love it.
Flower beds by the conservatory
The conservatory has two doors, both have weeds on either side. There’s one we use all the time, and there was a big bush covering the path. I had had enough. I ripped all the weeds out of either side, pulled up loads of roots, and we chainsawed the bush, and I got out as much of the dead foliage as I could.
I then planted some perennials and bedding plants to add some flowers and colour this summer. In autumn, I plan to plant loads of tulips and daffodils.
My sons’ climbing frame
We finally got my son’s climbing frame out. We took it down when we moved, and it’s been in the garage ever since. He’s so happy to be able to play on his slide again.
I’m so excited to share how my garden transforms over the next few months!