May

May seems to have arrived and (almost) departed with quite a frenetic pace. It’s been a busy few weeks – Adam and I have had some long days at our respective offices, we’ve both had work trips away, there’s been a rather nasty cold that ‘s affected the entire family and working bees have started in the garden of the new house – next month is moving month!

Adam and I are putting in a great deal of thought into our new garden. We plan on establishing several distinct “zones” around the house, including a large grassy play area for Paul, a sizable allotment style vegetable garden and an extensive terraced garden. It’s a project that we know will take many months of work and before we launch into it all, we want to make sure we’ve got a clear vision for how we want our outdoor areas to look.

A couple of weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit go to an open day at local nursery, Ladysmith Park Perennials. What I discovered was the dreamiest space. The living embodiment of what Adam and I had fallen in love with in magazines, books and online…

As the name suggests, Ladysmith Park Perennials, specialises in plants that survive for more than a single season. The nursery came to be after the owners of aforementioned property started designing and planting out the garden surrounding the main house on site. They’ve created a stunning vista of densely planted beds, full of colour, texture and height. Lots of salvias, chrysanthemums and ornamental grasses. Lush, yet hardy.

I spent hours peacefully wandering through the garden with a takeaway coffee in hand, snapping off pictures for future reference and seeing up-close how to expertly mix and match plants to create a wild, yet put-together bed.

It was a beautiful autumn day when Paul and I visited – a cool morning, warming into what felt like a summer’s day with bright sunshine overhead. While I tried to take in as much detail as I could, Paul had the time of his life spotting giant goldfish in the many ponds that feature in the garden, smelling the ‘flowas’, and one point much to amusement of some of the other visitors, he sat himself down under a large tree and just quietly watched the world go by. Enough impetus for me to conclude I needed to recreate the same sort of space at the new house ;).

I walked away from the nursery feeling completely inspired but also content – evidence I think as to how much of an impact a garden can have your emotional wellbeing.

The nursery and garden are now entering their quieter months throughout the winter, but there’s due to be another open day come spring. If you live locally and appreciate thoughtful and well executed gardens I’d definitely recommend a visit. I’ve got a feeling I’ll be there myself, probably stocking up on plants for the new garden.

Have a wonderful few weeks. I’ll catch you next month.

M. x