Category Archives: Home garden diaries

Autumn curiosities

I’ve spent less time in the garden recently – slightly overwhelmed by working in the city rather than from home for part of my week – so it was lovely to roam around and notice autumnal details flourishing in the cloudy light today. Not sure what kind of beetle this is ^ but it’s amazing.Continue reading “Autumn curiosities”

Changing seasons

There are signs of significant change, as summer relaxes into autumn here in the UK. The roses have amazed us with a second flush that is bolder than the first. I’ll close with words from Rhys Lewis’ recent song, Seasons, which is a welcome reminder of impermanence in life – just as happiness is somethingContinue reading “Changing seasons”

Gardenversary

We’ve been living here a year now. Here’s what the garden looked like this time last year. We soon got some turf put down so we wouldn’t be living in a mud bath all winter, and carved out some beds. I’m looking forward to another gardening year, and to learning much more about plants andContinue reading “Gardenversary”

Mum’s birthday flowers

It’s my mum’s birthday today and, before she and my dad pop over to celebrate, I took a few minutes to capture what’s growing in our garden on this special day. That I notice and appreciate flowers and plants so much certainly stems from my childhood: my mum would always be growing something pretty inContinue reading “Mum’s birthday flowers”

New curiosities

My day job is a little intense at the moment, and I’ve consequently spent less time in the garden with shorter lunch breaks, so this weekend I was glad to take a moment to notice what’s changed. The gaps in our beds are lessening week by week, as plants fill out and more flowers thanContinue reading “New curiosities”

Rainy day magic

Having bent towards the beating sun in recent weeks, I can almost hear the plants breathing a sigh of relief as they soak up significant rainfall today. Several of our roses have flopped to the ground, their petals scattered all over the surrounding earth, but it’s nothing a little sunlight or staking won’t remedy. WishingContinue reading “Rainy day magic”

Rose abundance in June

I’ve not been in the garden much this past couple of weeks due to a maintenance issue with a neighbouring property, but now that’s fixed I’m making up for it big time. The sheer number of weeds, including rapeseed from a field behind us, has made recovering the garden quite a challenge this week –Continue reading “Rose abundance in June”

Late May garden round-up

Our first May with a garden is drawing to a close, so it’s a good time to reflect on what’s been blooming, and where. Noticing gaps in the flowerbeds and patterns of colour will be helpful for next springtime. For example, aside from wallflowers and bulbs, the garden has predominantly been dotted with pink, redContinue reading “Late May garden round-up”

Hazy mid-May update

It’s been pretty rainy here in Cambridge this fortnight, and the gardens have loved it! Looking around each day it is as though the plants have grown substantially overnight. I wandered around the garden during a break in the rainfall earlier and took some slightly hazy photographs of things which have changed this week… I’mContinue reading “Hazy mid-May update”