We believe the best kind of gardens mirror their creators and echo the owner’s interests and passions. Like a green haven that has the power to evoke feelings in the visitor and where creativity is limitless.
High summer
After spending two lovely weeks in half of our family’s native country Sweden, we returned home to a garden full of life. There has been lots of rain while we where away so everything has put on massive amounts of growth, the flowers, vegetables and grass is all looking verdant and lush. It is nice to come back after half a month away and realize that the garden has not suffered at all in our absence. It is one of the positives we can experience from living in a climate with few droughts and no extreme changes in temperature. We think it can also be put down to the fact that we mulch all our plants well with cardboard, straw and just about any organic matter we can get our hands on. This makes for a sustainable eco system in the garden where less intervention is needed to keep the balance right.
Instant dreadlocks
You might be a bit like us. We like to have fun and go to the odd festival or gathering. When attending such an event it is nice to get in the spirit of things. Maybe wear something that you would not normally wear. Put on some special makeup or face paint.
A cherished day.
Last year in July we had the privilege and joy to share our home and garden with some long anticipated visitors. You can read all about that visit in this post. Josie is a member of our family that is 18 years old and autistic. For about six years she has been attending an outreach service where she spends time with other young people with additional needs. Together they cook, go to the cinema, go horseback riding and do many other things.
The little people preparing for the big day.
It is less than a week now to our Open Garden day for Amnesty. Although we have lots to do still, today we decided to help the little people in the garden, by building them a summer house and putting up some bunting. We know they are shy creatures and that they may be a bit startled by all the visitors to the garden on Saturday, but we still think they want their place to look the best.
June in retrospect.
June was a month that seems to have passed very quickly this year. Maybe that is because we have been busy preparing for our open garden day on July 15th. There is still quite a lot to do in the garden, and we are baking every day and kind friends are letting us use their freezers for all the muffins, Swedish cinnamon buns and scones. We have had masses of ripe raspberries over the last couple of weeks and most of them have been used for vanilla and raspberry muffins for our guests on the open day.
Planted at long last.
Over the last four years we have worked on our land and transformed it from a bare field full of creeping buttercups to the productive and sustainable garden it is today. Although we have added decorative elements to many parts of it most of the planting has been put in to serve a practical purpose. Fruit trees, berry bushes and many perennial and annual food crops jostle for space with plants that support wildlife, nitrogen fixers, plants for weaving and supports and many medicinal and culinary herbs.
