I’ve always loved the outdoors and when I was younger I’d always be making or doing something in the garden, whether my Mum wanted it or not but I just enjoyed tinkering and growing things. I see myself as a very practical person and that is reflected in the things I like doing. I actually enjoy DIY, enjoy making as much mess as possible, and this is the case both inside the house and outside.
When I bought my first home it had a courtyard garden but I still managed to grow tomatoes and courgettes in growbags, and had a small border where I was able to plant some roses amongst other things, and I even had some hanging baskets. I knew that when I moved again I would want somewhere with a big garden so I was able to properly indulge.
In 2012 that came true when I got married and in the December we bought our own proper grown-up house together. We’ve now got a lovely home with lots of potential. The first few months were spent indoors knocking down walls, putting down new flooring, painting, decorating and doing all the work we could and this stretched into the summer which really didn’t leave too much time for the outside but I still managed to get out there and make more mess!
I work at a desk in a 9-5 job so I guess that might be one reason why I find doing this kind of thing as a release even if it’s a lot harder work!
The house is on quite a unique corner plot which gives a large front garden, large back garden, and even a fairly well sized area to the side of the house and this is everything I’ve wanted. The fact is I would love even more outside space but in reality this is more than enough.
So here’s what I’m working with:
The Back Garden
The back garden is split into two sections. The first is the lawned area and the second is further back where we have rear access and park our car.
Even this parking area is a pretty good size and apart from parking it’s my semi dumping ground and where I have bonfires etc. The Ultimate aim is the put a large shed/workshop here and gravel the rest for parking.
The Side Area
When we moved in the area was just one big bush and it was even an effort to get past! Here’s a photo from when I’d hacked most of it down.
It was a real struggle and the root was immense but once it was cleared I built this decking to add another feature and another space to entertain in. When the tree flowers it’s a really bright blue so I can’t wait for next summer. We’ve had some meals out it and it’s great as it gets the sun throughout most of the day.
The Front Garden
The front garden was pretty overgrown when we moved in as you can see below.
We have now rotivated the front garden, removed all the weeds, and now covered it to stop regrowth. It isn’t pretty but the aim in the spring is to lay turf and have some flower beds, and generally make the front of the house look as attractive as possible.
The Corner
This is where I’ve been growing my veg and was probably one of the first areas I started working on. I had to level the area, built some raised beds in, a few other bits and bobs, and then put slate down. I had a lot more growing here but as it’s now October a lot has been removed.
There’s more to add here next year and that will probably be more beds and more fruit and veg!
So what next?
I feel pretty lucky to have so much space available to me and I’m happy we made the decision to move to a village where we can get all this. I decided to start blogging as I often share images on Twitter and give little updates on what I’ve been up to so why not start a blog. I write a lot for websites but usually about something I’ve got minimal interest for so it’s great to be blogging about something I love. I don’t know why I’m starting this blog in autumn/winter when there’s limited things to do in the garden and limited daylight but who cares. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading and please feel free to get in touch or tweet @adem.
Garden is looking great Adem! I look forward to reading your updates x