The Carefree Garden

ACCOUNTS FROM AN ACCIDENTAL GARDENER - WITH A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE AND A LOT OF IMPROVISATION...

In a recent article in Gardeners’ World magazine, Monty Don expressed his enjoyment and envy of the carefree gardens created by the programme viewers. It made me think of the barn garden, not just the hopes and visions I have for it but also my approach to gardening.  My style is what I think would politely be called, ‘carefree’.

The easterly view from our home is one of distant rolling hills swathed in a blanket of trees above green fields dotted with sheep and meandering cows. On a clear morning, the sunrise paints the horizon in magnificent pink-orange hues, and on a not-so-clear morning the trees in the lower fields raise their heads above a sea of white-grey mist. The view is ever-changing yet consistent; no matter how much it is transformed by the light and the weather, it is always spectacular.

Perhaps it was this dazzling view that blinded us to the challenges and sheer amount of work needed to maintain, let alone improve, the barn garden. Hidden under the vegetation there is evidence that it was once very much loved. Beneath overgrown shrubs, fruit trees, nettles, and brambles there are moss covered stone walls, terraces, steps and seating areas just waiting to be revived.

Being the self-titled Head Gardener, I began the garden project a few months after we moved in. A year down the line I am still just as excited by the challenge ahead. I must also admit to feeling daunted very occasionally - not least because most of the work is being undertaken by yours truly. Part of me would love to have the budget to employ someone to help with the ever growing (no pun intended) ‘to do’ list but a bigger part of me feels such a huge sense of satisfaction from having done it myself.  Digging, carrying and shifting heavy logs can be exhausting and sometimes I accept the help offered by the Guitarman.  Sometimes there are tasks that only a professional should do, so we did pay a specialist to remove some large, dying, and precarious trees. A sad necessity but one which has also provided us with plentiful resources. Using these along with the stones (there are also plenty of those), or the pieces of slate, metal tractor seats and other large unidentified rusty pieces of metal, means that I can improvise. There is also something gratifyingly circular in sourcing materials from the garden itself; forming log steps in the bank, creating natural fencing from branches, or making paths with bark chippings created from our own logs and branches.  It's a wonderful way to be creative and resourceful and help the relatively instant transformations look organic. As the plants grow, the naturalness of these creations allows them to synchronise with the rhythm and breath of the garden. This is what I love. As you have probably gathered, I’m not into clipped lines, neat rows and concrete paving!

There are different areas to our garden and quite frankly that excites and inspires me. I am very much in favour of garden ‘rooms’ – breaking up the expanse of grass to form a variety of spaces with different planting, ground covering, levels, colours, textures and so much more. I would like to say that I am methodically tackling each area in turn, gradually working through a cohesive plan drawn up over the months with diagrams and lists. However, there is a reason I refer to myself as an accidental gardener. I tend to work on what takes my fancy that day, how wet the ground is or how energetic I am feeling – generally, I make things up as I go along. I go outside intending on planting one thing and return hours later having created a new planting area somewhere I happened to pass on my way to the shed. I will put plants in the ground and then move them months or a year later because they don’t work in that particular spot. I propagate plants by trial and error. I buy plants because I like them not because they’re part of a plan. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not to say that I haven’t envisaged certain aspects of the garden at all. On a rainy day I often find myself staring out of the window, lost in a dream world of garden design, grand planting schemes and contemplation; how this area or that area would work, what colours would contrast with that leaf, how high I can plant without losing the view. If visualising counts as planning, I’m positively an expert!

It has only been a year and the daydreaming is paying off. The hard work, fresh air and the natural world give the garden such significance to our lives at the barn. The sense of achievement and enjoyment are fruits already gathered from our relationship with this new space. As an unexpected bonus, it has also brought new friendship - through a local community gardening group (but more of that another time). We have much ahead to test us and challenge our resolve – not least the constant battle with nature. I hope you will join me for updates and musings on the journey through The Carefree Garden.

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