Jane’s Journal

The new meadow - garden transformation June

When we extended the workshop last year we also re-routed the path to make it easier to pull trolleys of mail sacks up to the cars. This created a steep bank of spoil between the airstream and the workshop.

We weedkilled all the couch grass, docks and thistles and began to plant excess perennials from the old cutting garden into it, sowing the areas in between with a wild flower mix for damp soil.

For the past 2 months it has looked terrible - scratchy, scurfy little seedlings coming through the mud and I have been itching to hoe it and tidy it all up.

Then suddenly those little seedlings began to bloom.

They filled up the spaces between the perennials, adding a pink and purple haze that is buzzing with bees in this sunshine.

I finally got in to weed - pulling out ragwort that is certainly not meant to be there - and I am amazed to see up close all the plants perched tight, ready to flower - poached egg plant, poppies, yellow rattle . . . . .

I can't wait to see how it develops - which perennials survive the competition, how much wildlife it attracts.

It feels like a grand adventure.

You may also enjoy …