As the seasons ebb and flow, so too does the ever-changing beauty of our founder Lucy’s cottage garden. Each month, she shares quiet musings from among the borders - small joys, new discoveries, and the gentle rhythms of nature as they unfold. From the first unfurling petals of spring to the mellow glow of autumn, these notes offer a glimpse into a garden forever in motion.
The extended spell of sunshine we had in May was such a tonic as the garden blossomed into life. Half term arrived with a drenching of much-needed rain – a refreshing necessity for the garden, if somewhat less so for the purposes of keeping small folk entertained!
Back in the autumn, we planted some new bearded irises out in the front garden. I love the way that they have peppered the prettiest kaleidoscope of pinks through an otherwise intensely green bed. The fact that they’re one of the few things that have really thrived through the dry spring makes their success all the more heart-gladdening.
Joining the irises at the front of the house are the first delphiniums and foxgloves of the season. They are just the most delightful soft pink heralds of early summer – and this year, we threaded Dalmatian foxgloves among the rose hedge, hoping to conjure a little more of that quintessential cottage garden charm.
Among the flowers I’ve grown from seed this year are nasturtiums, which are now furnishing the garden with joyful pops of colour, threaded through the beds and dotted in pots. As they come into bloom, it’s a delight to watch them slowly reveal the soft, painterly shades I chose from Alma Proust. ‘Lady Bird’ Rose is already a firm favourite, her petals flushed with the prettiest blush.
Last year, we planted several well-established pink phlomis, and I must confess that I felt deeply disappointed when not a single flower appeared. After that setback, it feels all the more rewarding to see them among the early bloomers this summer standing tall, content, and towering above the rest in the quadrant beds.
The clement weather through the spring has brought along with it a host of new feathered friends to the garden. Our little robin remains the most faithful of them all, arriving each morning, as if on cue, to ask for his mealworm breakfast.
