As summer draws to a close, now is a good time to look around your garden, taking note of what worked and what didn’t, and planning for the rest of the year and indeed the year ahead. As everyone with school-going children knows, the rain soaked Irish summer tends to give way in September to calm, sunny weather just as the new term starts.
If we’re lucky, we still have weeks of warm, golden early autumn days, when growing things slow down, leaves start turning and the slanting sunlight bathes the garden in a golden glow – as Keats so rightly called it, the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”.
There is something about this time of year that encourages reflection. One of my favourite things to do on days like this, when time allows, is build castles in the air and imagine the glorious garden I’m going to have next year. The fact that it never quite works out that way is completely beside the point – it’s the planning that’s the fun bit, and after all, it’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive.
So when you can find the time, get comfortable with a cup of tea and take a good look around, and don’t be afraid to be ruthless. Your garden is all about you and it needs to work for you and your lifestyle. If something’s not working, move it, change it or get rid of it altogether.
If you don’t know where to begin, consider investing in a garden plan to guide you. A good garden designer will listen to you carefully and help you figure out exactly what will work best in the space you have. That space outside your home, however unpromising it looks, can do so much for your mental and physical wellbeing, if you only give it a chance.
We don’t often get perfect weather in this rain soaked islan,d which makes the time we can spend enjoying our gardens even more precious, and there’s so much you can do to make the view outside attractive and uplifting even in the depths of winter.
A thoughtful friend recently presented me with a little wooden sign saying “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” – what a comforting thought that is! As we face the challenges life throws at us, the garden reminds us of the ever – changing, transitional nature of life itself – all things pass and there is a season for everything. Things fade away and new things appear and grow. Just as the world outside is turning brown and grey, a few inches underground snowdrop bulbs are getting ready to send up green and white shoots to remind us, early in the new year, that the cycle of life goes onand a new gardening year is about to begin.
Anne Byrne Garden Design provides easy to follow Garden Plans that you can implement right away or in
stages. Anne’s design flair and passion for plants brings a touch of magic to gardens of all sizes.
Anne Byrne Garden Design – Creative Ideas – Practical Solutions – Stunning Gardens.
T: 086 683 8098 E: [email protected]
