Floral Snaps, Vintage Vibes & Sunday Musings

Gardening to heal

sometimes you have to let things develop slowly, let ideas wash in and out like the tide and enjoy the paddling.

Hello my flower loving friends,

It’s been a particularly difficult couple of weeks after losing my dear little gardening companion- Louie, my tiny tiger I used to call him, always inquisitive and always by my side, ever helpful going to sleep in my plant pots. I miss his presence terribly and the sound of his little bell which I always insisted he wore so he wouldn’t catch birds, I loved hearing him running after me as I walked down the garden path. The wrench I have felt lead me to the garden to simply potter, water my plants and pick flowers. I’ve heard people say that gardens heal many times and they do. I think it’s the sense of purpose that gardening gives us and being surrounded by nature, immersed in a task and enjoying what the seasons have to offer. I remember a time when I only longed for summer and saw winter as an annoyance out to spoil my fun, nowadays I love them all and welcome each one like a good friend. I think the seasons have little mid seasons too- as we sense the summer slip slightly, subtle changes in light and the yellow hues that start to creep in. I feel the sense of anticipation building as I know I’m about to be rewarded with an autumnal colour palette that I adore- muted, earthy and gentle. The loss of Louie becomes less raw and I can start to remember him fondly without the tears now, my garden has done that.

The cutting garden is only a couple of months old but already is giving me little posies of flowers on a daily basis. As I snip blooms my thoughts are pulled to my flower and coffee mornings and welcoming people to my garden to pick flowers with me. Already I’m planning my seed list for next year and deciding what perennials I want to buy, some delphiniums I think and some grasses, oh and more flowers for drying. I’ve been cutting lots of helichrysum (straw flowers) and stringing them upside down from my garden studio.

I ponder what A Bunch Of Wild even is now I don’t have my bricks and mortar shop and I consider local shops to rent again, none are perfect though and I ask myself again if I really want to be tied to something. For now it’s easier to let it go where it wants, it’s always guided me or so it feels and not the other way round. You can’t force these things, sometimes you have to let things develop slowly, let ideas wash in and out like the tide and enjoy the paddling.

The greenhouse has been a welcome distraction and is my new pride and joy! When we moved the other year lots of our furniture and bits n bobs just got put in one of the big sheds in the garden as the cottage is a lot smaller than our last house. This week i’ve been able to pull pieces out and faff with my vintage pots, styling my space like I’m furnishing my nest. Styling rooms/gardens always brings me such joy, making time to make something beautiful and welcoming is never time wasted in my opinion. Old trestles and scaffold boards were made into a table and crates turned upside down or on their side for shelving to make more storage. I bought these two tureens this year for my flower arrangements, they’re not perfect so they were cheap, I don’t need perfect, actually I always gravitate towards the old and slightly knackered. I’m like that with houses too- Mr C despairs when I show him another wreck I’ve found that I want us to move to. A vintage chandelier for a touch of sparkle because I love the idea of glamour in a working space and adore impracticality! I’m on the hunt for a vintage sideboard to go along the back so I can put my pots somewhere and my potting tray on top. Mr C has a new estate now (after the car got stolen the other week, I know…) so I’m rather excited about filling it with treasure! The old ercol table shown here belonged to my parents and was given to me when I moved out, again, its a bit knackered now but works well in here.

The dahlias have just started to get going after a slug attack start, my new favourite being Night Silence which sits beautifully with Cafe Au Lait shown above. I’ve also grown a new sweet pea called Cathy which has a very strong scent, lovely stems and actually lasts a good few days in the vase, sometimes longer when it’s cooler. I’m looking forward to cutting more dahlias and arranging them in here for my next flower market which is at Find in Ampthill on the 21st of September, it would be lovely if you could make it.

Old paint pots sit pleasingly next to old chippy-paint trays and terracotta plant pots. I’m not a fan of red but I find the marks on these old scaffold boards quite attractive. I put flowers in anything I have to hand and I’m still a massive fan of a glass jar, it’s the ultimate way to recycle them - a jar of flowers gifted to a friend.

If you live near Bedfordshire and want to visit the garden for flowers, coffee and conversation then I’m opening it on Saturday the 28th of September, this is a booking only event and i’ll pop the link below.

If you enjoy my garden snaps and gentle musings and you know of a friend that would enjoy this publication too then please feel free to share it with them.

Happy gardening

Emma xx