Go for your dreams?

I've always believed that a Magnolia was essential to a home, ever since I marvelled at the beautiful specimen in my grandmother's garden. But with my small garden I never thought this was an option. Since I started re-considering my front garden post tree, I've realised how much space I have.
So today I took the plunge and browsed the magnolias in the garden centre, ready to commit. In my mind's eye I saw a white flowering variety, tipped with pink but too my surprise I took the plunge for a yellow flowered variety - Yellow Birds.

The electricity box and the concrete slabs slightly detract from her beauty but I'm incredibly taken with her (definitely female). So much so that I almost dropped a kiss on her on the way past. Anyway, time yet to fathom the challenges of restricting the her growth to a reasonable amount when she hates being pruned!

New Year Old Me

I'm a great one for a fad or a craze - I can luxuriate in the excitement and euphoria of embracing a new idea, way of life or ethos. And while I wouldn't say they fall by the wayside, very few find themselves as long term tenants of my life. So in many ways I love January with its possibilities - maybe this year I will change my life or more importantly myself. A new and draconian health kick is always more intoxicating than a sensible and balanced life changes.

So with this in mind am I going to make any resolutions? Yes I am, but they are rather different this year:

1) Do what I love and waste less time on things I hate
I've been moving in this direction all year but I want to embed the habit in 2018. For exercise I enjoy yoga, walking and an occasional swim. These are enjoyable things to do so I will make them my focus. Also I have been drastically reducing the TV that I watch and only watching things that interest me. I'm not going to be a zealot about these choices because, quite frankly there is nothing more irritating than someone smugly telling everyone else how to live.

2) More Writing
I need to break down the barriers in my mind and to this I'm going to write more SPATC. This will help me build the discipline and stop worrying so much about the quality. The best writing in the world is no good if it doesn't exist.

3) Judgement on Self
I've made progress on re-training my patterns of thought to be less judgemental about others and more genuinely tolerant. I haven't yet managed to successfully to include my self in that, so I need to work on this more in the year ahead. I find that being more physically active outside really helps to put my views on myself in perspective. While the concept of Hygge is now being assassinated by many cultural commentators I hold fast to the elements I have found helpful.

How will I get on? In many ways it's exciting to have 365 days ahead in which so much can happen!

New Beginnings

Today has been my first real day gardening - there have been some days spent clearing the huge mass of brambles that descended into the garden when our neighbours cropped their tree. Also some deck washing and weeding but today was the day it feels like we are moving again.
Also a first trip to the garden centre which was exciting and always full of promise. In the back we now have a silvery Euphorbia that I hope deals well with the trick back corner. In pots we have a Nepeta Walkers's Low and a white Hydrangea. Also in beds we have another Geranium (Gravetye) and a silvery tall grass.
So on the way in the back and I also threw away a horrible pot that had a whippy grass that always cut your ankles (it was there when we moved in 8 years ago).

My to do list and resolutions for May are as follows:
1) Calm down on the pots and start to get rid of the ugly ones
2) Wash the upper decking and the trough there
3) Finally paint the fence on the upper deck.
4) Get a taller plant for the top of the garden for better height
5) Plan what herbs I will fill in the gaps with in June

And then of course we have the front garden to entirely re-plan.

Peak of Perfection

My garden is currently at its peak. I've had to adjust the expectations I have from my Devonian Childhood, where in May and June the verges, hedges and woods billow with verdant, fresh growth and flowers abound. This richness comes to Scotland later, but come it does. Now in July, my garden shows everything I hope for - movement, airy foliage and white flowers.

Here we have the Gilenia Trifoliate, the steely green Hebe and the white Achillea behind. This combination works well and I would love to have more umbellifers (one for the future).

Here we have a white Foxglove which is a new obsession following last years' Sutton's Pride and the pink Foxgloves my neighbour has. This is surrounded by a fluffy white flowered Hebe, my thuggish but fragrant Jasmine and the sensible Pittospormum.

This year the Ferns and Campanula growing through the fence have been joyous - stolen, unplanned and making my urban jungle even more lush.

This white Hydrangea has filled a barren corner and lit the whole border up. When I was young we had bright pink and blue Hydrangeas in the front garden and I haven't always been a fan. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's because they are fashionable and maybe it's because they are beautiful - I want more. So I may get another white one and when my front garden is re-done I am looking for some hot and garish additions.

And just to finish, the Foxglove again with those foxy, freckled flowers.

Spring Display

Like the white tulips, the red ones and the white and yellow daft have been really excellent. It's starting to wane now but I think I like the blousy openness we're seeing here just as much. With gardening you have to love the fade and the decay as much as the lush newness, although it's not always easy.