This summer we’ve been blessed with the most beautiful weather in Enmore – when it’s been hot elsewhere its been tropical here and when it rains just down the road we seem to have a pocket of blue sky that hovers above our idyllic little heaven. I’m sure my friends who know more about this than me could explain how the Quantock Hills disrupt weather patterns resulting in a window of clear skies above us – but what ever the cause I look like I’ve spent a month in Spain and shiver when it dips below 25 degrees.
As a result we’ve spent most days with the french windows around the terrace wide open and the boys running between different parts of the house via the garden. For the first few weeks this was lovely until I noticed that the edge of flower boarders had disappeared behind a hedge of self seeded & romping plantlife . Being slightly of the OCD variety myself this had to be remedied. This week I’ve ripped out more weeds, mint, mallow and other unwanted horrors than I care to count. Wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow was consigned to the compost heap until finally we’d reclaimed about 5ft of terrace and found the edge of the stone boarder. The rosemary tree also took a hefty clout of my punishment but seems to be bouncing back already; mores the pity.
My satisfaction knows no end at the moment and I keep returning to survey my triumph. Where there were once weeds there are now formal urns with trailing fuchsia and a couple of miniature cheery trees as well as my favourite hydrangea and lavenders. We’ve also discovered a couple of beautiful roses and a clematis that were hidden behind the plant detritus in the boarders. The terrace and formal garden as a result look a thousand times smarter and most importantly I can finally get to my washing line!
This was also the week for deadheading the roses – my homework from Andrew my gardener. This may have seemed like a small job when I was given it but three evenings had passed and I was only halfway through my task. The many climbers and ramblers that we have in the garden all needed attention and I’m pleased to say that as Andrew pulled onto the drive this morning at 8am I was cutting the very last flower stems. After inspecting the rose cull and the terrace clear, Andrew said in his wonderful lilting voice -“Yes Lucy, well done and haven’t you worked hard”. From such a famed rose man this meant more to me that decades of praise from managers at work and made me so very happy to be working in my garden #lucysgarden.
lucysgarden.com 