ADDING A PERSONAL TOUCH

First published Monday, 31 July 2017

I don’t know about anyone else, but I do love a project and often an idea will just pop into my head and at the strangest of moments! I seem to have this inbuilt need to make things just to indulge a whim and it can be as random as painting, sewing or constructing. I remember when planning my garden I listed several musts. It had to be practical, easy to maintain and as productive as the space would allow. I knew that whatever my final design would be, it was still my back garden and as such needed to be inviting and attractive. So adding a bit of personality was very important. 

Canopy

My summerhouse is my sanctuary and I like nothing better than sitting here with a cuppa and watching the birds on the feeders, listening to the bees buzzing and tracking the flights of the different butterflies that grace my little haven. I honestly think that most of my impulsive ideas seem to form while sitting here just contemplating. For instance, on one particularly hot day, while squinting from the strong sunlight and watching my little dog panting in the heat and looking for some shade, I decided a canopy of some sort might be a good idea. Within an hour I had measured up, made a plan and was off in my car heading into town to look for some suitable fabric! I had a very definite image in my mind, but in reality it wasn't quite as straight forward as that! Finding a fabric that I liked and within my budget was one such niggle. Have you ever noticed how in style magazines they always seem to effortlessly have the perfect design....for me it was a compromise. Next I needed some way of hanging and supporting the structure. I visited a local DIY store looking for a couple of 3 metre length dowls, but they only had two and one of them was very bowed. Anyway, eventually I found all I needed to make a sun screen. The ironic thing is now I have one, the sun seems to have deserted us! 

Plant markers

Now I will admit these are just a bit of artistic licence. After all I do know the difference between a tomato plant and a climbing bean, but like I have said, I need to be doing or making something and these were no exception! These are now dotted around the garden, just in case I forget what has been planted!!

Pallets, paint and plants.

The humble pallet is the allotmenteers friend and in the past I have used them to build a set of compost bins. At home however, I have found another use. I quickly realised that space was a premium in my small garden and I simply had no where left to grow some salad crops. I have a small patio area under my kitchen window, but this is where my son parks his motorbike, so it is no longer a seating area. I couldn't make my garden any bigger, so my only option was to go upwards. I had seen pallets used as planters and decided to have a go myself and even incorporated a small bug hotel too.

Bringing the allotment home has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Now I can indulge in my passion as little and as often as I want and in that respect, it has been a real success. I'm now in my third year, It is still evolving and at a stage where I can now spend more time simply enjoying the garden rather than just working it, which to me is very satisfying.