About

This is a story about creating a garden in Sheffield. Its a personal blog for me to keep track of how the garden evolves over time and to see the progress of planting combinations and different garden projects, but you’re welcome to join me along the way. I’ll aim to do a monthly update, and more frequently if anything exciting happens, which of course happens all the time in a garden. 

I like just about everything about plants and flowers. Growing and propagating them, photographing and drawing them, picking and arranging them for the house and for friends & family.  I love their names, scents, personalities, botany and folklore. I have gardened since I can remember, and always had a passion for wild flowers and the natural world.  I’ve lived in Sheffield for 20 years and this is the third garden I’ve created here.

The garden sits at 800 feet altitude, has heavy clay soil and faces north-east.  We bought the house in 2012 and were lucky that the previous owner also had green fingers, and left us with some lovely mature planting such as the standard bay trees and espaliered apples, which add enormously to the structure of the garden. 

Since taking it over I have reduced the amount of shrubs, replaced and relocated the ornamental pond with a wildlife pond, planted more perennials and introduced a cut flower patch.  I like raising plants from seed, especially the challenge of a difficult germinator.  Between work and family, the garden never gets the hours it deserves so my gardening style is informal and a bit slapdash.

However you have found your way to this blog, I hope you enjoy it and say hello in the comments section. Happy gardening! Claire