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Thursday 28 March 2019

I do it my way!!!

My caravan garden that is....as a daughter of a professional gardener I was brought up to keep borders neat and tidy. My Dad was forever weeding, planting, sewing seeds, pruning and many of the other jobs that kept our garden the one in the road that used to get admirers walking along for a look!

I remember when I got my first garden and my Dad came along to visit and threw his hands up in horror! Although I had neat rows of vegetables and a little flower bed, around the edges of the garden I had let the wild flowers run free!
He knew of my love of wild flowers as I had often pleaded with him to leave 'pretty' weeds alone in his garden!!!

I made a page for Jo's 'Hello Spring' theme at Art Journal Journey.
I used a Paper Artsy Hot Picks stamp onto some paper I had coloured using Distress Oxides as I didn't want the flowers lost on the background. I had made the background on the page using paint applied with my fingers then blended with the aid of a damp sponge, to this I added some grunge paste mixed with Fresco paint through a script stencil.
The little flowers are PA's Tracy Scott's and the little seed type stamps are JOFY ones as is the quote that I edited slightly!

As promised here are some pics of my garden at the weekend.
I was delighted to see the Glory of the Snow as we drove up. There seems to be even more this year.
I did manage to dead-head the hydrangea which I had wanted to do the last time we visited but it was too cold and rainy!

I also pulled out some ivy that is creeping from the hedge around the base of the plants.
 The lilac leaves are appearing - I hope there are lots of flowers!
17th March
24th March 
Hubby chopped the Buddleia back, as you can see in the previous pic, it was threatening to spoil our view.
There are still lots of daffodils and Hyacinth growing.


They are looking a bit wind battered now though!
We are lucky to have lots of bird visitors.
The Goldfinches love the Niger seeds..
The Blackbird and the starling had their eye on the coconut!

...and there are plenty of sparrows flying around the feeders!
We also had a little visitor eating the grass..
The flowers on the decking are still doing quite well too!

What you can't see, although if you click and see the pics enlarged, are the lack of tidying my borders, there are forget-me-nots, aquilegia, bluebells and poppies still to come and I will allow a few buttercups to flower too!

So, am I being lazy? I don't think so, I will cut back any straggling stems and keep the shrubs neat looking, but I do like my little wilderness! 

I am lucky that the warden will keep the grass down!!!

I hope you enjoyed this look at my pride and joy!!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

16 comments:

Cath Wilson said...

My word, Chris - you've created your own little paradise - a corner of heaven just for you. It's beautiful - stunning! Clearly, it takes a lot of work, but it just looks like the perfect hideaway from life to me!
Great page, too - I used to add a lot of colour with my fingers but have become a little too 'precious' these days, despite my fingers almost always being very inky.
So happy you've shared your lovely escape!
Cath x

Little Artbee said...

Wonderful hommage to the wild flowers. So nice. I also like wild flowers. In our garden there live wild and planted flowers in common. So we nearly the whole year flowers in our garden.
Have a nice spring time.
Hugs
Sabine

Helen said...

I love your garden, it is gorgeous. I think you're right about the glory of the snow, there seems to be loads more at Kew this year too, I am sure the flowers were more dense last week. Love the journal page, too.

Meggymay said...

Lovely photos of your caravan garden Chris, the spring flowers are beautiful, but like you I have a yen to let a few wild flowers creep into my garden as well.
The journal page looks fantastic and you must of had fun creating it especially adding paint with your fingers.
Have a good weekend Chris.
Yvonne xx

My name is Erika. said...

The garden looks gorgeous Chris. I like how it feels like it belongs in the landscape. My gardens are always a bit disorganized, like me. I guess I needed your dad to show me how to make it more proper. (smile) Loved the story of inspiration for this wonderful spring piece. happy almost Friday. hugs-Erika

Sandma's Handmade Cards said...

Lovely to read the story about your Dad Chris. My Dad was pretty much the same as he just loved his garden. I can see why you spend so much time at your caravan, the views are stunning and your flowers look wonderful. The Lakes are our favourite place to visit and we go there most years. Your journal page is fabulous too. I love the colours that you’ve used and the sentiment is just perfect x

froebelsternchen said...

I love that beautiful page and the lovely memory story of your Dad going with it! Fantastic pics of the garden! A wonderful place - I can imagine how much work that all is.
Good for you both to manage all that beside of your many other activities! What a super couple you are!
Happy weekend ahead dear Chris and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the amazing support you brought to AJJ again this month!
Big hugs, Susi

Brenda Brown said...

A lovely look at the garden and signs of Spring coming through Chris which are reflected on your fabulous journal page. The flowers, whether they are cultivated or wild, always bring a wonderful feeling of new life and new beginnings.
Have a wonderful weekend xxx

Neet said...

Whilst my dad was not a professional gardener he was 'a gardener' and our garden was always the 'show of the row' of houses. Later in life he did do people's gardens for them because they envied his own. Unfortunately, unlike you, I did not inherit his green fingers. Wish I could be more like you having such a lovely garden - ours is huge but it isn't me who does the maintaining.
Like you though I do like the wildflowers and was thrilled when I noticed an aquilegia in one of our borders, and there is nothing nicer than bluebells and forget me nots which used to grow in profusion in our back garden.
Anyway, enough of that - lovely page, great sentiment and incentive for me to get something done before month end.
Hugs, Neet xx

Mrs.B said...

A fabulous journal page Chris, and I'm not surprised you spend a lot of time at your caravan with those beautiful views. Your garden looks lovely and a welcoming place for a snack for the little birds.
Avril xx

kathyinozarks said...

Wow Chris, I really enjoyed this post. Your journal page is very pretty-and I really love your gardens-beautiful!
I can relate to your father-my Mom excelled in gardening-she was raised a farm girl so she always had a huge veggie garden, but her flower gardens were amazing and gorgeous
Happy Friday kathy

Divers and Sundry said...

I agree with you that wildflowers are welcome! You've made a lovely scene here :)

Let's Art Journal said...

Your garden is so beautiful! Its a little piece of heaven and looks so in keeping with the stunning view beyond of the countryside - perfect 😁. It's been lovely and sunny here today so we have been in our garden weeding and mulching our flower beds, I've even left a few wildflowers (that some would call weeds) to their own devices too ...lol 😉. Your page is gorgeous, it reminds me of spring with the flowers and soft pastel shades too. Thanks so much for joining us at Art Journal Journey again! Enjoy your day and happy weekend! J 😊 x

Rita said...

Absolutely lovely!! :)

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Sorry I'm late visiting. Real life got in the way of computer time, I fear. You have certainly created a beautiful entry filled with lots of springtime beauty. Really romantic feel to the focal image, too. Thank you for sharing this stunning beauty honoring Jo's theme at Art Journal Journey.

You are going to miss your lovely view from the caravan, dear Chris. What will you do with the pots of flowers on the deck and the bird feeders once you no longer have the caravan? You and T have created a tiny heaven on earth in that beautiful spot. I'm now off to check out what else I've missed, too.

Words and Pictures said...

Well, and we all know these days that it's the diversity of the wildflowers and hedgerows which is so vital to sustaining the insect world... so good for you making sure there's room for that too in your garden, no matter what your dad might have said! It's another lovely uplifting page of pink tones and lovely flowers - and hear, hear to the words.
Alison x