The photo from Forde Abbey, Dorset, that inspires Alice
Credit: Courtesy of Alice Vincent
I m not much of a mood-board person. Pinterest overwhelms me. I find magazines distracting. Instead, I have a single image of what I’ve always wanted my flower beds to look like: taken in late July at Forde Abbey in Dorset a couple of years ago (see above). The herbaceous beds there are heavenly, a just-gone-to-seed styling that looks effortless. Romantic and hazy, that photo has been a kind of North Star for what I want my flower beds to be.
When we moved in last summer, the garden had a lovely wall, and that was where the comparison to Forde Abbey ended. There wasn’t even a bed. Nine months on and we are getting somewhere: the tulips are terrific, the peonies are about to pop, and the soft, pale-green abundance of the artemisia is setting the tone nicely.
Dogs and children both need space to play
Credit: Getty Images
If you think you’re seeing a lot more puppies on your daily walks, you’re right. Nearly a quarter of dog owners recently surveyed by the RSPCA had acquired their new pet since the start of the first lockdown in March last year.
In another survey, by the Kennel Club, three quarters of dog owners said their new puppy was the best thing about lockdown.
My son, his wife, and their two children, aged seven and five, count themselves in that group. A few days after their recent move to a house with a garden, I received a photo of their new poodle pup, nose down in a deep hole he’d just dug. More digging followed, accompanied by chewing of twigs and leaves.
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The flower beds outside Buckingham Palace, also known as the Memorial Gardens, were created in 1901 as part of a memorial to Queen Victoria after her death. Bright lines of scarlet geraniums, wallflowers, and tulips have bloomed in regimental lines for decades; a true visual pleasure for passers-by.
A sunny windowsill is the ideal spot for pots of parsley, coriander and basil
Credit: GAP Photos
I’m something of a reluctant food grower. If I had an allotment, I’d probably use it for cut flowers. Edible plants have been quietly creeping into the garden – the first I’ve had to play with as a gardener – but there’s no dedicated bed for them, and most of the stuff that you can eat from the beds is a bonus: nasturtiums and cornflowers, which are flowers one happens to be able to eat.
This is all a little ironic, given that it was herbs that got me gardening in my early 20s, and it’s herbs that I still make sure I keep alive all year round. Few other plants in the garden – or previously on the balcony – have as much constancy, give as frequent daily pleasure and save as much single-use plastic.