Boyfriend and I are saving up for a deposit for a house; this won't happen for a couple of years though, but we are trying to find areas where we'd like to live. I have to admit that Levenshulme was not on my radar at all, and when N and her husband moved there I thought "yes, houses are cheaper there but... I'm not convinced". Today has changed my mind and I am strongly considering looking over there as certain areas are lovely! Especially the conservation area.
In any case, with the permission of the home owners I took some snaps to share with you and also to help me for the future. What I have taken away from today is that you do not need an expert to design your garden, and there are excellent gardens on our doorstep that are not featured on TV. Also, anything works, as you will see. There are quite a few photos, but everything was so personal and lovely and inventive that I just couldn't leave anything out!
I collected my friend and made our way to the garden closest to her place. Using a bath. As a raised bed. Brilliant.
I am coming round to the idea of having a patio if we can't afford a house with a garden. I quite like the look and you can add quirky things to give it some character.
Making use of vertical space is also a way to decorate walls and areas otherwise unused.
The garden below is separated from the main house and courtyard by a right-of-way path. It does not take away from the charm of the garden and, once again, adding items such as sinks, re-using bricks as raised beds, etc gives it much more character.
Here, having a wisteria over a bench gives a feeling of seclusion. We were lucky to find them still in flower.
The owners of this garden recycle, and obtain most of their plants by taking cuttings. I love the use of chimneys to give the composition some height, and it is a recurring element throughout the gardens we have visited today.
They had a large number of cacti on display, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Along with ferns, cacti and succulents are a species I am very much learning to love.
This garden is the combination of two. The owners bought the house next door when it came up for sale and knocked through it. I love the contrast of the blue with the red brick. The gardens that were taking part in the event helped explorers by having red balloons on display, thus guiding us to the right house.
The house had a Japanese feel to it, and it has a small waterfall. N and I loved this small greenhouse. It has certainly made me accept that I do not need a "proper" greenhouse if size doesn't allow it. Plus, how Pinterest does it look?!
They also had a very friendly cat that reminded very much of Stalker (a cat that lives near us but who spends a lot of time outside. Sleeping in my neighbours' shed -they don't own her- and eating in our greenhouse (I have a bowl for her there with some dry food!). You might have guessed her name is not Stalker, but that's the nickname we have given her. In any case, this cat greeted us and came to say goodbye as well.
A couple of shots of this beautiful walled garden. Again, we learned that with a simple touch of colour you can breathe a new lease of life into something.
The last few gardens we visited were located in the conservation area. It is a beautiful area with amazing-looking houses. You can tell people take pride in where they live, and this is where our house-envy properly kicked in.
This house was dedicated to woodland. They had free-range chickens who were doing their thing. They also had hidden nooks and crannies with benches, etc that gave the impression of depth.
This house is owned by artists. They are currently doing some work to the house and I must admit I am curious to see the end result. Perhaps we can have a nosy next year. This garden had some quirky features. It also had a playful cat that was hunting down a poor frog when we arrived. As I was wondering where an earth a frog could live given we are so close to Manchester, the owners had actually lifted a couple of slab stones and had created a small pond! Throw in an oxygenating plant and Bob's your uncle.
The mini-pond is behind these plants which offer shade and refuge to the tormented frog.
We finished our odyssey on a high. N loved this garden the most and I can't blame her. Again, we see the re-used house items such as butler sinks, tables etc.
Another excellent way to re-use bricks and old wood.
I've always loved ladders, however I can't seem to find ones with steps wide enough to hold plant pots. This has taught me that small pots look equally amazing
Lastly, some edibles. The photos aren't great, but you get the gist :)
All in all a fabulous day. I'm looking forward to next year!
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