Now is the time say goodbye ...

So this is the end of this blog. I have very much enjoyed keeping it and am enormously grateful for the support and encouragement I have received from you all over the last 500+ days. Thank you!

Creating a garden was quite an experience. We learnt that there's no point trying to get things to grow where they don't want to, that getting rid of the debris takes ten times as long as creating it and that, when it comes to the heavy stuff, we're not as young as we used to be!

Now it's goodbye from him (and them) ...

And goodbye from me ...

The end!

Job done!

We did it! Despite record-breaking rainfall, ferocious winds, persistent deer and unexpected, largely delightful, demands on our time, in 500 days we created a beautiful space for a magical wedding.



The front garden was wonderfully green thanks to all the rain, although the front lawn was so water-logged that it was out of bounds.

The marquee in the back garden looked as if it was meant to be there.



The new front gate and the new path saw more traffic
than they will see in the whole of the rest of the year.

And the patio was perfect for all the guests to sit down for the ceremony.

The bride and the father-of-the-bride stepped out of the
new French windows  and walked down the "aisle".

The parterre was a gorgeous backdrop for the ceremony.



The party then moved to the front for canapes and fizz.

Before going back to the back for a group photo and
the traditional throwing of the bouquet
(it's at the top of the next photo!).

The parterre gave many photo great opportunities.

Isn't it great when a plan comes together!

 

First picture!

What a wonderful, brilliant, magnificant day! More pictures to come - but here's the first picture I could get my hands on, for those who have been with me on this journey.

1 day to go!

So exciting!

The marquee is up. The tables are laid. The ovens are ready. The pots are dead-headed. The dress is pressed.

And still 20 hours to go. Time to paint my nails!

3 days to go! Ready as we can be!

More rain over the last few days has made preparations very difficult. Parts of the lawn are still too soggy to stand on, so we are now on to Plan C  - dry but wet underfoot.

The passionflower arch awaits the bride and groom.

6 days to go!

Today has been dry and sunny! There is hope that we may be able to walk on parts of the lawn if this carries on.

Still, the calla lily seems to love its wet and shady corner. And if the bouquets don't turn up on Saturday we could use this instead.

7 days to go!

Plan B, part 2: 6 large white umbrellas to ferry people from the house to the marquee. Apparently they make good photos too.

8 days to go!

It's a wrap!

First part of Plan B - 20 cream fleece wraps for the inadequately dressed to keep themselves warm in the evening.

9 days to go!

Sorry to be a tad repetitive, but rain is dominating my thoughts. Yesterday evening we had a short but ferocious storm - torrential rain, hail, thunder and lightning - the works! It left the patio awash and the grass submerged. Definitely into Plan B now.

10 days to go!

The hydrangea looks lovely; the puddle underneath it less so.

Loved this comment on the BBC weather page this morning "Unfortunately we are having problems with this forecast information. We are working hard to get everything back to normal as soon as possible." I wish they'd hurry up!

11 days to go!

This is the final countdown!

We thought the rain couldn't get any worse - but it has. The poor petunias are battered to death on a regular basis. The rose buds are giving up before they open. And the grass is a paddy field.

The weather forecast is not looking good for the 21st. We've gone from hoping for sunshine to hoping for no rain.

4 weeks to go and still standing!

As we approach the home straight, the recent wind and rain have left the garden battered but surviving. The lawn still squelches as you walk on it and there are puddles around the edge of some flowerbeds, but most of the plants are doing their best to put on a good show. All we need are a few weeks of warm dry weather. Not much to ask in June and July, surely?

Given up waiting for the rain to stop

We have an amber warning for disruption caused by heavy rain in the South East today. This is getting silly.

Decided that I would have to get the plants in the trough regardless, so I donned mac, hat and waterproof gloves and set to. It took a lot of soil and compost to fill the trough, but eventually it reached the top and I was able to plant the various pelegoniums and verbena. Bit of sunshine to make them think it's Summer would be good now.

Ground cover

Look what the rain has done to the rhoddies. A few days ago they were still looking magnificant and now most of the flowers are on the ground. Other casualties of the weather, so far, include one gunera leaf, one lupin stem and countless small oak branches.

Batten down the hatches

Strong winds and heavy rain are forecast for tonight. Is this really June? I've been out staking all the tall plants to try and help them stay upright. Doesn't look very beautiful, but face down in the mud is even worse.

Long to rain over us

Happy Jubilee Weekend! The rain that failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants in yesterday's Diamond Jubilee river pageant wrecked the new petunias in the pots. Looks like there's more flowers to come though.

Remarkable rhoddies

When I opened the curtains this morning the sun was shining on this magnificant bank of rhododendrons and it felt as if the world had turned mauve. The right combination of rain, sun and vicious pruning has produced a wonderful display. Look how much taller they are than the arches.

Making an entrance

Now

This area looks rather different as well. Same tree, but that's about all ...

Then

Is it cheating to get help with the weeding?

We realised in a moment of panic recently that the maintenance of the garden was taking longer than the time available and that we had no time left to get anything creative done in it (let alone work, eat and sleep). Time to call in the experts. Meadowbank Garden Services started today and made an excellent job of mowing and weeding.



By the way, this is what the area used to look like (from the opposite direction) ...

Isn't it great when a plan comes together?

Before

This week the French doors in the breakfast room were installed. Don't they look great!

After