When I moved in to this little house, right on the very edge of the village, I was faced with a good-sized front garden, a side garden and a large back garden. Well, I say garden, but wind swept prairie was the phrase that came to mind! The idea of turning the rough grass into lawns with hours of mowing certainly didn't appeal, so a plan was needed...
First thing was to split the back garden into different areas with wind-break netting and slowly line all the fences with hedging of one sort or another. This task is now seven eighths complete with over 200 hundred trees and shrubs being planted so far.
Next, I had to decide what to do with each area and as I played with various ideas and a general picture began to emerge I, somewhat belatedly, realised that She had a plan! The ideas I'd though were mine meant that there would be an area for each of the Four Kingdoms and one for Spirit! The area that is for the Plant kingdom is coming one very well, it was a riot of shapes and colours this summer and the last (for now) plants should go in next spring.
For the Human Kingdom is the vegetable garden. This year a simple four bed rotation fed me from the end of June and now in November I still have leeks and brussel sprouts. I am currently building a second four bed rotation and planning what fruit is possible, only rhubarb, strawberries, (though the birds got those before me) and gooseberries so far but raspberries going in March. The wild garden for the Creature kingdom is still being put under black polythene to kill off all the grass and perennial weeds - at least another two years there. Meanwhile there lots of food and habitats in the rest of the garden to tied them over.
The area for the Rock Kingdom is hardly started, just the hedging done. The Spirit garden has its raised beds in place and will be planted in the spring with highly perfumed flowers.
As for the front, I can't protect that from the winds, so is being gravelled and planted with shrubs that grow along the ground rather than up!
The magical greenhouse, bought for me on my 60th birthday by loving friends and family, produced masses of tomatoes and cucumbers this summer and next year I will add sweet peppers and (cross your fingers!) melons. Currently there are salad leaves, winter lettuce and some young plants over wintering there. There were some winter cabbages but a gang of slugs got in!
I've learned a lot, made mistakes and got frustrated because I couldn't do it all fast enough - how many pensioners do you know who do their own hard landscaping? But my connections with the Earth and all who dwell upon her grows stronger every day and so many moments of joy...