Through the garden gate in January

Once a month I am planning to welcome you through the garden gate and into the garden. For the first in this series to entice you in, I have stolen an image of the gate that opens into what used to be my Granny's garden, you can see why it is my sort of gate!


The monthly post will shows the highlights and also when things haven't gone quite according to plan! This border backs on to the fields and is next to our seating area, under the grapevine. We decided to create a blue, white and yellow border using catmint, daises, white foxgloves and alchemilla mollis.
January 2016

August 2015

It wasn't as colourful as we hoped so we will be adding more yellow and silver plants to it this year to make it more eye catching. Our plan was to enjoy the afternoon winter sun shining through the grasses as the sun set, it worked last winter but now look at the grass! 


Something has shredded it. They have discovered grasses are a wonderful thing to attack - can you guess who?


Yes it was Twinkle!  Unfortunately, she hasn't been very well for sometime. She occasionally has problems with breathing (it's a bit like asthma) and we have to control it by injections. Somedays she is better than others, so it is good to see her having fun playing outside even if it ruins our garden plans!


The flowers highlights this month are the purple coloured periwinkle and the hellebores. We even have some annual wallflowers coming into flower. It was a joy to pick the first bunch of  flowers from the garden and enjoy them indoors.



In the vegetable garden we have leeks, spinach and kale growing, none of which are very large.
They have been battered so much by the winter storms. We have been picking salad leaves from the greenhouse all winter and we also have kale and strawberries growing in here.


Our herbaceous border has been battered by the winds too, and with so much rain there hasn't been the opportunity to get outside and sort it out. The front of the euphorbia wulfenii has been blown over. Although it is now too big for here, we will wait until it has flowered before taking it out.  At least we haven't had plants completely blown out of the ground like some of our neighbours! Do you have any highlights of failures in your garden in January?

Heavy rain early on Friday morning caused the local  rivers to burst their banks flooding the surrounding areas, it was fortunate that the sun came out at lunch time and with the sluice gates fully open into the harbour the excess water was soon dispersed.




Twinkle had the right idea finding a high position to fall asleep!


Thank you for all the encouraging words you left me last week about finishing work, it helps to confirm that I am making the right decision!

If anyone else wants to join in "Through the garden gate" each month and show us your garden,  please leave a comment below. 
Sarah x

Comments

  1. Of tufted grasses, water and whiskery cats bounded by an anchored gate. Wonderful!

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  2. This is a great idea for a series of blog posts and I will look forward to seeing how your garden changes throughout the year.

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  3. Wonderful! I love the gate and all the pretty flowers, and love Twinkle who seems such a sweet cat. Sorry she has breathing problems but I can tell she is one very loved kitty.

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  4. It is lovely to start thinking about the garden again, though we are so sodden we can only look as yet. Looking forward to your posts Sarah.

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  5. I am SO ENVIOUS! Oh how I wish I were looking at dirt in my garden instead of mountains of snow!!!

    Sorry to hear about Twinkle - it must be so worrying for you. Glad she enjoyed a bit of garden time too. xo

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  6. I love that gate, too. It is too bad you can acquire the gate itself for your garden since it was your grandmothers. I look forward to your monthly garden posts even though it won't help me much in mind as I have 27 inches of snow in mine right now. Flowers in January? Unheard of here--except the two hellebores I planted last year did manage a small show before the snow arrived.

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  7. I am so ready for Spring and for us to get started on our garden. Your cat is adorable!

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  8. I too will be watching your progress through the months finding just the right plants for your environment

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  9. Looking forward to seeing your garden progress through the year. I also cannot wait for Spring to arrive so I can get out and begin work on my newly refurbished easy maintenance garden, planning lots of flowering tubs etc. as at the moment it is a blank canvas. xx

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  10. What a fabulous gate! I love it and can see why you do too! xx

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  11. Entering your garden through your Granny's gate is a beautiful idea Sarah, and it will also be interesting to watch and see what you do.

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  12. Dearest Sarah, Tavi and TWINKLE! Good morning dear friends! WOW, that rush of water is frightening, and to see nature in full force is truly an awesome experience. Here in the US as you probably heard, we had some of the heaviest snowfall on record. BE SAFE! Enjoy the week and countdown to the end of your working days dear Sarah. Dream about that garden!

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  13. Just seeing the difference between the first and second pictures gives me hope for my garden. I actually managed to get out this morning and do a bit of snipping and tidying all the dead stuff, and I could actually see what space I had to work with when thinking about planting and sowing. It's all a bit of a mess right now but it wont be long before everything starts picking up and it will be nice not to see a sea of brown mud. I look forward to your monthly garden pictures.

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  14. Hey Sarah,
    What a great idea for a post, and it will be interesting for you to look back on your garden too. Looking out at my garden, I can't believe that it will be a hive of colour again. It's been sodden and battered by wind and rain. And there has been hardly any opportunity to get outside. And my inclination is wanting. I get very despondent this time of year for some reason. I do have a new border to plan and fill, but it will be a case of moving existing plants there and some annuals grown from seed this year. My gardening budget is zero, as we have other things that need to be done. A new shed for example. I am going to really look forward to these posts of yours.
    Leanne xx

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  15. What a great idea to do a monthly post on your garden, Sarah. I'll be looking forward to seeing how things progress as the year moves on. Somehow I missed your last post. I think once you step away from your job completely you will find so many things to do you will wonder how you used to manage fitting work hours into your previous schedule. You live in such a beautiful area of the world you could spend all your time just exploring your surroundings!

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  16. Your garden looks amazing, not at all like it is winter- you must work very hard!
    Twinkle needs a bit stroke- I just want to reach into the screen!!x

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  17. I like this idea of showing us once a month your garden. I do that too. Looking forward to see your garden changing from winter to spring, summer and autumn.

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  18. A lovely idea for a series, I shall look forward to seeing your garden change over the year. The hellebores are looking gorgeous, they always look so extravagant to be blooming at this time of year. Lovely picture of Twinkle. CJ xx

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  19. Such a great idea, would you mind if I joined you? Great way to record what's happening, it's so exciting to se what's emerging from the soil each month (although I think Otto will chew ever new plant that pops up!) ;) xxx

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    1. I would love it if you joined in too Amanada. It would be good to visit other gardens on a monthly basis too and compare notes. Anyone else is welcome to join in too! Sarah x

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  20. I love the lime of alchemical Mollis but sadly mine never establishes itself..it fizzles out after a season. You can't get cross with cats can you, glad Twinkle is feeling a a bit better. Ours chew through grasses and then sick it up in the house. I look forward to reading about your garden through the coming months. Barbara X

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    1. We used to have the same problem with our alchemilla mollis too. It is meant to be an easy plant but we found it took a while to establish and then there was no holding it back and seedings were popping up every where.
      Sarah x

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  21. My dear Sarah,

    why don´t you add a shrub rose to your border. Lichtkönigin Lucia, a yellow one is very strong even for you climate and blooms until autumn (inclusive a delicate fragrance). I´ve got 6 shrubs of Lichtkönigin Lucia in my garden, you will love it. It gives a little it more structure for the background of the border. You can decide how tall they grow.You can also try Graham Thomas by Austin roses.
    The idea of the monthly garden show is wonderful. Everything grows up so fast, it´s a wonder , isn´t it?I´m looking forward to the next garden season too and have already made plans.
    Wish you a wonderful time in your garden, luv Barbara

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    1. Thank you for the recommendations which I shall investigate. I love roses that flower for long periods. My husband only plants that look like wild flowers in that border,but maybe I can find somewhere else to sneak in a rose! Sarah x

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  22. PS: Lovely Twinkle reminds me of my beloved Momo who was killed by an ignorant car driver last year. Twinkle is a sleeping beauty. Give her a kiss.

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  23. I remembering commenting to you that our cats looked very similar . I am so sorry to hear about your beloved Momo. It must have been so hard for you. Sarah x

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  24. Poor Twinkle - my mum's cat has somethign akin to asthma too - to the point where they have tried an inhaler with her with a wee mask. But Mist just shoots off at the sight of the inhaler so they've had to give up! She looked like she'd had a lot of fun wth your grass tho! My garden is looking very battered too - I hope you get some more gentle weather soon to let things settle down. Juliex

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  25. I love your Granny`s garden gate.
    Your garden looks full of promise. Lovely Hellebores and the periwinkle is such a pretty blue.

    Sorry that your tabby cat is not well. She looks very contented at home with you.

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  26. Our January garden is resting. Under about six inches of snow. It would make for a mighty boring blog post. But yours is delightfully full of food and color. And that gate is marvelous. Twinkle's just doing her job, protecting you from that crazy grass. Hope she feels better. She's lovely.

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    1. We could all enjoy seeing so much snow and the visiting wildlife. I recommend others to look at your latest post. Sarah x

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    2. Thanks Sarah!

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  27. Dear Sarah,

    I will join the Club of garden gate discoverer too, if it´s all right for you.

    Barbara

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  28. I love your 'Through the garden gate' idea. I'm looking forward to your posts. I might join you, I blog a lot about the allotment but not as much these days about the garden. So maybe it's time to bring the garden back into my blog posts. Our cat Holly loves playing in the grasses in our garden too. I find grass all over the place!
    I've just read your last blog post about giving up your job. Well done, you won't regret it. I love my life now I have retired.

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  29. You have so much going on in the garden - and I love your granny's gate, nautical but nice!
    That's a great image of "home", too..
    All the best :)

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  30. Lisa - your garden is lovely failures and all. That gate - oh my how lovely it is. I wouldn't be able to deny Twinkle garden mischief either. That white and pink hellebore is so gorgeous. I'm looking forward to your garden gate posts. Best, Kim

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  31. Sarah - please excuse the address to Lisa a typo for sure!

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  32. I love the gate - it's so sweet. Your garden is looking a lot tidier than mine. The wet weather has made it hard to go out and tidy up, but I did manage some last weekend. Your view across the field must be very relaxing, and your lovely arrangement of greenery combined with pink and purple flowers looks gorgeous. Twinkle is a sweetie - hope she's feeling better now.
    Cathy x

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  33. I'm going to enjoy your "Through the Garden Gate" installments! I felt refreshed just following your "tour" and imagining sitting in your lovely garden. Congratulations on the shift in work and schedule! Sounds like a wonderful choice, and there are many meaningful things ahead for you to do!

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  34. Lindo portão...e lindo jardim...lindo gatinho...abraços.

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  35. That's a beautiful gate Sarah. Lovely look at your garden and it'll be interesting to follow. Forgot to say about the ISS in your last post-didn't see it this time but I remember going out into the garden in the last house and watching it go over.
    We went to Bridport, West Bay and Dorchester last Friday and had a lovely day out. I was surprised to see so much flooding especially around Dorchester.

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    1. You have let me know that you were in the area! You could have popped in for a cup of tea! The flooding last week took us by surprise too! Sarah x

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  36. I just love that garden gate ...

    I also like leeks, spinach and kale ... it's so nice to have home grown vegetables.

    All the best Jan

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