Monday 12 July 2010

Urban inspirations (episode 1) ...



Wow we've had a busy weekend - our last weekend away before school breaks for the summer and i can get stuck into the garden and BH can start building things. Once we had watered everything and pegged down the netting we headed south to visit family and friends back in London. We stayed with my absolutely fabulous sister in law - the City Girl to my Freeranger! CityGirl has been up to her eyes in house restoration and gardening herself and we think shes done an amazing job!



CityGirls castle in the clouds is a restored chapel. The front is covered in this amazing Virginia Creeper which although it needs taming every couple of years is worth it for those too few weeks a year when it turns a rich beautiful red.

The country life has definitely made it to the City though as CityGirl wasted no time at all in getting raised beds built and getting her crops in! She had a few funny looks from her neighbours at the time, but now I think they're eyeing up her salad leaves - hands off!!!



I am amazed by the produce CityGirl gets from her front garden. We picked cucumbers this time, but shes also got peppers and lettuce bursting out all over the place...



But every CityGirl needs somewhere to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labour...



Space is limited around the house, but a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show gave us some great ideas for small space gardening. You can't believe the revamp this area has had - its unrecognisable from the yardspace that it was and is an awesome retreat from the manic city life surrounding it.



Theres not much room for pots so CityGirl has installed living walls - Its almost impossible to walk past these without running your hands through them. This square is repeated across the wall like a patchwork, it is interspersed with black grasses - tres chic!

6 comments:

  1. Very nice. Good to see your countrylife growing has rubbed off on CityGirl. Will you be taking full credit for inspiring her? I think you should :D
    xxx

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  2. I'm fascinated by living walls, they look so good. How I would love a comfy chair like that, but I bet I wouldn't be the one who got to sit in it.

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  3. It's amazing what you can do with a small urban garden if you have,(as your sister in law clearly has) a good eye and plenty of effort! Lovely.

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  4. Hi Miss Mancini! Glad you like it - I wouldnt dare take credit, CityGirl is quite a garden afficianado on the QT! Lovely to hear from you xxx

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  5. Thanks for dropping in CGF - Glad you like it!

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  6. Hi Jo - I agree about living walls, fascinated by them too - it takes a bit of trial and error to get the companion planting right and keep the irrigation system working - but its definitely worth it!

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