I Beg Your Garden?
Author Ellen Partridge
Published 11/03/2023, 9:46am
The first thing people comment on when they visit my home is my garden.
You would think I’d be offended by this; considering my art collection and bright blue kitchen cabinets, but I’ve taken great pains, both physical and mental, to cultivate my own little oasis. My house is quiet and unassuming so I always save the garden as the final destination of the tour to achieve the maximum effect.
Really my garden is like another room of my house; a lush carpet of springy grass, sunflowers and lilies stand like bright lamps, willow trees that act as natural curtains, rose bushes just as beautiful and decorative as any of the paintings hung on my walls.
The roses are my pride and joy. I prefer modern garden roses as they have a perennial bloom but there is something about old garden roses; they have such sophistication about them, so I keep a few of those around as well. My double delight roses always garner the most attention and honestly, I don’t blame them. The warm yellow centre and delicate petals tinged with pink, it’s hard to believe nature could produce something that beautiful. Elegant is how I would describe it. How I would describe my whole garden.
A hearty welcome to all reading this post. I have never tried any sort of writing before so your support for my blog is much appreciated. I will be posting on here bi-weekly giving some tips and tricks on how to get your garden looking immaculate. This first post is just a small introduction to me and my garden. I hope to inspire all ‘budding’ gardeners to pick up a trowel and give it a go, giving them helpful advice along the way.
A ‘Budding’ Romance.
Author Ellen Partridge
Published 25/03/2023, 3:13pm
I am a lawyer, specialising in financial law. I work for many different charities organising their accounts and allocating money etc. I lived on the seventh floor of an inner-city apartment building through university and several years into my career. Once I was financially stable enough, I bought the house I currently live in. When I first moved in, I was overwhelmed by the state of the garden; I had absolutely no idea what to do. However, I wasn’t going to allow a little mess to deter me so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
I ripped up everything I didn’t like; in fact, I believe I only kept one plant from the original garden. There was a lot of wild grass and native plants like banksia. I find banksia quite distasteful; their flowering season makes them look like strange colourful corn and then they shrivel into those dry brown husks that just ruin the aesthetic of a healthy garden.
Once I had removed everything I started researching. That would be my biggest piece of advice for novice gardeners; research, research, research. There is an incredible amount of information on the internet, not to mention pictures, so just go for a browse and investigate anything that catches your eye.
I would recommend starting easy; trees and small flowers, before moving on to more complex things. Happily oblivious to their complexities and temperaments, I ordered five rose bushes for my first gardening endeavour. I soon suffered for it and made more mistakes than I care to remember, but it certainly taught me the value of perseverance. And proper secateurs.
I have been gardening ever since, for about five years now, and I have progressed remarkably in that time. My garden is my happy place; whenever I’m having an issue at work or in my life I just step outside and do some weeding or pruning and it just melts away.
So, to all of you thinking about starting a garden but have no idea how, please take my advice and jump online. This blog is a great place to start but I have provided further links below that I found particularly helpful:
Best plants for beginners: 10 gorgeous varieties that are easy to grow
https://www.gardeningetc.com/advice/best-plants-for-beginners
14 Low Maintenance Outdoor Plants for People Who Kill Everything
https://www.newsweek.com/low-maintenance-outdoor-plants-1629755#:~:text=Perennials%2C%20such%20as%20Coneflowers%2C%20Hostas,beginners%2C%20Eldred%20Steinkopf%20told%20Newsweek.
Low Maintenance Shrubs Perfect for the Front of the House
https://www.createandfind.com/low-maintenance-shrubs-for-the-front-of-the-house/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20favorite%20low,the%20front%20of%20your%20house.
It’s All Too Mulch!
Author Ellen Partridge
Published 13/05/2023, 12:34pm
As some of you may know, I recently had to travel for work and I was away from my beloved garden for a whole month and a half. When I spoke about this upcoming trip on this blog, many of the people from my fanbase reached out to me and I was surprised not only by the kindness of all of you but also the magnitude. I only started this blog last month and already have hundreds of subscribers which is such an incredible feeling.
I eventually settled on a girl with delightful credentials who spoke very eloquently in her interview. I was still anxious, as my garden is like my child, but I kept in contact with her throughout and she was very reassuring. So, you can imagine my shock and horror when I arrived home and discovered several invasive species growing prominently in my backyard.
Naturally I was very upset and berated her thoroughly before turning her away without pay. I could hardly bear to examine the damage caused by the negligence of this horrible girl. The grass had grown so long that each blade was bent over from its own weight, kangaroo paw had sprouted in random bursts and it made me wince to see all the Grevillia. My garden is no longer my sanctuary; it has been violated.
I suppose that’s the price you pay for trusting a stranger.
Something to think about
Author Ellen Partridge
Published 14/05/2023, 2:39am
I know it’s my custom to post bi-weekly but I’ve been so shaken by this incident that I haven’t been able to sleep.
My childhood backyard was an absolute mess; grass waist high, making a wonderful whisper as you passed through it, chock full of weeds; you couldn’t take a step without sending a tornado of dandelion seeds into the cold air.
My parents always complained but they never seemed to take any proper action against this bane on their lives. I think they got one quote for how much it would cost for someone else to fix it and suddenly found themselves content to just never think about it ever again.
But I was happy that they didn’t do anything about it. I loved the idea that I could go into the garden anytime I liked, lie down with the grass tickling the sky above me, and make a wish. Grab a fistful of dandelions and blow as hard as I could, watching as the seeds and my most secret desires intermingled and were whisked away by a light breeze into places unknown.
Just something to think about.
Thyme for a New Garden.
Author Ellen Partridge
Published 27/05/2023, 11:01am
Thank you to everyone who has been sending in letters of concern, I tried to respond to as many as I could but I imagine I didn’t get around to everyone. Yes, I did not post last week like I usually do, but I have a very exhilarating reason for my absence.
I have been doing my second favourite thing to gardening: researching about gardening, and I have found a wealth of knowledge about our native Australian plants. I have spent the past three weeks working tirelessly to revamp my garden. I tore out all the peonies, all the birch trees and all the rose bushes. Yes, I heard them scream, but when I planted all the wild grasses, waratahs and bottlebrush I heard them take a large breath of fresh air. I did too.
It tasted like new beginnings.
I Beg Your Garden?
Author Ellen Partridge
Published 11/03/2023, 9:46am
EDITED 27/05/2023, 11:54am
The first thing people comment on when they visit my home is my garden.
You would think I’d be offended by this; considering my art collection and bright blue kitchen cabinets, but I’ve taken great pains, both physical and mental, to cultivate my own little oasis. My house is quiet and unassuming so I always save the garden as the final destination of the tour to achieve the maximum effect.
My garden is unlike anything in or around my house. Walking through my creaky porch door is like stepping into another reality that bursts with colour and texture in all the unexpected places.
The banksia are my pride and joy. When they’re in bloom they look like candles; casting a miniature circle of bright light around them. But my favourite is when they lose their flowers and become a complex knot of open-mouthed seeds.
A hearty welcome to all reading this post. I have never tried any sort of writing before so your support for my blog is much appreciated. I will be posting on here bi-weekly giving some tips and tricks on the best native plants for your garden. This first post is just a small introduction to me and my garden. I hope to inspire all ‘budding’ gardeners to pick up a trowel and give native plants a go, however intimidating they may seem.
Words inspired by Stella Yu’s entire exhibition, including images and artist’s statement. View the full collection and artist's statement here.
