Coming in through our gate, the first thing, more often than not, that takes my breath away is the view…
Beyond the garden fence, tree lined fields, now frothy with Hawthorn blossom, flow down towards Ludlow nestling in the valley below. The castle and church dominate the medieval streets with their timbered buildings and hidden courtyards.
As a backdrop, on the far side of the River Teme, the land stretches up to Whitcliffe Common, on up to Mortimer Forest and then, on a good day, to Wales.
This week however, on opening the gate I have been arrested by a mad cacophony of clashing and unintentional colours - wallflowers, violas, bluebells, forget-me-nots and heucheras and all in a space the size of a large bucket! Wonderful. No designer would ever think of imposing such a combination, but I am sure that the late Christopher Lloyd would have approved with his love of outlandish colours and adventurous planting.
On a greener plane - 200 sq m of new turf has been recently laid by Steve Parker and his side kick Chris, of Kew Landscapes. They have been doing sterling work for me, turning an untamed, lumpy, semi-wooded wilderness full of bricks, bottles and bedsprings into a smooth and even lawn.
But using a sprinkler to encourage the new grass to root and not curl up at the edges and die, has drawn up the earthworms. You might think that this is a good thing… not so.
On the morning of day two, this beautiful sward was a mass of varicose veins - a happy mole had tunnelled comfortably under the turf feasting on these fat worms! Added to which, the cat had obviously seen mole movement and peeled back some of the turves to try to get at it.
Ah yes - and then the blackbirds had added their penny-worth by making golf ball size holes with their sharp beaks.
Can you really imagine quite how disheartening this sight is? For owner, designer and landscaper alike - quite devastating!
So, the mole man cometh and this designer retreats behind the gate to hide in her bucket-full of mad colours!