Newly retired - be inspired! Have your own English Cottage Garden Lessons.

Hi there.

I've recently started giving gardening lessons. I'm really enjoying them and have lots of positive feedback from clients. You'll find these on my website carolinescottagegardens  on the testimonials page>

They would suit anyone who wants to enjoy their garden more but particularly the newly retired who suddenly find they have more time and miss the stimulation of work. .

Gardening gives a reason to learn new things for the rest of your life.

If you or someone you know would like to learn about having their own English Cottage Garden please do get in touch.

I can teach people anywhere in the world who has a telephone and email access. Time Zones permitting of course. Written notes are provided for all lessons and what is learned is embedded with practical exercises.


To read more about the health benefits of gardening please click on the link below.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a22109/health-benefits-gardening/

I was worried about being a professional gardener at first because I had back problems and bursitis in my knees and hips. But I needn't have - the gardening has solved these problems rather than exacerbating them to my amazement.

Take Care
Caroline




To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Exhausted on the spectrum

I've read a lot of books written about the Autistic Spectrum and Asperger's and notice that many people with these conditions get exhausted a lot. This is said to be because trying to be "normal" takes so much more effort for us than for neurotypical people.

  I get more tired than everyone I know, including my mum who is 85. It is embarrassing at times. For example recently my sister wanted me to come to a concert with her. It was really enjoying it but at the half way interval (around 9 pm) I was overwhelmed with exhaustion and had to apologise and go home. She was understandably quite shocked.

I can do an energetic things for short periods but tend to need long recovery times.

When I get into a subject - like family history- I can do it for hours and hours at a time with intense concentration - far more than most people can. But then I burn out - it might be months later but then my brain just seizes and refuses to work for me. Not ideal when trying to hold down an office job!

Most tiring is social events - visiting an aunt for a weekend, a family do or similar. It can leave me wiped out mentally and physically for a day or two sometimes which is very frustrating. I think its to do with the effort the drive and the interactions with people take. I need a huge amount of social down time.

A few hours physical activity leaves me exhausted to the point that I just can't even watch TV. I have to sleep that moment and not a moment later, its almost like being really ill and is bizarre. When I get this tired there is no arguing with it, everything just shuts down.

I have to really make myself stop sometimes. I work from home so this is easier than for some. Half an hours break morning and afternoon, a whole hour at lunch, and stop everything at 4 pm (until I have to make tea!). I'm trying to rest properly on Sundays. It does give me more energy for the following week.

I have a wheel suggesting ideas for how I feel and also ideas for fixes. It was given to me by the clinical psychologist who diagnosed Aspergers for me. I don't find it easy to recognise lower levels of tiredness, I just feel I can't cope. I do find this wheel very helpful but I do feel quite thick for not being able to do this process more automatically.

I feel:
Unmotivated
Demoralised
discouraged
Sleepy
Exhausted
Tired

Therefore I need;
Time alone
To take a break
To set time limits on the work I need to do
Rest
Sleep
Watch a light film - escapism
To thikk of my acheivements
Be kind to myself
Be patient with myself

Here is a link I found on the subject

http://adultswithautism.org.uk/autism-tiredness/




Take care
Caroline x

To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Satisfying your inner caveman/woman in your garden

Hi there

These days we tend to live a complex and stressful life that we weren’t designed for. In many of us there is a need for a less stressful life away from the crowds, technology and other pressures.

But what were we designed for, what are our basic needs?

Back in prehistoric times our needs were for meant  warmth, food, and somewhere to cook it,  a small group of companions of our choice, water, nature, safety and rest. 

You CAN meet all these needs in your garden!

Shelter

From the sun, rain or wind, a shade sail, a pergola, a garden room or shed; odds and ends for children to build a den with.

Warmth

 A spot in the sun sheltered from the wind, a chimnea, gathering your own wood from walks in the countryside or using any prunings from woody shrubs or trees in your garden.

Water

Anything from a blue saucer filled with water that the wind makes ripples on and the birds 

bathe in – to a pond or water feature or even a wild swimming pool.

Nature

A wild area perhaps with long grass and wildflowers, plants to attract birds, butterflies and bees

safety

 Our garden is our territory, only the select few we invite can come in to it . It is our place to hide away. Screen in with trees and shrubs. When its dark put up strings of lights or use spotlights so we can feel safe and know no sabre toothed tigers are approaching. 

Food and a fire to cook it with

Grow things to pick and eat, an fruit tree or fruit bush needs little looking after. A raised bed or container with salad or vegetables in it. A simple barbecue (it needn’t be expensive ) a chimnea or a firepit. Or you can make your own campfire on the ground.

 Rest

A hammock, a swing seat, a comfy chair to lie down on with soft cushions. Soft grass to lie on perhaps with a rug, your eyes level with the daisies and buttercups. Rest from people, solitude if we need it

Have you considered the caveman or woman in yourself in your garden?

Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for reading!

Caroline

xx

To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

A Eureka Moment with Garden Colour.

Hello!

I give individual gardening lessons and sometimes they can be so rewarding. This week one of my pupils had a Eureka moment.

When we first started our lessons she told me her favourite colours were pale pinks and purples she wanted to fill her garden with these colours. No problem, very nice I thought. We also talked about colours in her clothes and in her house. Again they were pale pastels of pinks, purples and blues and creams. It looked like she knew what she wanted.

Last week our lesson was on designing with colour in the garden. We talked about how society may influence us over our colour choice. For example TV and Magazines selling us a particular lifestyle. Her  homework was to go to an art a gallery and also to look at photos online of gardens online and see which colours and colour combinations really moved, excited her and drew her.

She didn't love Pinks and purples as she thought - what really thrilled and drew her in colours was shades of green, white and silver.  Now she is busy looking at plants with leaves and flowers in this colour range for her garden and her home.

Have a lovely weekend
Caroline
x






To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

choosing plants for a North Facing Shady Patio / courtyard

Anemone Honorine Jobert 

Available from Claire Austin Hardy Plants

https://www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk/products/anemone-x-hybrida-honorine-jobert

Hi.


We currently have a paved area surrounded on two sides by walls and on one side by a glass conservatory. It gets some sun in the summer but in the winter its in deep shade.  The paved area is dark and prone to algae and moss. Currently it is a gloomy place apart from in summer when it provides much appreciated shade.

I wanted to make it a more positive space and give it a cottagey feel like the rest of the garden. So I've been doing my homework!

I'm planning to take up some of the paving and replace it with gravel which will look lighter and also allow plants to self seed which I like. I won't be putting a membrane under the gravel. I may live to regret this!

I'll also put in plenty of pots which will I'll allow to spread seed.

I am also going to expand an existing border and make space to plant a climbing rose.

I've noticed that light yellow looks spectacular in this area so my plant list, which has taken me loads of time to do- includes whites, creams and yellows.

Anemone Honorine Jobert
Lemon Zest Marigold
Lysimachia Numulari
Hellebore Niger
Rose Alberic Barbier or Lady of the lake (the latter has some pink but I just love it)
Columbine Nivea or Chrysantha
Narcissus Minnow
Welsh Poppy
Anenome Lipsiensis
Japanese Shield Fern.

As I've just spent loads on making a wildflower lawn this remains a wish list for the moment. Probably not for long though knowing my addiction to buying plants!

Can't wait

Love caroline




To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

So excited about my new short wildflower lawn

Hi
This is a bit of an experiment. I've a large area of gravel surrounded by flower borders in my garden.

As a child we had a lovely lawn full of clover, daisies and buttercups and I wanted to recreate it. .

I phoned the people on wildseed.co.uk for advice. They were very helpful and they recommended mixture EL1 for my clay soil. This can be regularly mown but is still full of flowers which is good as I want it to be a bit tidier than a wildflower meadow so I can still enjoy my existing borders. So I ordered it this morning. Here are the flowers and grasses it contains. Its got Red Clover and Buttercups just as I wanted and lots more besides. I'm planning on leaving the middle of the area a bit longer and mowing a winding patch through it a bit shorter for effect.

I had asked if their mix included daisies but was told that its too difficult to collect Daisy Seed but if I steal a plant from somewhere and plant it in the lawn that it will rapidly self seed.

https://wildseed.co.uk/mixtures/view/56


I then got quotes for the topsoil I need but they were coming in at around £700! I really needed poor quality soil as this is what wildflowers need but that was even more expensive at around £850. This is too much for frugal nature I'm afraid.

So I'm trying a compromise of my own invention. I'm going to remove the membrane under the gravel, spike the underlying clay soil with a fork to loosen. Then mix the good top soil I've ordered with all the gravel that is already there. This brought the price for the top soil down to £220. Much less painful for my purse.

So its a bit of an experiment.

The mix comes with instructions for the whole process and maintenance after - no mention of using up waste gravel though!!

This weekend I'm preparing the site and the new soil arrives on Monday  - so I can sow the seed mixture in early spring.

Wish me luck - I'll let you know how I get on.

Caroline

x



To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/

Poppy Garden - a painting by Karen Mathison Schmidt

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Ever since I bought a  lovely floral/garden print by Rachel Vollerthun I've been on the look out for more garden prints I can put up at home. Bringing the pleasure of flowers indoors. Cottage garden or flower paintings can be a little twee I feel but this one is not. It reminds me of the Californian poppies in my front garden in the height of summer.

This one is called Poppy Garden by Karen Mathison Schmidt, an artist in Louisiana.
Garden and prints can be bought from e-bay. Link below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/KMSchmidt-16x12-LTD-Ed-PRINT-fauve-impressionist-POPPY-GARDEN-red-yellow-POPPIES/162513968094?hash=item25d6965bde:g:iHAAAOSwxu5ZFj5G












To learn more about me and Caroline's Cottage Gardens please visit my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolinescottagegardens/