🙆🤦‍♀️🤦🏼Thinking about the future🤷🏼🙆💁‍♀️

Lovely to see the happy couple! I’m sure you will come up with an idea to suit you both, but I would just say - let things simmer. Look back at your garden design books, look at designs on line, and don’t rush 🙂.

“Jo gardens” in Cornwall has some lovely ideas, and there must be plenty on the website for Professional Garden Designers. Good luck!

Please let us know what you decide to do. We 're approaching the same problem here. It doesn't take long for things to get weedy and overgrown if you have a season of poor health and then its a huge job to sort out.But how do you make yourself change the garden you worked so hard to make? Finding a gardener doesn't seem to be an option round here - loads of people will cut grass and hedges but real gardeners are very thin on the ground, not to mention expensive..

Gardening can be ridiculously time consuming hard work and at some point it makes complete sense to think hard about what will work for you going forward.
The main difficulty will probably be training yourself to restrict the number of plants you want!
I have seen some fabulous gardens with more hard landscaping and fewer beds, raised ponds and pergolas. I think that's what I would aim for for myself in the future.
As Stera says, real gardeners are hard to find. Looking round our estate at what so-called gardeners have achieved is pretty underwhelming.
Love your photo - good to meet you both!

We had a lodge of 1795, quarter acre garden and loved living there until poor health came so we moved just up the road to a 2 bed bungalow with a small garden with greenhouse and we still grow some veg. Best move we made as we are able to cope.

Thank you very much for your contributions......we have worked hard on this garden for over 20 years....and the house too...and although it has been enjoyable most of the time, I do feel we should have spent a little more time getting out and about....before it’s too late!
A courtyard garden would be ideal Meadow...thanks for your input.....
Anget there are very few real gardeners here, your average gardener costs a fortune!
Stera I have no idea how we will go about it.....would be easier to move perhaps......and that can be fraught to say the least...
Sheila thank you, we won’t be doing anything in a hurry.....that’s for sure.
Lindak...your move sounds ideal.....I feel it’s time to slow down a tad...and do nothing !
Should we have any light bulb moments ......I will keep you informed.....

What a smashing pic of you both! A lovely looking pair you are!
It would be a shame to move, Dd, after all your hard work and what you’ve achieved over the years. Saying that, I can appreciate it becomes quite a task. My parents have actually maintained lawned areas, front and back. They removed a lot of trees, shrubs and hedging...sadly. However, they have lots of pots which are manageable and although it’s not the same - it’s pretty and easy.
OH’s mum is 81, she has found herself a really good gardener who mows the lawn, prunes hedges and trees and general maintenance. Saying that, it took a few gardeners to get to where she is happy with the work.
A contemporary, low maintenance garden can definitely look attractive too. It’s all about what’s best for you and your husband, living life, spending time together and still enjoying the garden but not letting it take over..😉

Lovely photo Dd, I am sure it will be stunning whatever you do 😊

I used to open the garden at East Lodge to help raise funds for different charities and all the neighbours and friends helped out. I had a couple of classes from the local school come and visit to tell them all about the garden and what lives in it. I ran a stall from the inside of the gate where people dropped off unwanted things and those who did want them put money in the jar for charity. Don't ask me how, but I won best garden in the East Midlands one year. I was so thrilled. I also had a spot on East Midlands with the two gardeners, Martin and John, and made a video of the four seasons. It's hard to give up a large garden DD, especially when you have done so much to invite and encourage others to garden like you have. It's a big decision to make a move but who knows what your future holds. Good wishes in whatever you decide to do. xxxx

Good luck. Cut back before it's too late. Do as I say, not as I do.

We've been there Angela we had an acre followed by a half acre and then again this last move to a much smaller garden to be near our daughter I miss the space and maturity of out last garden we had worked on it for 22 years but we decided it was for the best we could get out and travel more ,we had grand plans to spend more time in Europe / France this year maybe 3/6 months at a time but circumstances this year have ruined that plan , it wasn't to be .
like you something like a granny flat would be ideal i would be quite happy walking their dogs and pottering in their garden Haha ..
I don't think I could face another move after the trauma of this one ...
We have a lot of gravel here I hated it initially but I have to say it does cut out an awful lot of work .
Only you can decide if you need to move I shall be watching this space with interest .
Ps I think your telling porkies about your ages you both look to good for that ..x

Dotty, firstly I would like to say how happy and well you are both looking!

I just scrolled back through my blogs to find that we visited your garden back in May 2011, along with Flori and Cinderella and have loved seeing the changes you have made around and in your garden over the years.

Mind you, there have been times when seeing Peter up a ladder, pruning or painting, when I have taken a sharp intake of brreath for his safety!

I like your idea a modern/contemporary garden and feel that would still give you plenty to do in the garden, without too much physical exertion!

I took a photo of a very neat front garden in Arundel this morning and thought of you .....

I think you are very wise. I am thinking along these lines, and I am 57! I can't bear the thought of it all becoming too much of a chore. For me, I think part of the answer is that in the future I will pay someone to help me. And pay someone to cut the hedges where they can access them without trampling all over my borders. But some of the roses will go in time, and anything that needs constant deadheading...like Scabious...will not be replaced. As time goes on, I will veer towards the plants that need little or no effort....Hylotelephiums only need to be pinched out in May for example. Hydrangeas hardly need any care at all. Hellebores only need their leaves cut off in late winter and their flower stems removed in May. Easy plants like this will be more and more welcome in my garden. :) We recently installed a robot mower.....absolute genius! Once we had got over the teething problems, it has been a real boon and I love watching it go about it's business....very relaxing! The grass is so much better too...for being left longer and having the clippings returned to it for feeding. I know you will find a good solution :)

Karen...We will find it hard to let go.....we both love 🌱 but the garden is such high maintenance, if we stay here it will need completely overhauling, a daunting task to say the least!
Shirley I remember your trip so well......a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then...
We looked happy and well in the photograph because we were away in St Albans at a hockey tournament with grandson eldest daughter and SIL....at one of our favourite restaurants.....happy days!.....Peter loves his ladder..I must admit he frightens the life out of me every time he climbs it!
Amy like you we have moved from large gardens....30 acres when we farmed, and over the years the gardens have got smaller.....I love living by the sea, all our family are now down here with us....which is a joy.....the present garden is very high maintenance.....a granny flat would be ideal, as you say walk the dogs 🐶 etc
Siris......I like it...lol
Daylily thanks so much...
Kate you do say the nicest things.......like Mr Micawber I feel something will turn up......
I would be happy with more hard landscaping some raised beds for some vegetables.....and a glasshouse for my OH....at the moment it’s hard work in this heat...

A great photo of you and Peter. I wouldn’t rush into anything yet. My mum decided to make her garden more maintenance free a few years ago, having edgers between the lawn and borders was good. The trees and hedges went and shrubs but all she has done since is fill it up again. Her grandson paints the fences and she has her lawn mown once a fortnight, they bring their own petrol mower, she’s 86.

Oh Dawn that made me laugh.....that would be us lol!..... we are not in a rush...the tree ferns and the Gunnera which is huge now....will be moved to a more appropriate position...I would like to move the bananas too, but they are really too large .....and wouldn’t appreciate the move...thanks for your lovely comments...

Love the photo of you & hubby. I think we are all feeling the strain a bit after the heat of this summer, regardless of garden size. Just can't imagine you both struggling to move a large Gunnera, it must weigh a ton! Don't do your backs in or you'll find yourselves limited to window box gardening. I can understand you not really wanting to move, with the family not too far away + the sea & all the work you have put in. Sometimes things just resolve themselves without us having to make a decision, we don't know what's round the corner. Perhaps it will just be decided for you. I love the sea, would love to live nearer to it.

Feverfew.....not looking forward to moving the Gunnera or the tree fern.......has to be done though!
You are right we don’t know what’s around the corner......it’s good that we don’t know.....
Thank goodness we have had some ☔️ today......it’s been unbearable this last week....

Lovely photo of you both and neither of you lookyour age ! That's gardening for you !
Would you be able to lose your roses ! When we lived in Willow Cottage with a lot of land, I had 66 roses. When we unfortunately had to move I took cuttings of my favourites which I still have now.

Having read all of this over again I'm guessing you already know in your heart what you have to do, and it won't be easy. However, I am hoping and praying that the perfect place with the perfect courtyard garden will come up for you! :) x

Karen what patience you have......thank you very much for your kind comments.......and no ...whatever happens it won’t be easy....but ...never say never!!
Rose, how sweet of you, gardening certainly keeps you fit, that’s for sure......66 roses...that must have been difficult to leave behind......Galadriel you managed to get cuttings taken from your favourites....

Yes you’d be like my Mum hahaha. The trouble I think with smaller gardens is that neighbours are closer, if you get my drift. I would feel very claustrophobic in a small garden with neighbours a few feet away on all sides.

It can be lovely though Dawn...if you get trees at the boundaries and make it seem bigger. Did you see Mossy’s garden on here? Its a small garden, but looks like a sanctuary and very private. I suppose theres the sounds of other people, but a water feature helps to distract you from that. And they can be lovely sun-traps too. Best if they are walled, rather than fenced I think.

absolutely lovely photograph of you both, hope that you find the right solution

Davey thank you.....I hope so too.....
Karen I remember your old garden, where you had created a little sanctuary just by using trees and shrubs, it can be done.....they showed Mossys garden again on Gardeners World a few months ago, it was so clever, I loved it from the moment I first saw it.....obviously a walled garden is much better than a fenced garden.....
Dawn I would imagine you would find it extremely difficult adjusting to living next door to neighbours.......hopefully you never have to.....we have moved eight times since we got married, and the gardens have varied from acres to postage stamps, each one a challenge, and I am sure the next one won’t be any different!

I'd start out with a blank slate. Then think about what you really want in the garden - a private reading nook, a place to sit and do nothing - with a swing, a place for tea with a friend, a BBQ for outdoor cookouts, vegetable garden, a potting shed, etc. What's practical? Anyway sounds like a fun and exciting endeavor - more so as you see it actually happening. Nice picture!

Dawn, a small garden need not feel claustrophobic. In our last house we had a big garden, but the neighbours were very close. We now have a small garden but can’t see any of our neighbours - it’s so private!

Bathgate......a swing......I would love a swing, what a brilliant suggestion....it’s going to be a challenge that’s for sure....
Sheila your garden sounds perfect....

Thanks Dotty ... and now you’ve gotta have a swing - what a wonderful idea!

Sheila Our youngest grandson would be absolutely delighted..and it would remind me of the swing at my grandparents farm, at the bottom of their garden in one of the fields ....I spent many a happy hour reaching for the sky...and listening to the sounds of nature....

Lovely memory Angela ... and it could be re-lived!

Let’s hope so....