Decluttering the garden.

Good luck with your decluttering and I hope you'll feel better for it. I believe in doing what you want because it's what you want.
As for myself I am a hoarder and it doesn't bother me at all. I think if I decluttered and ended up with lots of space, I'd only buy more things and it would fill up again (that goes for the house and the garden too) so I might as well leave things as they are.

I've just read your 'Decluttering ' novel Ange :0)....during these latter years I've constantly removed shrubs,not necessarily because the garden is cluttered but more to do with forward thinking of maintenance...
As you know Ange,our garden is pretty large and the remaining shrubs are so use to experiencing draughts between them!! Visits to GC are really only for viewing...I've been quite strict with myself with purchases.
It seems quite awhile since I've seen your garden photos.I'm sure it's not as bad as you say .

Thanks, Hywel. You're right, there's no right way. I love cosy homes but I'm not good at arranging things to my satisfaction! In the garden, I'm a sucker for plants as you know, but I have to draw a line somewhere :-)

I'll guess which book you've read, Meadow. Makes you think, doesn't it? Like you, we've been clearing spaces in our border today. We'll try and do as much as we can before the end of the month. At last we've had enough rain to make the soil workable!
As to garden photos there wasn't much new to put up.

I do know that I need to de clutter, but I’m not very good at it! A bit of a hoarder I’m afraid, and it takes energy which I don’t have, to go through piles of photos (for example). I do have loads of books, most of which I want to keep, but I am managing to cull some little by little to make me feel less guilty 🙂

I’ve enjoyed your blog, Ange. I have a very small bungalow so can’t really keep too much stuff. I don’t mind parting with things though. Good that you took all those books to the charity shops. All the novels I read are passed on, though I have a small collection of reference books. I think it is an age thing this declutterring. Think of all the stuff that your children will have to clear out one day! Will they want any of it? No, probably not. I don’t want to leave a lot for my sons to deal with. As regards the garden, I am thinking at last of making it easier to manage, perhaps less flowers & more foliage plants. It’s a lot of work for me, all the watering in that hot weather. Nothing to worry about as regards the garden when I pass on, plants can just stay where they are & maybe they’ll get looked after by the new owners or maybe not. I shan’t be around to worry about them 😊

Forgot to say how nice your red Pelargoniums are in the blue pots.

Just remembered you asked for suggestions about “downsizing” the garden. Maybe concentrate on drought-tolerant plants for less watering (e.g. Lavender, Salvias, Gaura) and perennials like them; very few annuals. But do have the plants you love the most to bring joy every day!

Ff, I agree that our children are unlikely to want our belongings and I, too, don't find it hard to get rid of things which have outstayed their welcome. We have a charity bookshop that we drop off to about once a month having addopted a 'one in, 2 out policy!
We're gradually adding shrubs instead of herbaceous but the garden is too much for me to manage on my own. I increasingly think of downsizing.

Sheila, I think the best thing I can do to reduce work is to conquer my addiction to buying more of them! This is what I intend to do, which will be a real challenge! Thanks for your suggestions. I think everyone is different and we should hang on to what makes us happy.

Very good blog, Angelat, on decluttering! I have a go at decluttering the balcony 2x a year! Things build up so quickly & with many different sizes of pots & their saucers & other things. I tend to put many things I want to keep out of sight in the far corner of the balcony & after the summer months I have to sort through everything again. As for plants, well ... I have been putting many of the pots from the balcony in the kitchen & now there's practically no space left for any more! I've already started doubling up,i.e. putting pots on top of one another to create a pyramid! I took lots of Geranium cuttings today as well! I'm incorrectable!

I cannot imagine you to bypass lovely plants on sale Ange :-)
Although I do understand your feelings. We all feel the same as we age.

Balc, you're right about things building up so quickly! It's easily done. I hope your cuttings do well. I have been thinking about sowing hardy annual seeds, but I don't know whre I'd put them once they grow!!

Not easy, Klahanie! I'm glad I'm not alone..

It's good that we're all different people, otherwise life would be boring.
I'm OCD, honestly, not saying this flippantly. I have been for many, many years, due to inherited behaviour from my Dad and also a traumatic event in my 20s.
I feel overwhelmed by many things, inside the home and outside. I'm not a minimalist by any means, but, I struggle with "too much" stuff.
Saying that, I can understand how other people live and are content with their own situations and if they are happy that's the main thing.
Ange, I do think as we age, it's not as easy to keep on top of everything. However, we're all so different. Different capacities, preferences and likes. You have to do what makes you happy, life's too short!
Decluttering is often a breath of fresh air and a sense of calm. It's not easy if you have things of sentimental value, as you say, will children want these precious things?
Charity shops are a good alternative, there's always going to be someone who sees an item you/we will have donated, and treasure it themselves!
If you feel you may be swapping home for garden buys, and you really want to stop buying plants etc..and downsize..it's looking at why. Is it all those gorgeous plants are too lovely to resist? I find having a small garden, means limitations. I do still buy plants, but, only when I've managed to kill one or one hasn't flourished in our little spot!
I'm guessing I don't have the same time to focus on gardening due to working 30 hrs each week plus extra activities.
I'm hoping you find a solution to your thoughts.
You still have a really lovely garden, we enjoy your blogs and pics! Oh, and your uplifting humour :-))

Kate, I do understand about OCD, I've experienced the exhaustion it can cause, so I appreciate what you say.
I think you're on my wavelength about feeling overwhelmed by 'stuff'. And I'm not really sentimental about things I have owned. If it weren't for my OH, lots more would have gone by now! But I have to appreciate there's more than one of us sharing the house and garden. I would very happily have a smaller garden at this point, it would certainly curb my over-indulgence! Certainly, we have no more space outside unless we (he) dig more borders, and neither of us want that...
I think I have to find other hobbies - as long as that doesn't start to fill cupboards and drawers too :-(
Thank you for taking the time to respond so fully. I appreciate it.

Thank you, too, Ange. I appreciate your sentiments too. My OH believe it or not, has a set of traffic lights in our loft! From his days of DJ'ing in his late teens! Thank god the drums were long gone! Our garage is like a workshop too! Plus his motorbike is in there. You're right though, we have to appreciate each other when we are living together. I have many books stored in the loft and folders from my nursing lectures and study days etc.. I must dispose of these.
My parents have many of my treasured books from my childhood and my schooldays in their loft!! I keep saying, one day...:-)

Ange, you mentioned sowing hardy annual seeds and then not knowing where to put the results. Well, I sowed some Malva moschata Alba yesterday … scattering a good handful on bare patches of soil. I’m sure I’ll see them again next summer (well, fairly sure!).
Hopefully that solves the problem of where to put them when they have germinated 🙂.

Balcony, I always wonder when I hear about lots of plants on a balcony, whether it is strong enough to take the weight. I do hope that you will never lose your collection down below! Has it been tested by an engineer?

FF, our balcony is no danger of ever collapsing being as we are on the ground floor! 🤣

Even if ALL the balconies above ours (5) were to be as full as ours there would still be no problems as they aren't "flying" balconies. All are within the structure of the building except those 3 on the ground floor which all jut out about 18in more than the floors above us.