Country Rustic or Country clutter?
20 comments
Anyone who has been kind enough to read my other blogs will have seen various views of my garden as well as the plants. Most are fairly carefully chosen to show the chosen plant or view without too much clutter or weeds! However i have decided to show the real garden out here in the countryside, I think probably a lot of country gardens have areas like mine with ‘stuff’ tucked away.
Most of my previous pictures have been of the front garden, but we have a field at the back where the chickens roam, wild rabbits, pheasants, partridges and in the past the fox – which at the moment we seem to have excluded.
The side of the bungalow has a large shed, like all of them in not the best state of repair.
Beside that is the barn the Peacocks and one Guinea Fowl roost in, then through the field gate to the middle section where there are more sheds full of clutter, the wood shed and wood heap and maturing rubble heap! This houses various voles which you can see if you stand quietly at dusk.
Also in this area is Boris’s shed. Boris, Gracie and Lily heading towards the shed, with a lovely backdrop of a bed of nettles.
This section is fenced off with a huge lump of heavy duty Twilweld which was left here and another field gate. The Twilweld is covered with Honeysuckle which really needs some drastic pruning – but not before it flowers and the birds have finished with it.
Nothing too drastic so far, if you ignore the rubble heap, even the view from the field gate doesn’t look too bad!
But step through, ignore the mobile home belonging to my Son and heading towards a dereliction of it’s own (no longer used) and the water tanks and there is a whole new view!
To your right is the gate for the chicken run, bordered by yet another rubble heap, this one from demolishing the pond. Decoratively beside this is the fox trap, lent by someone and then not reclaimed. Never saw the fox anywhere near it, so now just an eyesore, too big to take to the dump!
Also here is the upturned bridge that used to span the old pond.
Further on we have various wood piles tucked under the Hawthorn hedge (wildlife habitats?) but the Hawthorn is in bloom and pretty. The pink/red Crab apple is just going over, but has been a stunning picture.
The field has been planted with anything and everything that will make a hedge and wind-break – it howls across the fields of the Fens! Behind the area where we have a bonfire is another mound, this one comprising the sub-soil and rubble from the new extension we had built and now covered with various plants, including the Snowball Viburnum which got planted here by mistake. The field usually houses anything that is not wanted elsewhere.
Behind the mound is the area that completes our field, with various trees planted and the end houses the Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) which was planted nearly on the boundary and is a pain to keep under control! The grass is full of Docks and desperately needs cutting to keep them under control too.
Various wood heaps and nettle beds, could say they are for the wildlife, or just haven’t got round to clearing them up! But we did have a family of Stoats living in one pile.
More junk!
However amongst all the junk I have planted up here and those that have survived the chicken and rabbit onslaught, there are some nice plants. The Oak has wonderful lime new leaves.
Beautiful pink leaves on an Oak that was here when we came.
Pink ‘fingers’ on a row of pines.
The Day Lilies are the common orange sort and got banished to the field as I am not keen, and they were taking over. But seem to have escaped the ravishes of rabbits, obviously don’t like them!
A shrub which was given to me to fill a hole in the hedging, not sure what it is unless it’s a Mock Orange, the golden one Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’, if so it was a nice plant to be given!
That’s about it, apart from the huge Laburnum which hangs over the compost heaps at the back, together with another huge bed of nettles. But these usually have caterpillars!
This corkscrew willow (Salix tortuosa) was planted here when we came, too close to the Mobile home, too close to the pathway, so it gets mutilated regularly! Must take some cuttings and give it more room.
My blogs tend to ramble on for hours, so anyone who has ventured this far – thank you!
Now I have shown you the less pleasant side of the garden, I hope it encourages other people to embrace the clutter and own up.
- 5 May, 2019
- 11 likes
Previous post: Oddments of Spring flowers
Next post: Raining! and Boris (the gander) not well
Comments
I have to agree with Seaburngirl, I would say rustic charm!
Lovely blog, I felt like I had a nice tour around just reading your story. Looks like you have a lot of land, lots of interesting things going on! Enjoyed perusing!
5 May, 2019
Thanks for reading Seaburn and for the vote for country rustic rather than a mess.
We have about 1.5 acres including the land the bungalow sits on, I think the field is the acre.
5 May, 2019
Thanks Kate, the land is mostly grass, but I am trying to plant it up with more trees. Sadly not to grow to maturity in my lifetime, but hopefully will stay and not get ripped out again later. When we moved here there were very few neighbours, but the land hereabouts is being opened up to development, as everywhere, so it's only a matter of time I expect! Meanwhile it's our haven for wildlife, no haven in the fields these days. We have Pheasants that roost in our trees, hundreds of Pigeons of course, Jackdaws, and we find Owl pellets from the Tawny Owls and the Little Owls are always calling about here. Have to leave some cover, hopefully for nesting Pheasants and Partridges.
5 May, 2019
What a wonderful variety of shrubs and trees.
5 May, 2019
How I would have loved that when I was a child! So much to explore and accidentally learn while you play. Boris looks well again now -what a relief. A few years ago some of us showed our "scruffy corners" - maybe you'll have encouraged us to do it again!
5 May, 2019
Hello Honeysucklegold! Was so happy to see Boris "and his girls" looking well.
Where do you find the energy? You must be on the job all day! I find that I have a similar situation. When posting my pics I always try to give the best impression, and miss the woodpile or the rusty gate! Your garden is so inclusive.. from the stoats to the jackdaws, and the nettles and the honeysuckles run amok, to the oak trees....It's all so entertaining. you have the patience to stand and watch the voles! Will you use the bridge again?
5 May, 2019
The variety of shrubs and trees Linda are usually ones that other people don't want! Some I bought from the garden centre's ailing plant section, some just got moved. Several came with the nice man who dumps his wood-chip here, he gets jobs to renovate and remove shrubs and trees and anything that might live, he brings to me. That's possibly where the golden shrub came from. It's very congested and probably just got dumped in a hole and told to get on with it! Next year perhaps I might think about splitting a few bits off it, to give it more of a chance.
6 May, 2019
You are right Stera about it being good for children you would think. My Grandson is a 'town' child and has no interest in bugs, beetles, mud and all the things that my Son adored when he was small, which is sad. My Sister and I were brought up on much the same sort of land (probably what appealed when we bought this!) though part of that was a small-holding. Chickens in the orchard full of nettles and we used to build dens in the nettles, must have been hardy kids! We used to collect bugs off the weeds growing amongst the crops, I'm sure Father would have preferred us to be weeding them all out!
6 May, 2019
Hi Lori, I have felt so much for you when you have posted blogs about your long lasting winter, hopefully it has broken now and Spring has sprung. Boris is still keeping well, goodness knows how old he is, a bit arthritic like me, but both of us plod on! He is very 'hissy' at the moment as the girls have been laying, not that they have any chance of hatching anything (say it quietly, Boris is impotent!) but they live in hope and Boris is very protective. Also very sneaky and ungrateful. While dragging water from the water-butt to fill his bath, he sneaked up and bit me on the back of the leg! Not enough to bleed, but a graze and lovely black bruise. OH just tells him off if he gets a bit feisty and he rolls his eyes and backs off. If I try that, wag my finger at him and tell him NO, he just has a go at biting my finger - not enough authority I expect. Give him a month and all the egg business will be over and he will be as placid and lazy as ever!
Energy! What's that, all I have is sheer bloody-mindedness, a determination to get it done. As you can tell from the watching the voles bit, I don't slog away all day - do a bit and stop.
The bridge may get used one day if I can persuade OH to get a lake dug on the field, then Boris could have his own bridge to an island of his own!
6 May, 2019
Love your blog, Honey, definitely rustic charm. And what a treat for all the lucky local wildlife!
6 May, 2019
I really enjoyed seeing around Honey, I remember in the past you have said how much land you do have but being a townie, somebody stating the size in acreage is beyond me working it out in my mind, gosh it's BIG, fully understand you only doing a bit and a time, if I lived near I would have been round with my barrow begging for some of your stones and bits of wood for my little stumpery, lol,
Definitely Rustic Charm to me as well, it was great seeing where Boris and all his pals live, I'd never have to worry if my dogs hadn't had a walk would I and do envy you all the wildlife, saying that I think I would not appreciate the rabbits and suchlike eating all my flowers, watching them enjoying life otherwise would be a joy, do you know I've never seen a live vole or badger in the whole of my life.. Loved this blog, I do have hidden areas which I'm delighted to say have had a darn good tidy up since hubby retired, I have no doubt we will be doing the same job next springtime as we seem to accumulate what I call rubbish in the winter months..
6 May, 2019
Thanks Sheila. Some wildlife we could do without quite so many of - like the pigeons which roost in the tall Leylandii and if disturbed will lift off, probably over thirty at a time! Others we would like to encourage to take up residence, like the Partridges which have a really hard time in mono-culture farming, and the Pheasants.
7 May, 2019
Very nice of you Lincslass as I am sure you are much tidier regarding your garden which always looks pristine. OH has not retired yet, is not a gardener and is really only allowed to pull up nettles, otherwise plants disappear.
The tree and landscape man who brings all his wood-chip here also brings the odd bit which won't go through the chipper to add to my bonfire heap. The other week he brought about ten roots of Laurel he had winched out of the ground, very spidery looking and surreal. I did rescue one which is against the pond to stop the Heron settling in a spot which juts out into the pond, can't stick a stake in there because of the liner. The others sadly got burnt, I was very tempted to keep them but OH was not keen!
7 May, 2019
I can’t imagine having all that land to care for! I’d love it, but it would probably kill me!
8 May, 2019
It's wonderful and just as it should be, definitely rustic. I like wild places and places left to their own devices, they are more interesting than somewhere restrained and manicured.
I did a blog on my 'wild' places once but I've deleted it lol and my garden gets wilder and messier every day :D
9 May, 2019
Imperfection equals relaxation, Hywel, lol. :)
9 May, 2019
Quite right Sheila ! :)
9 May, 2019
I'm not sure 'caring for' is really the phrase Karen! Grass gets cut on the field, most of the rest is left to it's own devices, annoyingly I think some rabbits have taken up residence in the bank in the middle. They aren't too bad until the winter when they eat the bark of any young saplings you haven't protected! But it's winter you say and everything needs to survive!
It's definitely rustic Hywel and I often sit somewhere quiet, preferably without chickens in tow who think you are going to dig over some ground for them, and watch insects and anything else that is on the move. We get the Buzzard floating over spying out the land, or sitting on one of the bigger trees - it still looks like and Eagle in comparison to the size of the tree! Barn Owls search along the hedgerow and even the Magpies are fun to watch.
Love your quotation Sheila I shall always bear it in mind. Not that I will ever reach the opposite of perfection!
10 May, 2019
I really believe it Honey 🙂 Years ago there was some correspondence in a newspaper about striving for perfection: I then wrote a letter saying that I was not the best artist in my painting class, not the best French speaker in my group, and decided to be an imperfectionist. I said I had been more relaxed ever since . . . and the paper published my letter!
10 May, 2019
Recent posts by honeysucklegold
- Just the good bits!
22 Jun, 2021
- Lost and found + a couple of birds
20 Jan, 2021
- Iochroma australis for Young Alistair
16 Sep, 2020
- Country Folk
16 Jul, 2020
- The Birds and the Bees
7 Jul, 2020
- Amazing what you don't know!
27 Jun, 2020
Members who like this blog
-
Gardening with friends since
12 Feb, 2009 -
Gardening with friends since
2 Feb, 2019 -
Gardening with friends since
29 Oct, 2013 -
Gardening with friends since
1 Oct, 2013 -
Gardening with friends since
26 Feb, 2008 -
Gardening with friends since
28 Feb, 2019 -
Gardening with friends since
9 Aug, 2009 -
Gardening with friends since
4 Oct, 2008 -
Gardening with friends since
22 Oct, 2008 -
Gardening with friends since
2 Nov, 2009 -
Gardening with friends since
14 Feb, 2014
definitely country rustic. all those wildlife habitats brilliant. too many tidy gardens [well that's my excuse] so it is lovely seeing some wild areas. nature will soon take over the rubble unless you actually want it. how much land do you own? its hard to get a grasp of the actual size.
5 May, 2019