Well Well

Owning an old property means some coming across some unusual features in the garden.  Stone House has an old well located not far from the back door.

With clay soil it often feels like the water table is not too far away in this part of the country (the dry summer of 2011 being an exception), but the well is non-the-less a good few metres deep - see the photo below.

Despite the beautiful stonework, it's not a great idea to mix children and animals with deep holes! 

So, the well has been transformed into a stage for showcasing stunning floral displays - the picture above shows the 2011 fountain of flowers, bright blooms all grown in containers.

The great thing about this feature is its flexibility - from year to year, or even season to season, the display can vary.  Even without plants, it serves as the perfect seat to relax and contemplate the surrounding countryside.

Thinking about how this area will look for summer 2012 is just one of the quite pleasurable challenges we have facing us at this time of year as we plan for our Open Garden.

Piecing it Together

Mosaic has become a bit of a feature in the garden.  The seat on this picture was built from breeze blocks, then covered in cement before having thousands of irridescent tiles stuck to it.  Despite its solid foundations, the seat is luxuriously comfortable, mirroring the effect of those shimmering tiles, and provides the ideal rest spot amongst the bright summer flowers surrounding the patio area.

Further mosaic work is underway to liven up a plain wall within the lawned area of the garden.  This wall has proved something of a blank canvas, prompting imaginative ideas ideas for its covering, ranging from pastiches of famous paintings through to acting as a backdrop for glass or metal sculptures.  However, continuing the mosaic theme should result in a stunning treatment for the wall adding extra interest to the lawn area.  There is also scope for some metaphysical musings about the symbolism of mosaic - building the bigger picture piece by piece, creating order from disorder, fragmenting reality.  Wherever this goes artistically, it is sure to showcase yet more mosaic innovation.

Looking Back - Open Garden 2011

The inaugural opening of Stone House Garden in July 2011...turned out to be a beautiful weekend (this photo probably doesn't do the weather justice!) with the garden in full bloom and looking its best. Garden tours went down well, as did tea and cake!  Also raised over £300 for The Firefighters Charity.

See more photos from Stone House Open Garden 2011 opening on Flickr