In Your Garden: Chloe Plumstead

“I’ve been with this garden for just over three years and it has evolved so much in that time. It began as a patio and a lawn and slowly has become a thing of its own volition, me simply the steward who tackles little areas, project by project.

I’ve never had a plan – if I did, I wouldn’t stick to it anyway. Instead, I work on whatever is taking my fancy, enjoying the lightness of exploring and experimenting. As I learn, the garden changes, and gradually it’s taking shape. I never foresee an end or a moment of completion – I expect we’ll both keep on growing together.

The space is North-East facing with a downward slope and the end of the garden sits in a valley of sorts, with a steep embankment opposite. The growing conditions can therefore be tricky – sunlight is a hot commodity with half of the garden in perpetual semi-full shade and in winter, the cold air pools downhill. Still, when all of the surrounding trees are full with leaves, the whole garden feels like it’s enclosed – my own little oasis.

With the patio one end and the greenhouse the other, that only leaves a small patch of accessible ground, so I grow the majority of my plants in pots and raised beds. I have a real soft spot for showy blooms like dahlias and I try to grow as much produce as I can, from tomatoes to chillis to beans to potatoes, and all of these are plonked in pots. As long as they’re fed, they’re happy.

My garden is a space in which I can fail without it mattering. I try to never take it too seriously; I always want to learn and improve, but joy is the driver – I want to hold onto that sense of wonder that you so often lose as an adult.”

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