In our series #GMinyourgarden, we’re peeking over the fence into gardens around the world to explore their places in our lives today. This week, illustrator Kate Slater's Staffordshire garden.
When I moved into my house, the small garden was mostly paved with sad, grey patio slabs. I soon began lifting them, squeezing more plants in around the edges and planting a chamomile lawn in the centre. The idea felt romantic, somewhere soft for my dog (and me!) to stretch out in the sunshine. It took a lot of care to maintain, but in summer it was heaven.
I used old bricks I found beneath the patio to lay a path from the back door to my studio, where I work as an illustrator. On the wall outside the kitchen, I painted a mural to connect the house with the garden. I wanted it to flow through, to feel like part of the house growing outside, and I carefully chose colours that would work all year round.
I’ve filled the borders with cottage garden perennials, many from the gardens of friends and family. When my neighbour moved out, she gave me three climbing roses and I bought another to cover the north-facing wall of the studio, which I painted dark green. The bright leaves really sing against the deep background. I love that feeling of being cocooned in a forest (however tiny!), as the things I’m growing slowly scale the walls.
It’s all a big experiment, really. I often plant things in the wrong place, or forget where I’ve put them! I got a new puppy last summer and the chamomile lawn hasn’t survived, but I’m planning to try a low-growing wildflower mix instead.
Follow along with our #GMInYourGarden series on Instagram to see more @gardenmuseum
See Kate’s work: www.kateslaterillustration.com
