The Vintage Garden: carving a space for wildflowers and old things.

We went snooping around gardens in our neighbourhood today.

No, we weren't scaling fences and falling into curated rose bushes; it was an open gardens event! The gardens were so inspiring. I almost came home and started ripping the weeds outside the front door, when I thought better of it.

It did inspire us to take some nice pictures of our freshly baked bread on our newly inherited garden table. A beautiful teak table heralding from India with intricate friezes and rusted metal braces. We butted it up against the aging flint wall under our (not so well-curated) rose bush and it looked right at home. Last summer we found some amazing, wideset art deco chairs. It is so nice to slowly build a space into something that feels authentic to yourself.

Sourdough cooling down in the courtyard, on top of our thrifted onyx chessboard. I just read that out loud to Pat and realised how pretentious it sounds, oh well.

We have only been here a short time, it was amazing to see the gardens of people who have been lovingly and painstakingly caring for their gardens for the last 30 years. There were water features that had ponds with ancient frog tunnels and precarious bridges. There were wildflower meadows that invited a plethora of flying insects. There was even a mirror reflecting the wildflowers that gave an illusion of a gate into another garden beyond. It fooled everyone, particularly my children who nearly marched through it.

It made me think about all the things I would love in a garden... a greenhouse in one corner, a vegetable garden in the other corner, a rabbit corner, a duck corner, a wildflower meadow in another.. but I think I have run out of corners. In the meantime, we have to stave off the urge to incubate duck eggs and instead plant some wildflowers in a big pot in our little patio garden. I like the idea that the old tables and plant pots we find stacked up behind a fleamarket door are given a new lease of life, going on to provide a home to the emerging flowers. It makes me feel more connected to my little courtyard garden if I have objects steeped in history, wood as old as the established soil itself.

It was the first open garden event we have been to, and I would highly recommend it, especially if you are looking for some inspiration. We also recently went to Scotney Castle which was honestly, a marvel. We felt like little fairies beneath an enormous forest of flowers. More on that later though...