Planning ahead

I just adore cottage garden plants. Every year I dream of having the "perfect cottage garden" but rarely get the whole herbacious border thing going...I may have pretties at the front of the border but so often the back is lacking impact, bar a few sunflowers. I look at the plants and always wish I had put in Hollyhocks and lupins but of course they don't flower the same year as sowing...it feels like cheating to go and buy the year old plants so I kind of put them out of my mind and think

" Oh well..."

Next year it will be different though. Hopefully we will be in a new location and that means NEW garden...and the first year of that new garden will be bursting with Hollyhocks and Lupins because I have a greenhouse full of them right now! I actually remembered to think ahead! :o) I just hope I can get them through the winter. I think this will be the first year I will buy a greenhouse heater. I do have another garden I can "borrow" space in to put them in to get established between now and next Summer but I would feel a bit mean digging them up when they had just got their roots down. The same goes for Asparagus. I have several pots now in their second year of growth looking forward to their new home in the hopefully not too distant future.

My best friend is moving too and she loves gardening equally...so between us we have been planning what we can grow and share for our new plots.

I think in the new garden my moto will be NO MORE KNEE JERK GARDENING. I will actually use my garden planning book for what it was intended instead of a convenient coffee mug mat!

Something else I need to take care of is the front garden. I hate being out in the front so it gets very neglected...I live in hope that I will like the next place we move to so much more that I enjoy the front garden just as much as the back.

Doxie so excited about the future.