How does your garden grow?

Now that the inside of our home is as good as it's going to get, I've become more than a little obsessed with making the outside look just as fab.

I'm away from home this week and have entrusted Mr VKH (not your average...horticulturalist)  with it's care.  I imagine the way I'm feeling about it is a little bit like how a new mother feels when leaving her baby with someone else for the first time: very nervous, constantly checking to see if it's ok and wondering whether it'll still be alive when I get back!

I've always had a mild horticultural interest, passed down from grandparents and parents but now I've clearly reached that age.  I find myself watching Gardeners' World voluntarily -sometimes I even watch it on iPlayer, eek! - and actually paying attention to the progress of Monty Don's tomatoes.  Ahem.

It saddens me greatly when I see pictures (usually on estate agents' details) of neglected, untidy gardens. Space is such a premium in the city and it annoys me that people don't make more effort to maintain what precious little of it they have.  Of course, I understand the reasons - gardening requires time and effort, or for those wanting an instant fix, quite a bit of cash.  If you share a garden it can be difficult to persuade co-owners to help out.  But, if you are willing and can afford to put in the initial  hard graft you could easily maintain it with as little as twenty minutes each day, depending on the size, and maybe add a little bit of value to boot.

A little bit of colour hides an ugly drain

I find it quite therapeutic just pottering around with a coffee in the morning (wine in the evening!) deadheading and pulling up the odd weed, and a good planting or digging session not only helps me to properly switch off, it's also a great workout!

I'm also learning patience, something which, my family will vouch for, I have very little of!  It's very rewarding when you can see the progress in such a relatively short time, so I wanted to share a few pictures that show just that. I'm no expert at all - it's more trial and error than knowledge but in just one year our unloved back yard has been transformed in to a place where I want to spend all my time.   

I hope it will inspire you to give whatever outside space you may have a little TLC.

October 2011

After the wind blew down the plum tree, it just had to go.

April 2012

I began by ridding the beds of weeds...

June 2012

A tidy up and some new plants (thanks mum!)...

April 2013

We laid some new turf for just £35...

June 2013

What a difference a year makes! 

All images ©VeryKerryH 2013

Last chance to see...

If you're in the East London area tomorrow, make sure you pop in to the Departure community arts cafe in Limehouse, E14 for a last chance to see the Remember Paradise exhibition where you can see this fabulous 8ft x 8ft painting by Lucinda Metcalfe in all it's glory:

The artist with her painting, 'Pink Wall'

You can see more of Luci's work at http://lucindametcalfe.moonfruit.com/

Take A Look Tuesday

Each Tuesday in the Twittersphere is 'Take A Look Tuesday' whereby creatives can share work using the hashtag #TALKT. I discovered it not long after joining last year and have found some real gems, so I've decided to share 3 new discoveries here, hopefully each week.

I'm a sucker for bright colours and typography, here's some things that are very me :-)

Smart Creative

Sunshine 8"x10" print - £14, Etsy

Philippa Lightburn

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds illustration - £5, Etsy

Woah There Pickle

More Front Than Brighton linocut print - £15, Etsy

Check back next week for more Best of British design and craft!

Fruits of the Loom

In my recent post for Heart Home magazine I featured Happy Piece, who sell baskets hand made by women in Rwanda, and I have previously featured on this blog the ethical homewares brand Nkuku. 

Anyone else sensing a trend?  Homespun is going to the next level with handmade basketry and woven products entering the fold, all the better if the goods are ethical and/or eco-friendly.

Keeping this lot dry was a challenge!

On last month's shoot for the July issue of KBB Magazine we battled against the elements all day to create a distinctly outdoorsy feel, with wicker, cane and weave featuring prominently.  There are some great products on the market this summer, so if the weather is rubbish - which, let's face it, it is - you can still feel like you're on safari in Africa or lazing in the dry desert heat by adding a few things to your interior scheme.

Here I've rounded up some of my favourite basketry and woven products that are available, for indoors and (weather permitting!) outdoors:

Firstly, my product of the day was this surprisingly comfortable garden chair:

Högsten chair - £65, Ikea

There is a plethora of basketware available now, but my particular favourites are these, hand made in India using natural materials: 

Indra Coil Basket - from £60, Nkuku

These rugs are hand crafted in Algeria from wool and halfa grasses:

Halfa Carpets - £119, Plümo

And a recent discovery, this rug just looks so snuggly and warm underfoot! Woven from the wool of Baruwhal sheep, they are hand made in Kathmandu.

Kabru Radhi rug - £306, Stitch By Stitch

For more ways to incorporate basketry and wicker in to your home and garden, see the July issue of Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine, out next week.