MY GREENHOUSE – A DREAM COME TRUE

Try to find me a gardener that doesn’t dream of having a greenhouse and I think you would struggle. Personally I never seriously considered it, thinking our garden is too small. Then I came across The North South Garden and suddenly thought, why not? So for my birthday in 2018, I got myself a little greenhouse. Nothing big or fancy, just a basic one big enough to grow tomatoes and keep tender seedlings. And to have a cup of tea in when it’s raining.

A year later and the greenhouse was still sitting in boxes in a sorry looking pile. As far as DIY projects go, this one turned out to be pretty daunting. Somehow I nominated myself to lay the concrete slab base – not sure what I was thinking but eventually, thanks to the extra time we have been spending at home due to the current situation, I finished it. And had a back ache to prove it. Finally, over Easter weekend this year, my husband put the greenhouse up and I couldn’t be happier with it. Here you see it from the very back of the garden with the raised vegetable beds in front. So cute!

This is what I love most about having the greenhouse. As soon as it was up, the whole space at the back of the garden made sense and sort of became something – trust me, before the greenhouse this area was very much just nothing. I love the way you can see a glimpse of it all the way from the house, it draws you out and into the garden. That classic trick of having a focal point at the end of a vista.

And from the other side. I love how this area looks now. A lot of work to do here still but so much closer to how we want it to be. This is the place to sit with a drink in the evening, the low sun hits these steps right on. And behind the greenhouse are the raised vegetable beds and compost bins. That little kitchen garden area has now become a lovely enclosed space which you can’t see from the rest of the garden. So on a rainy day (or a sunny day, or any day in between) you know where to find me. I LOVE my greenhouse!