OUR NORFOLK COTTAGE GARDEN

Sitting in our little Norwich flat in lockdown last year, having a garden to enjoy the summer evenings and starry skies was the stuff of pipe dreams. But in summer 2020 a number of things fell into place, and we tentatively started our house search, thinking that we’d just dip our toes into the market to see what was out there. Little did we know that, after a few false starts where places would sell before we even got to view them, the very first place we got a viewing for would be the one. I remember wandering through the garden dumbstruck that anyone would ever want to sell something so perfect, and I had to be held back from throwing my money at them there and then.

We put an offer in, we negotiated, it was accepted. And then we waited. And waited. And autumn turned to winter turned to spring, and I kept having to remind myself that the whole thing could fall through at any moment. But eventually, eight months after the buying process began, we got that magic phone call to say that the sellers were ready to complete. We moved over three days at the beginning of May, and to this day I still can’t believe the house – and its garden of dreams – is finally ours. So let me show you what all the hype is about- herewith a tour of our Norfolk cottage garden, and what our plans are to get it as wildlife filled as possible.

(1) THE LAWN

We’re aiming to treat our lawn like a hay meadow- letting it grow through the season, cutting in late summer, and taking the cuttings off to make a low nutrient environment, which is what you need for native wild flowers to thrive. It’s been so interesting to see what grown out of the seedbank that’s already there; Spring brought forget-me-not and primroses, and summer brought red campion, white clover, and patches of ox eye daisies. August has been the month for ragwort- every time I head out its yellow flowers are a hive of bee and hoverfly activity – and the grasses have grown long enough that it’s been possible to ID them. We have my favourite soft Yorkshire fog, tall oat grass living up to its name (its as tall as I am), and bits of cock’s foot. I’m sure that encouraging it into a meadow will be a bit hit and miss, but very much here for the journey and to learn as we go.

(2) POND AREA

Having read everywhere that the best way of getting wildlife into your garden is to introduce water, I was over the moon to discover that our garden came with a little pond. When we moved in we found it a bit barren and overgrown- there had previously been a couple of goldfish in it which is one of the sure fire ways of making sure you won’t get much wildlife. The inverts were thin on the ground and the only plant life was a struggling water lily. 

The plan is to get the pond as biodiverse as possible, with the ultimate aim of getting frogs, damselflies, and a newt or a diving beetle or two. After clearing away some of the bushes and marjoram that were shading it up (a satisfying job that smelt amazing thanks to all those herbs) we’re leaving it for a while to see what colonises it naturally. The water lily has responded beautifully and has gone full day of the triffids, sending lily pads up and out onto the bank. Less progress to report on the inverts- so far all we seem to have done is made the pond a haven for mosquito larvae- but hopefully they’ll make a good prey base upon which to entice the larger predators in!

(3) EDIBLES

I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing when it comes to growing fruit and vegetables, but judging by memories of how good my grandad’s vegetable patch was, I’m hoping there’s be a gardening gene in there somewhere. I’d certainly be grateful for his wisdom right now as we have two apple trees, a pear, a plum, some blackthorns (which make sloes), raspberry bushes and a herb/vegetable patch. Going into our first summer fruit glut I’m keen to get good at freezing, drying and pickling, fully expecting there to be a few disasters along the way. I’ve recently started harvesting this year’s chillies (jalapeños, Havana golds, and pimientos de padrón for a taste of home) and they are volcanically hot, so hopefully a good omen for things to come!

(4) BISTRO

I think my very favourite spot in the garden is the little paved area at the end, under the pergola complete with wisteria and honeysuckle. Sunday breakfasts at our coral bistro set are a little slice of heaven. We’ll be gently encouraging both plants to make more of a canopy over the top- the smell while the wisteria is flowering is already amazing, but I’d love the smell of honeysuckle to take over later in the year. Eventually we’re hoping to get a wee outdoor sofa for this bit too, and a few outdoor fairy lights to take us into the evening.

(5) EVERYWHERE ELSE

One of the beauties of owning a mature garden is that everything more or else runs into everything else. So on top of those four main areas, there are big patches that we want to keep as higgledy piggledy as possible. We have bits that are dominated by nettles, swathes of ivy and enormous thistles that are taller than I am- but they’re all welcome to stay and provide habitat for hoverflies, caterpillars, bees and wasps. I’m pronouncing right here that there will be no such thing as ‘weeds’ in this garden- I’m not naive enough to think that we’ll be able to let everything grow wherever it wants, but I want to make sure I’m not getting rid of stuff just because it’s something that you’re ‘supposed’ to.

And so here ends the whistlestop tour. Obviously we’ve only seen the garden through a few months of the year, and while I’ll miss the glories of summer I’m excited to see it change with the seasons (and maybe post an update?). It’s such a privilege to be this place’s caretaker- from the pre-work cups of tea basking in the morning birdsong, to the clouds of butterflies on the newly flowering ivy, to the wiggle of a water shrew that we spotted one lunchtime, making its way over to the pond. It’s magic, and I still have to pinch myself that it’s ours.