My front garden is on a very busy street in London and it’s tiny, measuring only 13’ by 4’. But a few years back, I decided to treat it as more than haphazard home for recycling bins and bestow upon it the honour of being a ‘proper’ garden. It is now my passion. And a smile-magnet for the neighbourhood.
My husband built a cupboard in which to stack the bins and I used the surface as a ‘theatre’ for little vintage pots. I introduced a slender flowerbed behind the front wall and a strip of slate to provide a sliver of standing room and space for containers. With a trio of window boxes, I maxed out its potential.
I change it throughout the seasons, mainly by ‘painting’ with pots of flowers and foliage. The first spring, I went crazy for tulips, from the ruffly romantic to the ravishingly raven. Once they began to unfurl and shake out their petals, that’s when the passers-by started to stop. And take pictures. And selfies. I began chatting with people from the neighbourhood who I’d never met before. About gardening. About nature. About life. Many are now good friends who I would never have met had it not been for my little front garden. And you can do the same. Or just enjoy the show here.
Join me for new posts and follow on Instagram and TikTok as I offer inspiration, information and entertainment. And I want to see your front gardens too. Because l'm on a mission to show that any front-facing space can be a place not only to grow plants but to cultivate community spirit and spread the joy, throughout the UK and beyond. Follow us and watch us grow!
