A Love Letter to my Garden

This piece in my sketchbook is an ode to my love of gardening! For over 10 years I lived in London in a series of flats with absolutely zero outdoor space, and yet a strong desire to grow things. I dabbled with growing things in pots on windowsills or in the front garden, but invariably things got blown over by the wind or stolen by passers-by, so I gave up and waited until I had a garden of my own. All that pent-up gardening energy means that I have thrown myself into looking after my garden with full force. Most evenings I can be found outside pottering around with a watering can and a pair of secateurs, deadheading and weeding, and just generally admiring.

My garden is pretty well established and some previous owner down the line has done some very thoughtful planting, which means every few weeks we are treated to a new surprise, with irises, hollyhocks and lilies popping up. I’m also full of plans for what I’d like to grow next year, I’d really like to try growing sweetpeas and zinnias. There’s always something to look forward to and something to do with the garden, I’m looking forward to picking tomatoes later in the summer, I’m excited about planting bulbs in the autumn, and i’m waiting with bated breath for my many dahlias to bloom. I could actually ramble about my garden for days, so I will stop now.

This piece was painted with gouache, coloured pencil and neocolor pastel in my Odd Orange sketchbook.