There is nothing better than moving to a country village after spending most of your adult life living in the centre of large cities.
There are the obvious things that strike you like the quality of air, the huge amount of greenery surrounding you, and then there’s the feeling of space. You’ve got space all around you that isn’t filled with people. You feel a great sense of freedom, and it’s lovely.
But like anything that becomes part of our everyday lives, the new becomes the normal, and the normal starts to look not so perfect.
For me this came in the form of privacy. In Milan I was happy to lie in a park sunbathing in front of total strangers… and yet suddenly I’m feeling exposed in my garden full of deep beds, thick hedges, trees, and bushes large enough for me to lose a German shepherd in! I’m not saying it’s rational, but it does make me smile how we change.
As No 19 is in the centre of the village, on the corner with a road around it, and also lower than the surrounding village, the garden is actually overlooked and although you can’t see that much from the street, you can see anyone who’s in the garden.
This wasn’t a huge issue, but it was something I always had in mind when designing the garden here. The one spot that really isn’t overlooked is what was a little lean-to by the back door.
This had always been what we called a bbq area with a concrete floor, an outdoor stove, and a slightly sloping roof. It wasn’t attractive, but it was a nice spot to be in. It faces south west and catches the glow of the sun in the evenings.
As the garden evolved, I felt like I just wanted this lean-to structure to disappear and somehow blend into the garden that now surrounded it. I wanted to build something that would be invisible.
This is when I decided to make some alterations. I’d been given some sturdy posts with which I could construct a new frame. If I removed the roofing felt and boards then the underlying structure would be ideal for an arbour…
The grapevine was already quite well established, and there were roses like Rambling Rector growing a meter each season. I’d also planted Delphiniums, Lamb’s Ears, and many other perennials that nicely fill out this part of the garden.
I estimated that in a couple of years the new arbour would be a secret shady destination ideal for lunch, afternoon tea, or anything else.
I’d managed to put this project off for quite a while but once I started, it came together quite quickly. It’s amazing how small things look from a distance. I spent a good few days on top of that arbour and it’s pretty high up when you’re looking down.
Once we’d put in the new posts with concrete bases, we removed the old roof leaving just the skeleton. Then we took away the original posts which had totally rotted at their bases, and we lowered the skeleton roof onto the new supporting posts.
When everything was secured, it got a lick or two of black paint, and a new floor. I agonized about what to put down and in the end chose decking.
I used the old posts as a base and put the new decking on top making the whole area slightly elevated giving the surrounding greenery a jungle like feel.
This is now a perfect area to hide away in the garden. The roses, grapevine, Virginia Creeper, Clematis, and Honeysuckle are all taking off and this corner will be invisible in no time at all.
Lu and the cats love it there, I take pictures of my bags there as the light is perfect … it feels like a real getaway and it’s also a great place for doing my yoga and secretly eating cakes💚
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