English Country Garden

Three Simple Ways To Encourage Insects Into Your Garden

/ David Marsden / 31 Comments

I've always thought that if I can entice insects and wildlife into my garden, then well... I'm doing something right; A nicely camouflaged thick-legged flower beetle on love-in-a-mist even if I don't always notice them, I'm doing something right. Hornet on Dahlia 'Twyning's After Eight' Of course, we all know that insect numbers are falling … Continue reading Three Simple Ways To Encourage Insects Into Your Garden

We Made A Garden, Part 2

/ David Marsden / 21 Comments

Here's more on the house and garden we bought in 2005 (and - spoiler alert - left in 2010). Beware - Grumpy Terrier The front garden of the cottage was, as you can see, overgrown when we arrived and clearing the undergrowth was a major task. But hey, I didn't care. I had my first … Continue reading We Made A Garden, Part 2

We Made A Garden, Part 1

/ David Marsden / 35 Comments

Here's the first part of a post about a house Jim and I bought in the summer of 2005. It's one of a (not very) regular series of posts about gardens and houses we've owned over the years. (Being so very historic, you'll need to excuse the quality of these pre-digital photos - or don't, … Continue reading We Made A Garden, Part 1

Win A Copy Of ‘The Cotswold Wildlife Park, A Celebration Of The Gardens’

/ David Marsden / 74 Comments

Yesterday, at their invitation, I drove to The Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford in Oxfordshire.  I hadn't been before and only a complete cupcake would say no to an invite for a free lunch, a guided tour by head gardener, Tim Miles, and free access to the Park, its marvellous animals and lovely grounds. Lunch … Continue reading Win A Copy Of ‘The Cotswold Wildlife Park, A Celebration Of The Gardens’

You Would Cry, Dave

/ David Marsden / 84 Comments

It wasn't my garden, of course. I didn't own it, I didn't pay for it - at least not with money. And when I left The Priory, my responsibility for the garden ended.  I stopped being its gardener in August 2018 but my love for the place didn't end then, nor my fascination.  It's been … Continue reading You Would Cry, Dave

At Last, The Priory

/ David Marsden / 117 Comments

So that's that then. The end. Ten years after starting work at The Priory - almost to the day - I'm leaving. I've spent about a fifth of my life here: a sobering realisation as I hurtle through time with no brakes. If this summer has been too fiercely hot and dry for Sussex gardening, … Continue reading At Last, The Priory

The Priory In June

/ David Marsden / 56 Comments

I will be leaving Sussex and The Priory very soon.  And if I'm excited about my future life in a different part of England, my lower lip trembles sometimes at the thought of leaving this garden; a garden in which I've spent hundreds and hundreds of my days.  (By a rough calculation, more than 1500). … Continue reading The Priory In June