
Today, after a very, very hectic weekend involving exhibitions, broken down cars and relatives visiting, school presentations and general chaos, my dad and I took ourselves off to take a deep breath in, calm our shattered nerves, and find a little bit of peace and quiet. And we found it.

In a garden centre!
Except this garden centre at Trago Mills, Newton Abbot, has built an array of gardens to show off different styles of planting... so we spent the afternoon having coffee and pottering round. This plot was called the Environmental Garden and out of all of them had to be my favourite. Hickledy pickledy and rambling (close to my heart!), made on a budget with local finds from the reclaimation yard... cottage garden plants were thriving in an old tin bath, a belfast sink and worn out tyres and an old bicycle was used to trail plants around.... so beautiful.

Then there was the Devon garden... the thatched cottage and beautiful cottage plants..

by the little clapper bridge and stream. Oh, be still my beating heart.

Then the Railway Children's Garden complete with a little cabin and of course..

a steam train!

beautifully planted with a mixture of vegetables and cottage garden plants and a white picket fence!

Then Canal Path gardens... complete with canal boat with beautifully planted window boxes on the roof, alongside..

a row of quaint individually planted little front gardens...


and last but not least,

the Cornish Beach garden, complete with Cornish boat!
They were all so inspiring, and to round the day off my dad bought me something rather special ....

The most beautifully scented climbing rose named Shogun, to travel up the side of my house and entwine itself in the wisteria....
Take a deep breath in ... can you smell it?!!
Have a good week everyone xx