My Tiny PlotMy New Garden
So we made it to Portland – finally. There were some stop offs on the way and immigration to deal with but we arrived late last week and started to settle in. Because there was so much to do in the house it took me a while to really explore the garden. It’s quite big – I’m not sure how big exactly but it wraps around the whole house so there are many different options for creating ‘types’ of gardens. The photo above is of the part of the back garden that has been made into a rose garden with (currently broken) fountain and many, many over-grown box bushes.
There are lots of pathways in the garden with wrought-iron gates hung from red brick walls. All very English actually. I feel right at home.
Some of the paths are being ‘reclaimed’ by nature. Well, that’s what happens in an untended garden.
The boys have a big lawn to play on, which is new for them. It’s a bit yellow because no-one has watered it for a while but I’m sure it can be fixed.
The view from house generally looks like this because all of the bushes that used to surround the house in a short, little, bordering kind of way are now behemoth monsters.
Hmmm… much work to be done. The few neighbours that we’ve met have been very friendly but every single one of them have said, “Well, I hope you like gardening!”
Fortunately, I do.
Hi! I just found your blog (through Twitter I think) and I’m going to be watching and reading with great anticipation your plans for your new gardening space!
Good luck in your new home. What a fabulous place to relocate to.
I can’t wait to see what you do with a garden of this size after all you achieved with your tiny plot. I’m sure it was a wrench to leave your garden in the UK, but this new one will more than make up for it and keep you happy for several years whilst you decide on your final garden style.
Is it possible to get a photo of the full garden – from an upstairs window maybe? I’m just curious to see the “before” and “after” photos.
I’m sure you’re little lads will have a great time in their new garden too.
Good luck – keep us posted when you get the chance.
Wow, it looks sooo good! And imagine what you will achieve in a year or three!
I so hope you share with us as you go along!
Looks like a lot of work but lovely to start with a blank canvas
It is beautiful as is.
Aw, how exciting … I am glad the move went so well. I can’t wait to see what you do with such a blank canvas of a garden. Enjoy. Best wishes in your new home.
How exciting and so different to what’s been before. I think you’re going to have fun!
My God-daughter just moved to the DC area from Portland where she had kept her first property with garden. The most difficult thing she found was the dryness of 4 months in the summer. She kept a rain barrel at each downspout to manage the watering during those times. Otherwise, stand back! The plants are going to get you! Best to you and your new endeavors!
Wow, it certainly looks spacious, can’t wait to see what you do with it. Am really excited for you. What’s the plan?
Wow! Loved followed your mtp blog but looks more like mep (my enormous plot). Looks beautiful. And I’m sure with your green fingers, it will look even more fabulous.
LUCKY YOU!!
Greetings, new neighbor, and welcome to Irvington! Delighted to “meet” you through this charming blog. I live around a corner or two on 16th, and also love fruit trees, sweet peas and thwarting slugs. I look forward to meeting you soon, and can’t wait to see how you transform that lovely bit of land.
Beautiful and what fun- I cannot wait to see the in progress pictures!
Wow!
That has made my skin tingle – what a simply fantastic garden, can’t wait to read all about it!
And an excellent idea of taking shots from higher up so you can compare – will also help with the planning.
Lovely to read your update and pleased to hear you all arrived safely. Looks like a nice project for you and I’m sure the transformation will be fantastic. Amanda x
I am so glad for you. It was very evident that you had outgrown mtp, and sometimes it is good to take a big leap.
The onlhy warning I can give you – you’ll never settle for less afterwards, and worse: your appetite might get bigger.
It looks like a wonderfull garden with all the opportunties. One advice: don’t cut the shrubs too fast. You might not like a particular shrub now but in a different season it might be your favourite. And instead of removing/chopping, maybe they look great when trimmed or relocated.
When we moved to our 9 acre plot which we intended to fully “garden” (and have done so)we didn’t sufficiently realise the importance of trees and shrubs. So the first year we removed a few too many – and we never planted any nice varieties for the first 7 years.
However you are lucky as from the pictures it looks like real gardeners have lived there before, you can start by “stirring” the place.
As for your lawn: never mind, doesn’t look that nice now but it does grow back.
What a beautiful space to get your hands on. There is something magical and secretive about its slightly wistful air of abandonment, but I’m sure you will transform it into a place with just as much magic albeit much better looked after!
Exciting project. I’d echo Tanja’s advice on the shrubs. Don’t make the lawn a priority – with kids playing on it, it’s probably going to look scruffy for some time to come. Make the paths tidy first and you’ll get a firm feel for the structure to the garden. Oooh, would just love to come and help! Have fun.
What a lovely garden – so glad the move went well. The little ones will certainly love playing in the new garden. I hope you won’t have to change the name of your blog to “My enormous garden”! Good luck we all look forward to seeing the changes you make and what you uncover after some ruthless pruning.
Welcome to America!
Great opportunities for you! When we moved to our current house we inherited a flat rectangle of unloved grass.
you need to change the name of your blog – no longer ‘tiny’!!!!
Looks beautiful and it sounds like you have plenty of flowers to go with the vegetables (I’m not sure if you’re happy with that or not :s) Good Luck with your new garden and home!
Welcome to your new home! And what a fantastic garden to have :-) I bet you’re imagining all kinds of wonderful creations with that huge space. It’s lovely to see that the garden is rather English, too. Happy happy days to you and your family in your new home, and I can’t wait to see / hear more about the house and garden!
Wowwww! I love Portland! I have followed your blog for a while. I love gardening, have young kids etc. Live in Kent. Anyway, I went on a tour of West Coast starting in Whistler and ending up in Portland. We are both scientists and he did a postdoc at the Volum Institute. That part of the world has an incredible atmosphere. I am so excited for you. Hope you like skiing and micro-breweries!! Good luck. Garden looks amazing already.
Welcome! Irvington is a fantastic neighborhood. I am near you in the Beaumont neighborhood. Don’t worry about the yellow lawn. A lot of Portlanders let their lawns go yellow in the summer. Less to mow! I can’t wait to see what you do with your yard.
Oh my goodness, what a sleeping beauty you have got there! And plenty of room for dens and tree swings too. I can’t wait to see how you bring it all to life… hope you still have the time to blog! Wish you all the best as you settle the family in to your new adventure.
Beeeeoooootiful! It has such potential and I’m looking forward to seeing the pics and reading the reports as you transform it. Makes my hands itch just to see it :)
Welcome to the States. I’ve enjoyed your blog for a couple years now, and I have no doubt that you’ll love gardening in the Northwest. My home is Seattle and I’ve found this region a terrific place to put down roots — both personal and vegetable. Good luck with all your new adventures and I hope you will be very happy here. Would love to meet you and your family if you’re ever up Seattle way!
Congratulations on your move to Portland, it’s a fabulous place and your garden looks like a wonderful canvas to make your mark on!
Welcome to America! I look forward to seeing what you do with your gardens. I’m located in SW Ohio (middle of the country) and have not had much success with my garden this year.
Oooo! So much potential! Enjoy your new garden, the boys are going to love all that space! By the way, are you going to rename your blog “My Not So Tiny Plot?” !!
Glad to hear your move went smoothly and I think you’ll love America. I lived in Cleveland about 10 years or so ago and it was a great experience.
Echo what someone else said about getting water sources for the garden in place. When the heat strikes in the summer it can be pretty scary trying to keep everything watered from the mains supply.