I think that June has to be one of my favourite months in the garden. Everything is lush and green with pops of colour throughout the beds. The garden seems to come into its own now, and brings us so much joy, before the heat of summer begins to tire things out.
We recently took part in our village's open gardens, and it was a lovely day sharing the space with visitors from both our village and the surrounding area. After five years of restoring and replanting the garden I was really proud of what we've achieved.
Out of all the plants in the garden the roses are definitely in my top 3, and they are looking especially beautiful just now. Many of them mark special events or people in our lives, and so when they are in full bloom they also bring memories and emotions to the fore.
We’ve had blackbirds nesting in the ivy behind the woodshed. The chicks have now fledged, and one in particular seems especially bold. It’s taken to hopping about near the herb garden and has even ventured into my studio as if checking in on what I’m making!
With my summer exhibition only weeks away, June has also been a month of prolific and frantic making!
This weekend the main focus is to complete a huge piece that will be a snapshot of our garden in all its summer glory. It involves hammering leaves and flowers directly into fabric to release their pigments and textures. Once that's completed I’ll be hand stitching over the top.
I’ve been wanting to try this technique for a while, and have done a few trial runs but when I found a lovely big calcico door curtain, that is the perfect size, I knew I was on my way! I prep’d the fabric with soya milk - hopefully that’s going to ensure that the pigments don't fade. Having drawn out the different areas of the garden, such as the kitchen garden, and long border I tested each plant on some cotton fabric before committing anything to the larger piece.
It’s not quite the restful, meditative process I’m looking for with my work! Hammering leaves into fabric is surprisingly loud, and I’ve found myself wearing ear defenders in the studio — not something I can see featuring in any future Rest & Restore workshops!
Alongside all of this, we’ve been busy in the vegetable garden and at the allotment too. Despite a slow start to the year — and me being very wrapped up in my MA — the garden is finally beginning to provide. We’re picking salads and herbs regularly now, and the fruit bushes and trees are looking laden with promise. The cucumbers and courgettes, meanwhile, are romping away like triffids, a reminder that once June gets going, nature rarely holds back.