Bird is the word: A week of giveaways

 
It’s day four of Wee Birdy’s blogiversary bonanza, and I’m absolutely thrilled that the giveaways have been such a rip-roaring success. Thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to enter so far - I’ve genuinely loved reading every single comment. Your favourite nostalgic scents have particularly blown me away! And I love that Wee Birdy’s readership is truly global.

My next giveaway, generously donated by leading British jewellery designer, Alex Monroe, is a very special goodie bag including an exquisite gold pea Alex Monroe necklace, valued at £108 (pictured above), a copy of his brand new book, The Gardener, and a jar of his very own home-made jam!*

The necklace is from Alex’s upcoming SS10 collection, and I got a sneak peek at the pop-up exhibition he held last week at Penhaligon’s Covent Garden boutique. The collection is based on his new children’s story, The Gardener, which was inspired by his passion for gardening. He has an allotment in Dulwich in South-East London where he likes to potter about and eat strawberries with his daughters.

To showcase his new collection, Alex painstakingly recreated a micro secret garden in Penhaligon’s, adorned with his delicate and ultra-feminine jewellery. There are tiny ant earrings, dragonfly necklaces, and a watering can charm, all rendered in gold, silver and precious stones. There's also a new, smaller version of his popular bee necklace.

To be in the running for the very special Alex Monroe goodie bag, simply leave a comment below, telling me what you’d grown in your ultimate dream garden. Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Please note that the winner will be chosen at random (either picked out of a hat or by a random number generator – TBC) and all competitions close on Friday 24 July at 6pm (British Summer Time). Winners will be announced on Monday 27 July.

*Depending on the winner’s location, jam may or may not be included (Australian customs, for instance, can be particularly draconian).

Thank you, Alex! For more Alex Monroe goodness, you may like to:
- check out his website here;
- read Alex’s Secret London addresses here;
- find your nearest Alex Monroe stockist here; or
- read Alex’s blog here.

Comments

[Betty Sioux]

In my dream garden I would have a couple of bee hives right at the end, a little shed I could use as an office covered in Ivy. Pots filled with sweetpeas (I love the way they smell, its more than beautiful)
A veggie patch is a must, full of carrots, cucumbers, sweetcorn, onions and leeks.
Sunflowers along a wall and plenty of bizzie lizzies please.
A few ornamental cabbages and hostas would be rather pretty and I do love african daisy's too.
Lavender and a rose bush with a cherry tree too.
To top it off, if im not being too greedy, id rather like a little tin bath filled with all sorts of herbs.
Colour and scents for me.

x.

[Fae]

Rows upon rows upon rows of unusual apple varieties! :)

[Emalie]

Alex Munroe's secret garden in penhaglion is the most sparkling one i have ever seen! It made me a little teary.

i once attempted a secret garden in a hidden, disused city courtyard with a friend and the neighbour complained that our potato plants would destroy the foundations of his building (madness!) and that was the beginning of the end.

But in my secret garden redux, i would have pretty, tiny mushrooms; i would make a secret study and find a way of talking all the little bright coloured fungi to grow. Thanks for your lovely competitions!

[spudballoo]

How utterly divine! The photos are wonderful, so British too..the height of whimsy.

My dream garden would include a rabbit ban. Or at least a ban on rabbits that eat everything, so that you have to put ugly chicken wire constructions over everything you attempt to grow. The even eat artichokes. Grr.

Sweet peas would be lovely, acres of them. And nicotina. Other than that, I'm happy with the garden we have. Apart from the rabbits. And occasional escaped horse (yes, seriously). And the moles.

Lovely give away, so unusual! I thought for a moment you'd made it yourself ;-)

[M*]

My dream garden is fairly simple. I'd love a number of different fruit trees so I can enjoy the blossoms in spring and the fruit in summer. I'd like to lie in their shade when it's hot and I'd like to rug up and enjoy their stark branches when it's cold.

[erika]

my dream garden is a quiet somewhat wild garden full of lilies of the valley. for the scent and the sight. if i ever marry i hope it will be at the time when the lilies bloom... i love your blog and have been reading it for mounths, even though i have never let you a note... take care, erika

[pat thomas]

In my dream garden I would have beautiful deciduous trees that let the sun in for winter and created shade for summer. I would have sturdy, well designed wooden garden furniture under the tree and lots of flowers and vegies surrounding the lawn area. The flowers would be chosen so that they would attract birds and right at the bottom of the garden would be a compost bin.

[Make Do Style]

So far me herbs are my treasures with purple sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, fennel and bay tree growing splendidly. My chives have passed and the mint has not flourished. I've just put in a gooseberry bush and a logenberry plant. We've also put in a bed for growing vegetables so I hope to be picking peas next year!

Thank goodness for wee birdy giveaways it is keeping me alive whilst bedridden with oink flu!

[Stéphanie]

Oh ! That's beautiful !

[Holly]

aww! soo beautiful
this blog has the most beautiful stuff!

[Holly]

My garden would essentially be one giant strawberry patch, some miracle variety that grows all year round (it is my dream after all!)

I suppose I'd need a few vegetables too; carrots, tomatoes and salad leaves. Plus some podding peas would be a treat!

This is a gorgeous necklace and a brilliant giveaway!

[nath]

masses of soft fruit, raspberries, loganberries, strawberries, blackcurrants. fruit trees! apricots, plums, cherries, mulberry and apple. nuts! almonds, walnuts and hazelnut. vegetables! artichokes, tomatoes, beans, peas, squash. flowers! calendula, poppies, sweetpeas, scabious, dahlias! herbs! varieties of mint, basil, coriander, tarragon. a place to sit and think, a willow bench perhaps under a tree. a place to cook and eat and share. and no slugs at all.

[Louise Naomi Best]

In my dreamy garden I would love to have some Aspen trees, they look a bit like Silver Birch but are completely magical in that they look like they have eyes on the trunks and branches. I would grow a fairy tale forest. Not only would the trees listen but they would see too.

[Sarah Elliot]

My dream garden would be full of fragrant roses. My grandmother had the most beautiful rose garden and whenever I go to Queen Mary's garden in Regent's Park, I smell the roses and think of her. I would also like a lovely bench that I could sit on and read all my favourite books.

[London plinth]

I LOVE Alex's work!My garden would grow all the ingredients for the perfect pimms- cucumber, rasberries, apples and mint!

[Georgina]

Hey Wee Birdy

I would grow a magic garden, trees and bushes that grew diamonds, saphires and pearls . . . I would then make beautiful jewellery for me and all my friends :)

Georgina

[Jessie]

My dream garden has tonnes of fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetables, but most of all: raspberries!!!! Love them. With a passion.

[claire]

what a beautiful necklace! i've always wanted a garden in shades or purple,blue and white with wild flowers and tall grasses. i've tried to grow it many times but always fail!

[Chris]

Ooh, Alex Monroe has the most beautiful, whimiscal pieces!
I'm not much of a gardener (to my mother's great dissapointment). Mostly due to the fact that I have an amazing ability to kill off plants. So my dream garden would most importantly be hardy and organic! I'd have lots of fruit trees for beautiful blossoms and yummy fruit - cherrys, apricots, apples, pears, almonds. I'd have almost every kind of berry imaginable - all of which magically bear fruit all year long. And I'd have rows of the sensible vegetables - potatoes, carrots, leeks, broccoli, peas - they all taste much better when home grown!

[Debi]

I would grow fairies at the bottom of the garden, next to the magnolia tree. I used to make pretend perfume in my grandma's house, and I would like to dream of this bliss.

[J.T]

Morning Wee Birdy,
In my garden I would have free roaming guinea pigs, they like parsley, so I would grow a bit of that.
I would also like to grow Night scented stock for the warm evenings to enjoy.

[Fionnuala]

A few nicely aged trees (cherry blossom, apple, maple or oak) to provide plentiful shade in which to read. Possibly a bench underneath, though a blanket would do me. Or a nice deckchair. Lots of grass surrounding these trees, space in which to loll or linger - I'm Irish, I love my open green spaces. Lots of roses, lots of lavender, lots of lilies all over the place - and lots more flowers that I don't know the names of*, colourful and full of scent. Loads of green plants - I don't like plant overkill. Mountains of soft fruit plants, particularly raspberries. A sizeable vegetable patch A little light-filled room, built of red brick, at the end of the garden for playing music, crafting, writing (it is my dream garden, after all) when such activities can't be done on my deckchair under the trees. Climbing plants would cover the outside of this little room - to have it look as if it's been completely overgrown. Rosemary and other fragrant herbs near my little room's door so I can smell them every time I enter and leave. A water feature bubbling in the background somewhere.

Yeah. I think that sounds pretty sweet.

*I see bright, tall yellow flowers in long grass, but smaller than sunflowers, if such a thing exists.

[Lee]

My dream garden would be the perfect mix of scent and sweets! Imagine the garden of willy wonka but combine it with scent of jasmine, the love of lavender and of course a chocolate scented cosmos :). Marshmallows would grow at the end of long stalks (easy to pick), chocolate minstrels could be shelled like peas and sherbet dib dabs would grow like asparagus. As I said just a dream but I think i'd get a lot of people helping me pick at harvest time.

[jen]

my dream garden would be a english country cottage garden, with lots of roses and old fashioned flowers, apple and pear tress and a veg patch at the end. I would def have a pond with fish and maybe a bee hive too, and there would be lots of lush grass to lie on in the summer

[Rose]

as you know I am a massive Alex Monroe fan, I really admire everything about his work and the way he and his team run the business. I can't wait to see the new jewellery and am very sad I haven't been able to go to Penhaligon's.

I would grow runner beans up a beautiful trellis in my dream garden. My Grandma used to grow them and one of my best memories of her is always picking, peeling and cooking the runner beans. All in high heels! (in her case, I wasn't allowed heels when I was five but she was when she was eighty- five!)

[KatieBee]

Cherry trees that blossom all year round, sweetpeas, lavender and trees with moss all over the trunks like a fairy forest... and the lady that lived at the bottom of the garden (or our next door neighbour) that passed away recently. She was a lovely lady, and every garden should have a Phylis at the bottom of it! xx

[fabhat]

My dream garden would have:

Sweetpeas for scent, busy lizzies for my best friend called Liz, rosemary for rememberance, white peonies like the ones I carried when getting married, old roses that smell of apples, a lawn that is always freshly mown, a camellia, honeysuckle and a sharply scented box bower that makes you feel like you're in a old film.

[julietdh]

oh me oh my! what a fabulous giveaway. my fingers are now permanently crossed!

Well... I'd have to grow a magical faraway tree in the middle of my secret garden. It would be surrounded by little maids all in a row which would sing sweet songs of sailors on stormy seas. The paths would be made of lime green velvet and lined with silver bluebells that tinkled and jingled when you walked. Through a hidden, ivy-covered door would be a meadow filled with butter-icing-cups, sweet Prince williams, and a host of daffodils singing with the voices of a Welsh choir.

[Brooke]

You walk into my dream garden down a little stone path. The grass is long, because even in my dreams I'm too lazy to mow. But still, it is soft under your barefeet. Definitely no bindies. The scents in my dream garden hit you first. Freesia. Gardenia. Lavender. Hyacinth. It almost makes your head spin. But don't get too intoxicated. You have to watch overhead, because big yellow lemons are always falling to the ground. There is a berry patch, and over in the corner, the ground is covered in a sea of tiny blue flowers. That's usually where I lay out my rug and lie with my husband and baby girl.

[Mette]

My dream garden, is an old overgrown and not to neat one. Tall trees, old fruit trees & bushes. Garden gnomes peeking out from everywhere, retro garden furniture and laundry blowing in the wind.

[Fran]

My dream garden would be a fairly unruly one with a bluebell forest at the end, an orchard with a pig and some chickens and a large vegetable patch near the back door of the house. And a large table and chairs for when it might be sunny.

[sarah]

summer - peonies, roses and trees that blossom (could be hard!)
spring - tulips, daffodils, lily of the valley, bluebells and crocus
autumn - lots of crunchy leaves from oak trees and conkers
winter - frosty trees and winter roses

have been yearning for some Alex Monroe jewelery, so keeping everything crossed!

love the blog - long time follower, first time commenter...

[Lindsay]

Strawberries and peaches, a big shady fig tree, a camomile lawn, sweet peas, honeysuckle and a bower of beautiful, blousy old fashioned liliac roses in my secret garden

[Cara @ Turvys]

Wow - the painstakingly detailed pieces are wonderful. This blog never ceases to amaze and delight me. So thank you for that.

I'm fortunate that I do indeed have a secret garden. It's looking a little overgrown right now, but one day I hope to restore it.

To be my perfect garden I'd have to grow all manner of sweet smelling cottage garden plants - aquilegias, night scented stocks, freesias and in a time honoured nod to my late grandfather - who showed me the garden I'd have to grow peas and carrots. If my family ever lost me - they knew to find me amongst his rows of carrots or peas, sat in the mud and just gorging on peas or muddy carrots!

[Sarah]

I only have a balcony, so have a few salad/tomato plants. I'd love to grow cabbage and kale and other green things for my house rabbit, Schmokesby, to nom on. He eats me out of house and home!

[Fabric Nation]

These giveaways are more amazing each day! The garden is quite magical. In my dream garden I would grow cauliflowers! I grew them once and I was overwhelmed by such a complex plant emerging from a tiny weeny speck of seed.

[Leah Bevington]

Oh I would grow peas. There would be some flowers, lettuces, carrots and what not but the main event and focus of the entire space would be peas...

[Delicious Industries]

Oh my what a giveaway it gets better and better everyday!

In my ultimate 'dream' garden I'd grow rows and rows of chocolate strawberries, have trees with golden apples and have lots & lots of marshmallow mushrooms.

[fester]

My dream garden would have bluberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, white currants and red currants!

[natalie]

Ooooh, let's see. My dream garden would definitely have cherry and almond trees. And lots of flowers. And, a permanent rainbow right in the middle. :)

[Siany]

Ooooh, mine would be like a secret garden! With wild flowers growing everywhere, and vegetables and lovely things. Honeysuckle so it smells lovely in summer :-)

And a cute little wishing-well at the bottom would be lovely too.

[Georgina]

My dream garden....what a lovely subject to think about on a rainy day! It would have to have a lemon tree so that I could go & pick a lemon when friends pop over for an early evening drink. Then a mix of lily of the valley, sweet peas, hibiscus, roses & peonies growing. A few pots of basil & thyme so that I could always grab a handful whilst cooking. Lavender plants with bees buzzing round. A string of fairy lights. And as this is a dream garden, a few hummingbirds on the hibiscus bushes. Finally a table filled with candles & jugs of Pimms for friends to enjoy X

[kelly]

well,I'd love to live in a house with a big garden,where I'd grow lavender,jasmine and lots of apple trees!

[Maria]

potatoes, potatoes, potatoes!

[Zoe]

My dream garden would include an orchard underplanted with plenty of bulbs. I'd also have to have a stream somewhere in there with big stepping stones. Not very much like my current garden in very suburban Birmingham, but at least I do manage delicious tomatoes, and this year, some fantastic sunflowers!

[Karen]

Wouldn't a dream garden just have everything under the sun? :-)

I think for me, wild strawberries, tomatoes and a grove of orange trees would be lovely, and lots and lots of peonies!

[Rhianwen]

In my secret garden I'd have sweet peas, snap dragons, lupins, gladioli, big blousy over-poweringly scented roses and peonies... And kangaroo paws... And maybe some faeries...

[Gem]

My garden wouldn't need to be big: an old terracotta planter would do. I'd cram it with redcurrants and gooseberries, and maybe a small sweetpea for the butterflies to land on. When I'd looked at the beautiful berries for long enough, I'd make them into granitas or tart little cocktails to share with my best friend Claire.

[Liz]

Big dusty tomatoes, bizarrely-shaped and bulbous (because the weirder they look, the better they taste). Plenty of peas to pick and pod (how many ps?!) over a glass of wine and a natter. Honeysuckle, lavender and a purple-leafed prunus tree for climbing. Most importantly a swing, from which, if you swing high enough, you can see the sea just beyond the garden walls.

Mmmmmm, can I be there now please?

Beautiful jewellery – such a lovely concept.

[Fiona]

Well, if this is a dream garden it would have to be the garden from Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory complete with flowing chocolate river. I'd be happy to do the gardening myself and wouldn't require any oompla loompas. Oh well, a girl can dream can't she?

[Sarah]

Definitely an orchard, with rows and rows of apple and pear trees - to make homemade cider! To enjoy over a picnic with friends in the sunshine...not that we seem to be getting much this 'summer'.

Gorgeous jewellery - I've been coveting a number of Alex's styles for ages.

[lishlash]

I'd have an orchard. and some green fingers please! can't grow anything green for love nor money!

[Linz]

My ulimate dream garden is of the minimalist Japanese style, so I wouldn't grow anything edible. But i'd have plenty of moss and lovely trees!

[Marie]

In my dream garden I would have plenty of roses, a big gooseberry bush, some nice trees, perhaps plum/cherry. Lots of herbs, all sorts of fun ones, and vegetables too. I would also have a big table where the family could sit together and dine outside on the few English evenings it's warm enough to do so! And finally a chimnea to keep us warm and burn my garden waste. And oops forgot a compost heap so I can be greener with my waste.

And thanks for running these WeeBirdy!

[Mads]

I would grow camellias in my garden. Loads and loads and loads of camellias. I love their scent, look, memories they bring back of the best trip ever to Japan last year with my beloved husband, and the Chanel connection.

[Hazel]

I'd grow swingballs is what I meant!

[Angela]

I adore Alex Monroe's work!

In the backyard of our little bungalow in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, we've created our dream container garden. We've planted green beans, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, onions, carrots and cayenne peppers (because everyone needs a little spice in their life). We also have lots of Lily of the Valley. It is the most fantastic thing to be surrounded by their lovely smell when they are in bloom.

Thank you for introducing me to Monroe's work! And thank you for offering such a lovely blog!

[Alma]

My favorite flower is the poppy, but they die off so soon in southern California, so I would love to have them year-round. I would also love to have some of the wild strawberries I've had in France. A girl can dream.

[Liberty London Girl]

I know I shldn't enter competitions but sod it, I love Alex Monroe.

My perfect garden would be full of roses, stocks, blowsy peonies, sweetpeas, alchemila and herbs. A English cottage garden in short.

LLGxx

[Kiara]

Such a pretty garden from Alex. My dream garden has always had a wee burn running down the end of it and a lovely sunny hammock (not that likely in Scotland but its a dream!) and lots and lots of peonies.

[Claire]

A little disillusioned with conventional medicine right now, I would grow myself a healing garden which I would share with the bees (for their lovely honey) and the butterflies (because they look so pretty):
Roses - cooling, relaxing and promote a sense of well being; Geraniums - refreshing and calming; Jasmine - uplifting and an aphrodisiac; Lavendar - balancing, beautifully scented and rather attractive to bees; and Lemon Balm/ Melissa - calming and a cure for insomnia for me and again rather irresistible for my friends the bees and the butterflies. To finish off this heady mix I would would grow bitter orange trees to give me Neroli (the most healing and uplifting of all) and also some cherry trees purely because I like cherries and when I had finished baking pies with them I could fall asleep feeling full and happy.

p.s. the pies and bees might also owe a small debt to my love of Pushing Daisies. I want to be be friends with Anna Friel's stylist!

[holly]

Wow! Weird synchronicity happening. I must have been under a rock but I had not heard/ seen Alex Monroe's jewelry until yesterday and now here he is again. My dream garden would be rows and rows and rows of sweet peas, heaping mounds of lily of the valley, loads of old damask roses and orange blossom trees... then non-smelling but gorgeous every shade of hydrangea possible. Fingers are seriously crossed that I am lucky on this draw!

[Anna]

I would have a pathway with arches running overhead with roses growing all around and with foliage hanging down. This would lead to a patio area with a bench and table with hundreds of potted plants shielding the bench making it the perfect reading hiding place.

I'd also have hundreds of crocuses and snowdrops growing along the red brick wall surrounding the garden.

There would have to be a vegetable patch with sweetcorn and onions - my favourites!

[Sarah-Rose]

My dream garden would resemble a forest, with a little room where I could sit away from the world. The room would have a an overhang under which I could sit in summer downpours.
There would be apple & cherry trees and a lot of daphne. My favourite fruit, flower, and scent.

[Sarah Bell]

Dream garden would involve a hammock, sunshine, a gentle breeze and lots of cherry blossom trees that were perpetually scattering the blossom and scenting the air...bliss.

[caroline]

I would have a graden that had the variety of plants and flowers that Colombia market has! :D I love looking out of the shop windows on a Sunday seeing the vast array of flowers!

[Bri]

I would grow every herb ever invented, along with lots of heirloom tomatoes and weird looking but delicious veggies, like blue broccoli. Lots of fruit trees and lots of PEONIES would be the best!

I love the way that he's arranged his collection - the grass is so lovely!

[elle]

jasmine, peonies and grey roses!

[Rie]

I'd grow hundreds of carrots mingled amongst raspberries and roses, with peas growing up through the passionfruit and honeysuckle!

[missy]

in my dream garden, i'd grow the most amazing flowers fruits and veg. then i'd grow the most gorgeous looking men to maintain it!

p.s
thanks for your blog. it has been so inspiring! and a life saver in a time when all i had was the lovely but hard work, of looking after a new born baby.

[Sneakymagpie]

Oh, this pea necklace is wonderful!

I've been planning my dream garden for a while, hope to have one soon. I would grow peonies and lavender for flowers; wild strawberries, gooseberries and black currants, a cherry tree (ideally yellow and morello, an apple tree and a flat peach tree. A hazelnut and a walnut treat. All the trees would go on the edges of the garden. I would also plant lots of herbs like mint, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives, dill. As far as veg goes I would probably grow all kind of salad leaves including sorrel, some peas, broad beans, courgettes, bit of carrots and beetroots, perhaps pumpkins. This would be my dream garden, with vintage pots, a bee hive, and a small table and chairs.

[Gemma]

My dream garden would have honeysuckle and old roses with soft colours. It would have lavender for the bees. It would have a herb garden with every herb my heart could desire and raised fruit and vegetable beds so that I could shop for dinner in my garden. It would have a mature apple tree big enough to sit under to eat long leisurely lunches with friends. It would have a pear tree and a cherry tree and maybe right at the end a few rambling blackberry bushes. My dream garden would have a few chickens and enjoying my dream garden would be my dream future - us, kids, a miniature long haired dachshund for me, a whippet for him and two cats for us all.

[Alexandra]

My dream garden woudl be very full - I love te idea of beehives and rose arches - and fruit trees. Definatley a vegetable patch and lots of pots full of herbs.
I went and had a nosey at the Alex Monroe exhibition in Penhalligons on Satruday - what a beautiful collection! Particulalry loved the tiny watering can and the stunning dragon flies.
I am absolutley smitten with his collections and have been pouring over them and reccommending all over the place!

[Laura]

I'd grow a big big cherry tree, our neighbours have one and last month I managed to bake two pies just with fruit scrumped from the branches which hang into our garden (I mean that makes it technically mine right??) Imagine how many pies you'd get from a whole tree....mmmmmmmmmmm

[Abi]

I went to a garden on the Isle of Wight that was full of beautiful wild flowers and I would love to recreate this. I'd also grow lots of things that could be eaten so strawberries, apples and as its a dream garden some pineapples and mangoes too....

[shukumei]

Lots and lots of roses, in all the colours of the rainbow. Especially purple and blue roses...

[Spannerchilde]

My dream garden?

Chickens, apple trees, roses, dogs, sweet peas, little secret romantic benches, a pond (with frog spawn), veg patch, lavender, forget-me-nots, fox gloves, guinea pigs, green house, hawthorn tree, summer house full of old wicker chairs and pretty flowery cusions, cosmos, daisies, frisbee, and a bonfire.

[Char]

I would grow my childhood garden - apple, plum and pear trees big enough for treehouses, lemon trees for birds to nest in, thornless roses, tree ferns, kiwifruit and grape vines, black and redcurrants, crab apple trees, quince trees, and lots of lawn for wildflowers!

[Pinkbirdy]

A garden of full of wild flowers and a huge cherry blossom tree so that when the wind blows the blossom falls like confetti.

[Jade]

Somewhere in the south of france. No idea what you can plant there besides grapes, but that'd be fine with me.

[Stacy]

For my dream garden, besides lots of fruits and vegetables, i'd grow an endless field of Lavender so that i can run through it like there's no tomorrow!

[Flora]

Goodness,I am overcome by all these incredible descriptions of dream gardens! I would like a magic wand to conjour them all into existence..

And Alex Monroe must surely be the most talented jeweler ever,storybooks and jam..

So in my dream fantasy garden, I would have pink cherry blossom trees with bluebells beneath. Magnolias,lilac and violets for springtime.And queen anne lace,rambling roses,columbines,sweetpeas,jasmine,peonies and shady willow trees for summer. Scarlet virginia creeper and dahlias,blackberries and apples in autumn and hellebores,hollyberries,cyclamen and camelias to brighten the winter days.
Oh I think this has been my favourite ever blog comment to compose and to read!
Thank you wee birdy xx

[Milo Bell]

In my Dream garden i would grow Forget-Me-Nots so i wouldn't....

[karen]

I would revisit the gardens of my childhood .......the narrow,flower banked path of my Grannies house, with tiny forget-me-knots that i'd pick for the dollshouse, and shiny Livingstone daisies..leading down to a fragrant pink rose arch and into the orchard,veggie patch where my Grandfather made me a swing on the apple tree with old wooden cotton reels up the rope: a huge butler sink by the shed which was always filled with murky water and teeming with creepy crawlies. O nce there was a newt.........my other Gran's summerhouse made with a mismatch of windows, next to a cherry tree which had a large plastic scary owl with 2 faces..........my mother's garden, grown with so many presents from me and her family and friends. And the tree that always had a blckbirds nest in it, and a fence from which the robin held court. A sunny patch on the lawn for the dog and furry rabbits ear plants to stroke.
Oh, and definitely lots of birdy visitors!

Thanks for this suggestion..........have to work out how to make it happen!!! :>( )=

[veronique]

a tree house......

[helen]

a garden full of citrus-coloured blooms with my love by my side and my two favourite little fairy girls frolicking amongst the long lush grass and the strawberry patch while a bright australian sun gently rains down its glory *sigh*

[Jessica]

A garden with different 'rooms' on different levels...a veg room, fruit room, herb room, english cottage garden room, japanese style garden room and a lounge filled with reclaimed antique garden furniture and a water feature in the middle! Ahhh.

Quite timely as waiting in today to get my plants delivered for my tiny front garden the husband and I are doing up tomorrow, with a mix of japanese and english plants that are bright green and shades of red...complete with bamboo hedges.

[Merschy]

My dream garden would be walled, on a cliff overlooking the Mull of Galloway. It would be softened by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. The deeply arched willow tree would in turn be buffeted and blown by the winds which would blow in from the sea, and standing proud in rows would be lines of sweet peas, pea pods, french beans and runner beans all supported by wicker frames. All around them on the ground would be straw, all the better for the strawberries, the squash, courgettes and pumpkins. All along one wall would be the sweet espaliered branches of pear and apple and in the small glass house in one corner would bloom the soft pink and white blossoms of pear and nectarine. And the rest of the garden would be a mesmering haze of herbaceous flowers - pinks, whites and blues. And there would be me, hoe in hand, smile on face. Luvverrly!!!

[fiona]

in my old granny garden there would be a massive vegetable plot with lots of flagstones so i wouldn't get my shoes muddy. i would grow aubergines and rhubarb, mainly, and i would give them to people who came to visit me as presents. my neighbour would always be in their garden and we would talk all day about crop cycles and how to get rid of weeds.

[laura]

I would grow a door that would lead into a secret garden, full of the heady sweet smells of a Midsummer night. Where insects would alight and fly from my hand and the flowers would swoon with excitement from the passing of each new Bee. The trees would be the most beautiful mossy green and the branches would be a shiny silver reflecting the light from the first few stars. I would sit, and just look, and breathe, and wait, and enjoy.

[Top Bird @ Wee Birdy]

Hey chickens, thanks for all your amazing entries, I've really loved reading about all your dream gardens.

Hi to all first-time commenters, hope to see you back again soon.

The comp is now closed, winners will be announced on Monday. Very exciting. Good luck! xx

[jafabrit]

What a fabulous presentation for this jewellry :) Unfortunately I couldn't enter the competition anyway because my idea of a dream garden is one that has a money tree growing in it LOL!

I tried when I was little in Hetton le Hole, and waited in vain as everything around grew and grew and grew except my little money tree.