When we moved here to the Isle of Wight I expected the winters to be milder than in Kent, but have been really surprised by just how much. For an example....the calendula in the bed on the left (took all day to weed!) have flowered all winter as have the pelargoniums under the living room window, and the Honesty in the same bed.

Next bed to tidy up is the one just in front of the camera here.

The front garden is still as it was when we moved here 3 years ago. Not our taste, and I hate mowing it. I have big plans for a gravel garden as it is so dry in summer, and we need to make a bit more parking. It won't be concrete parking though...just slightly firmer gravel. I am hoping to do all this work myself...this autumn I think when it softens up again but before it gets too soggy.

I have plans for some holly bushes, pampas grass, skimmia, and lots of orange, mauve and red smaller flowering plants. I want it to be a riot of colour, for as many months of the year as possible. And just round the corner of the house, by the gate, I want a lot of hollyhocks and foxgloves. I had them in my old garden and miss them.

It was very pleasant weeding today....and then I read an article (prompted by "The Allotment Junkies" blog that explained why gardening makes us happy) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6509781.stm
I always wear those little thin medical rubber gloves to stop the dirt going up my nails, but gardening still has a sedating effect on me. Perhaps they should research into the effects of breathing in the soil's atmosphere rather than actually getting it under the nails.