Bloomfield Cottage, it's a lifestyle: November 2014

It`s always a massive decision to open your garden to the public. We only do it every 2 - 3 years.

When people start coming through on the days and commenting on how much work it must be... well... it`s usually way more. I`m sure all creative people suffer when they show their craft. Will people like it? Is it up to par? Will they see it as I do? And so, we work right up till the gates open, beautifying, planting, raking, mulching and so on. Often I would begin my day straight after breakfast and not come in until dark. My sister came to stay and basically fed me cups of tea and cakey buns and kept house whilst I plodded on weed spraying, pruning hundreds of roses and raising seedlings and planting masses of colour. Spading edges! - the good old English way, is time consuming but looks so sharp and neat with flowing garden beds. Pity it doesn`t stay that way for long.

It was a great success, even though the weather got extremely hot - especially on the Sunday afternoon with temps reaching 38 degrees (celcius). My wonderful husband sat under an umbrella at the meet and greet table all weekend and cheerfully greeted about a hundred visitors, directing them to go up the path to the verandah and start from there. Many garden visitors are reluctant to intrude on your privacy- traipsing around verandahs and into green and glass houses, so we encouraged them to wander everywhere, sit in comfy chairs and go down all hidden pathways nooks and crannies. There is just too much to miss and of course the views from one side of a hot sunny garden bed are totally different from behind the same bed where it is shady and cool. This is usually where you will also find a garden sculpture, birdbath or something of interest to pull you in.

So come with me, blogger buds, and I`ll take you around Bloomfield Cottage for a look at her in all her glory. Here`s some of what our visitors saw....

So come on, up the driveway past the post and chain fence of Ballerina rose......

Through the arbour towards the verandah and house gardens. These beds being closest to the house have the more fiddley colour co-ord beds full of roses, annuals and perennials.

The shady spots have the more tender plants like Anemones and pansies

While the hotter sunny spots are filled with Roses, Salvias, Perennials and Annuals

If you follow the verandah all the way around to the far side you will come upon our entertainment area where we had the morning tea, plant stall and the display from our local Rose Society in `Floating Rose Bowls` which was a great hit with visitors.

Psst - You may have noticed the tops of the topiary's hasn't been pruned :)

Well I had a White-tail spider bite on my ankle, and couldn't climb a ladder!

Some of the beautiful roses donated for the occasion by my local rose society friends.

After your cuppa and cake and a chat It`s time to explore further afield....

Remember! this is Rose season, and it`s shaping up to be a corker. I am expecting to exhibit my roses next weekend at our local Rose Show, and for a change it looks like I`ll have plenty.

Now we`re heading down towards the rose Beds and the Koi Pond. You will also find the dovecote where our fantail pigeons live and the bee hive.

Mid Spring is a beautiful time in the garden, especially if you get good rain at just the right time, which is just what we got this year! It is hard to fathom the difference in seasons from last year. We had no rain all winter and went straight into bushfire season in Spring! Check out my post titled - `Spring went straight to hell`. I bet you`ll be shocked!

The pond is always a popular spot as the koi fish will keep you entertained while you rest on the shady park bench.

When visiting a large garden it is always wise to stop and take in the views from different areas around the property, sit at any provided seating to take it all in. There are many `windows` throughout the gardens - views through framed greenery.