Friday 1 May 2015

So far and yet so near

This week we fulfilled a long time ambition to see Derek Jarman's beach garden and the unique landscape of Dungeness. It was a journey seeking inspiration from the remotest corner of Southern England and the artistic genius of Jarman to take back to our garden on Islay. 

So what will we transplant from southern shingle to the windswept and salt lashed garden at Rowan Cottage?

1.   See the beauty in your own backyard - from washed up relics to inspirational garden 
      installations, gardens are so much more than plants. 


2. Stay low to grow - so many of our favourite plants have had their heads blown off, or       never even managed to get a head start, so stay low in windswept environments, or at least until our shelter belt has grown. 

So we return home full of inspiration and plans to spend time combing the beaches of Islay when we are next up in June and see where we can use Jarman's inspiration to create our own style beach garden.