Libby

I absolutely LOVE a before and after, particularly when I haven't had to do the work myself 😂. These pictures are only 15 months apart 🤔🧐. I had to go and check my photo dates as I started wondering if I was a year out, but I'm right, just over a year. Now I figure in hindsight I should have done something clever with quadrats and transects to sample the biodiversity before and after to show how much it has changed, but I didn't. I have however started the buzzometer where I say things like 'gosh the bees are very loud today'. It's all very technical 😂. I think of the garden like a rainforest. The forest floor (ground cover) , the understory (shrubs and taller plants), the canopy (trees) and the emergent layer (angelica 😂). The layering is bringing in the wildlife, I promise you it works. Currently the ceanothus, hydrangea petiolaris, solanum glasnevin, cordyline australis and allium are acting as bee magnets (comedy scenes yesterday when I got a bee stuck in my hair 😭). The buzzometer is off the scale and I'm over the moon about it. As long as they stay out of my hair.... 🐝🐝🐝💚 #mygarden #mygardentoday #garten #jardin #smallgarden #urbanmeadow #cottagegarden #cityoasis #gardensofinstagram #gardening #gardener #gardengram #gardenlove #cottagejungle #landscapedesign #smallgardenideas #gardeninspiration #urbanjungle #beforeandafter #gardenrenovation #biodiversity #wildlife

There are two seasons in Scotland, June and winter 😂 - Billy Connolly 💚 Welcome to June 😍💚💚💚 #mygarden #mygardentoday #garten #jardin #smallgarden #urbanmeadow #cottagegarden #cityoasis #gardensofinstagram #gardening #gardener #gardengram #gardenlove #cottagejungle #landscapedesign #smallgardenideas #pergola #allium #geum #flowerstagram #cottagestyle

My lovely dad died 30 years ago today. It simultaneously feels like forever ago but that no time has passed at all. We've all experienced that same feeling at some point in our lives but I think it's worth remembering when it comes to gardening. There's a saying that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. Which always makes me laugh. But actually if you haven't done that, or no one has done it for you, then the best time to plant a tree is now. Because in 10 or 20 years time you'll be able to look upon that tree, and remember planting it as a tiny sapling, and it'll feel like forever ago but also like no time has passed at all. And even if you think you might not be there to enjoy it in 20 years time, someone else will, and they will be glad of the fact that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, by someone who realised that the passage of time is nothing. #mygarden #mygardentoday #garten #jardin #flowerstagram #gardendesign #smallgarden #urbanmeadow #rewilding #lifenotlawn #nature #gardeninspiration #urbanjungle #gardensofinstagram #gardenlights #gardenarch #gardenpath #pergola #festoonlights #plantatree

I'd been planning this little garden room for the previous 15 years, and when we finally got the green (🌿😂) light to go ahead I started to work out exactly how it would function as an inside-outside garden extension. I planned indoor trees, waterfalls, birds chattering and probably mermaids. (Welcome to my mind 😂). What I didn't envisage was a 65 inch TV. 'Are you sure you need a 65 inch TV in here??' Yes apparently 😬. I'm one of those people that never watches telly. I don't know how to turn it on, I get cross with the remote control. I ask teenagers (cue the eye rolling) and I generally refuse to learn. But I figured I didn't live in a vacuum, and watching sport is brilliant, so I set about working out how to make it happen without ruining the vibe of the space. We designed this cabinet and it was made by the @thecabinetshopuk. It gets sent as basic MDF so needs a bit of skill to assemble but you can design whatever you need, and then you can paint it. We bought an Allcam TV riser which is bolted to the floor and stuck the TV on it. I still don't know how to work the TV but the whole set up is brilliant. There are fewer trees and mermaids than I'd hoped for but it's all about compromise right? 😂 I know from my messages that lots of you are plotting garden rooms. If you need it to be multifunctional I'd highly recommend a similar set-up. Hard work but worth it 💚✨🌿 #gardenroom #interiordesign #biophilia #biophilicdesign #tvcabinet #plantdecor #houseplants

Transformation Tuesday 🥳😂. I went back into the archive to photos from 20 months ago to show the process of putting the cobbled path in. I've recently had a number of people asking me how I did it and specifically what cobbles I used so I'll summarise it briefly. We (I say we 😂), dug a trench about 20cm deep, loaded in a few tonnes of aggregate (tough day for me 🤥😂) and then hired a wacker plate to compact it. My other half resigned at that point. Then we raked over a bed of sharp sand and I started laying kandla grey sandstone cobbles that we bought from (@meltonstone1 ). I had a soft mallet for bedding in the stones and also for exploding my left thumb near the end of the project. New sweary words were invented on that day 😭😂. We put sika fast fix in the joints when finished. I sealed the stones with lithofin as sandstone is super porous and stains. You can see how much of a mess we made and how quickly the garden recovered, and now is the best time of year to be landscaping, on the days where the ground isn't frozen anyway 🥶. It's hard to start a big project and it's even harder to finish one. Play this song to yourself on repeat, be unstoppable, and make your garden beautiful 🥳✨💚🌿 #transformationtuesday #gardeninspiration #gardenbeforeandafter #gardenrenovation #beforeandafter #exteriordesign #landscapedesign #smallgarden #smallgardenideas #gardenpath #cottagejungle #cottagegarden #urbangarden #cityoasis

Another beautiful week in December fortunately dodging the storm that has been raging elsewhere. Saturday was an indoor day 🌧️🌪️, and Sunday was perfect for bulb planting, which I didn't manage as fortunately for me I was working again. It feels like a pattern is emerging 😂. The garden has branches laden with winter blossom, the erigeron in the wall is still flowering (somehow) and the erysimum Bowles mauve is too (ditto). If you don't have these two warrior plants in your garden I strongly recommend you fix that 😂. The rest of the garden got the memo from Pantone that the colour of the year for 2025 was mocha mousse, and it is very brown. I'm thinking mocha mousse is an improvement on the peach fuzz from last year which as far as I'm concerned only works on a flower. I have already embraced the mocha colour by planting a bare root Koko Loko rose, and if you want to be Pantone ready (or even if you don't 😁) I highly recommend you get one too, they are beyond beautiful 💚. I have finished adorning everything with fairy lights. Probably 😂✨✨✨ #wintergarden #wintercherry #blossom #prunussubhirtellaautumnalis #smallgardentrees #smallgardendesign #gardeninspiration #biophilia #biophilicdesign #gardenroom #cottagegarden #winterflowers

Inside-outside living. In Scotland. In December. Be bold 😂😂🥶🌿🌸🌳 #wintergarden #cityoasis #wintercherry #cottagejungle #cottagegarden #gardeninspiration #smallgarden #urbangarden

3.40pm 🧐😂. There's no point fighting it to be honest. It's proper dark and still two weeks till the shortest day, may as well just light the candles ✨😂 I always have a bit of a Brooklyn Beckham elephant moment when taking photos of the cherry trees in blossom (cherry blossom in Edinburgh, so hard to photograph, but incredible to see 😂). But really, they are amazing in the low light of winter, the blossom is slightly iridescent and the tree just glows. And my goodness I have plenty of low light 😂. The garden scene is otherwise looking a bit scratchy, but I only have eyes for the blossom. If you have a spot in your garden that could take a tree, and you can see it from the house in winter, you could do a lot worse than plant a prunus subhirtella autumnalis rosea. If the photos don't convince you, you might just have to trust me 😂 Happy Friday to you all 🥳🌿🌸💚🌳 #prunussubhirtellaautumnalis #wintergarden #winterlights #wintercherry #smallgarden #smallgardentrees #smallgardenideas #smallgardendesign #blossom #cityoasis #cottagejungle #cottagegarden

A round up of a wonderful November. There was snow, there was bikini weather (almost), there were still flowers to cut. The pot-et-fleur table arrangement was made and stays with the odd refresh, the tree fern is happy staying inside and I accidentally grew a fungarium 🍄😂. Welcome to December. Let's be having you 💚💚❄️✨🍄🌲 #November #gardeninspiration #autumngarden #biophilia #biophilicdesign #gardenroom #fungarium #terrarium #cottagejungle #cottagegarden #wintergarden #winterlights #festoonlights

More gorgeousness provided by November. Hard frosts followed by a beautiful mild weekend that was perfect for bulb planting. Luckily for me I was working all of it 😤 so hopefully my tradition of planting bulbs in driving rain and freezing conditions will continue for this year too 😂. I put some more greenery up in the room and the intentional Christmas is so far going well. It sounds like it's not just me trying to make a thing of it this year. For one reason or another I think many of us are feeling the need to re-evaluate and reconnect with what's important to us and I think that in itself is to be celebrated ✨. My wonderful friend visited and brought me these incredible vases for my birthday. They are glazed internally so are watertight and the surviving tangerine geum has been given pride of place. Cuttings are currently a bit thin on the ground. Last night the visiting hordes managed to smash a glass vase 😬 but while cleaning up I discovered I've accidentally grown a fungarium 😂. It looks like some sort of AI landscape and Rudy and Noodle found the whole thing fascinating 🙀😂 The blossom on the winter flowering cherries continues to open (apologies for less beautiful fleece in shot). You'll be relieved to hear I have not cooked. Might resort to mushrooms 😂🍄🍄🍄 #gardenroom #fungarium #terrarium #catsofinstagram #blossom #wintergarden #winterfloweringcherry #biophilia #biophilicdesign #urbangarden #cityoasis #cottagejungle #cottagegarden

Well goodness it is cold, but fortunately for me this is the time of year where I put some winter feathers on in readiness for the depths of January. Turns out I'm slightly more downy than anticipated and there was a low whistle when I stepped on the scales this week 😂. My son heard the situation evolving and kindly asked me if it was going to be 'one day or day one?' 🤨 And that's the kicker about parenthood. One minute you're changing nappies, and the next they're throwing profundities at you before your first coffee 😂. I find that I'm really good at doing one thing well: I can do the garden, or the house but not both (see kitchen pics 😂), I can do nutrition or fitness, but the idea that you can do it all at the same time is for the birds 😂. Which brings me nicely back to the winter feathers, which allowed me to be able to open the door and take a photo of the beautiful blossom which is joining the party despite being minus 3. It glows like outside fairy lights. Tell me again why you don't have a winter flowering cherry tree? 🌳🌸😂💚🌿 #winterfloweringcherry #prunussubhirtellaautumnalis #blossom #smallgarden #smallgardentrees #smallgardendesign #urbangarden #cityoasis #wintergarden #biophilia #biophilicdesign

Noodle was understandably horrified 🌲. I don't blame her really, it is November after all 😂. But I've made a conscious decision to do things differently this year, and for the first time in a long time I plan to actually celebrate Christmas. I've grown up in the UK and the festive season is an unmissable part of the calendar for both secular and religious regions. It's also my busiest time at work, and for the last 25 years it's been something to get through rather than look forward to. Working Christmas day is a privilege, and I take pride in joining the millions who also put family and friends to one side to make the country safe and functional throughout the holiday period, but it definitely takes something away from the experience. This year I've decided to try and find the joy and magic in it again and make an effort to make the time memorable. No longer will I judge multicoloured flashing trees and mince pies in October (although mince pies are terrible 😂). If someone wants a thousand icicles on the house and an inflatable Santa hanging off their chimney then brilliant 😂. I'm putting up my decorations, writing cards and posting presents to friends and family I can't be with and I am going to reclaim the Christmas period as a positive in our lives. A positive despite terrible mince pies (and don't even get me started on marzipan 🤢😂). So there you go. An unapologetic November Christmas tree. And an appalled cat 😂🌲💚 #winterlights #interiordesign #gardenroom #indoorplantsdecor #biophilia #biophilicdesign #catsofinstagram #fairylights