Press Pause in a World That Won’t

Do you ever feel like the world is spinning just a little too fast? Like it might be nice if everything could just stop, even for a moment, so we could catch our breath?

Life doesn’t really work like that, of course. The sun keeps rising and setting, the emails keep coming, the to-do list never quite gets ticked off. But here's the thing ,we can choose to pause. And there’s nowhere better to do that than in the garden.

The garden is a place of peace, a refuge from the rush of the real world. Whether you’re getting stuck into the soil or simply sitting quietly, it offers that sacred moment of stillness where you can just be.

Lose Time, Find Peace 🌸

You’ve probably had this happen before, you head out to do a “quick” job in the garden, and six hours later you’re still there. One task leads to another and suddenly the day has slipped by, unnoticed. That’s the magic of working with plants, it’s natural therapy, better than any mindfulness app you’ll find.

Right now is the time to deadhead Camellias and Rhododendrons, and to give them a light prune as their flowers fade. Don’t delay too long, plants like Camellias, Azaleas, Pieris and Magnolias set their flower buds in autumn, so pruning them late in the year risks cutting off next spring’s display.

🌿 Book a Garden Consultation with Peter

The Joy of Weeding (Yes, Really)

It’s easy to put off weeding, no one really looks forward to it. But once you’re out there, gloves on, trowel in hand, secateurs in the pocket, it becomes meditative. You lose yourself in the rhythm of the task, and somehow, the weight of the world starts to lift.

It’s not just the work that heals, either. Sometimes, the best moments in the garden come when we’re doing nothing at all.

Stillness in the Starlight ✨

Most nights, just before bed, I head out into the garden with a cup of coffee. And no, it doesn’t keep me awake, I’m turning into my father, who used to bring a flask of coffee to bed with him! But that small ritual has become important to me.

It’s a few minutes of silence before sleep, a chance to listen, to look, to breathe. And when I stop seeing the jobs that need doing, stop noticing the weeds or the dead blooms, I start noticing everything else: bats flitting across the sky, birds calling in the dusk, stars beginning to shine.

We miss so much in the rush of our day-to-day lives. But the garden has a way of bringing us back, back to nature, back to ourselves.

Your Garden, Your Refuge

Whether your garden is a perfectly manicured space or a wild, free-form meadow of your own making, it’s yours. And it should be your bolthole from the madness of the world, a place where you can lay down your worries, even just for a while.

I’m reminded of the great Geoff Hamilton, who, in his final episodes of Gardeners’ World, created his Paradise Garden at Barnsdale. A hidden space where he could escape, reflect and reconnect. It was beautiful, calm and deeply personal.

If you’ve never seen those episodes, do yourself a favour, find them online and watch Geoff build his sanctuary. It’s a gentle reminder that the most important garden we’ll ever create isn’t just made of plants. It’s made of time, intention, and a quiet invitation to pause.

🌼 Get Help Designing Your Sanctuary
🪴 Browse Garden Essentials to Support Your Space