I am starting to give some serious thought to what the garden will look like. I’ll be doing well to keep the weeds down but it’s depressing to think that way. So yesterday I cruised over to the next village where there is a house owned by, ahem, my favourite conductor, William Christie. I was in need of inspiration.

Back in the 80’s, I think, Christie bought a ruin. Since then he has rebuilt said ruin and surrounded it with a stunning garden, complete with a dovecote — all the doves are white, of course — a designer chicken coop with pedigreed chickens, an enormous pool of water, basically  the works. The photo above shows a bit of the monumental topiary that grow toward the front of the house.

I may never manage to grow a topiary that resembles the ocean waves. However I can create a garden with structured spaces, modest water features and a shady corner or two suitable for maybe just the briefest of naps.

I bet Christie started his garden by thinking that way, too.