{"id":11390,"date":"2022-05-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=30314"},"modified":"2022-05-27T11:31:09","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T09:31:09","slug":"alys-fowler-on-why-she-loves-her-garden-and-the-oldest-gardening-book","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/alys-fowler-on-why-she-loves-her-garden-and-the-oldest-gardening-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Alys Fowler on why she loves her garden and the oldest gardening book"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Sophie Hannam\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 27 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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I fell in love with my home\u2019s south-west facing garden. When I viewed it for the first time, I walked right through the house not looking at a thing until I had seen the garden. The first piece of furniture that I bought was an art deco sofa<\/a>. It cost me a whole month\u2019s pay and I think it was made for a bedroom, where someone might drape across it. A few years ago I came to my senses and realised I\u2019d never have a bedroom<\/a> big enough for it, so I sold it locally to a mum and her son. They came to try it out and fitted on it together perfectly and said they\u2019d use it for reading. It found its rightful owners in the end.<\/p>\n

The most recent addition to my home is a funny box seat that I found on the street. It looks like it was made in the late 1940s. The craftsmanship is lovely, but it needs stripping and repainting. At the top of my interiors wishlist are some big velvet cushions. I have a lovely chair from the 1930s that my mum bought for me that folds into a daybed. I think I\u2019ve found the perfect cushions for it, but I\u2019m just deciding whether they should be a bold pop of colour, or blend with the room.<\/p>\n

My home in one word is a Wunderkammer [a cabinet of curiosities]. I collect a lot of curious things: from moose teeth and badger skulls to dried moss. I\u2019m mostly drawn to pieces of nature, but I also like to buy art and I have a growing collection of hand-carved spoons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The best thing about my home is the garden. I don\u2019t actually think of it as a room per se, but it\u2019s the part of my home that I love the most. I like it because, unlike interiors, there\u2019s no control going on: it exists and I tend to it.<\/p>\n

My most treasured possession is a hand-forged pair of scissors from Romania, which a long-ago boyfriend brought back. I\u2019ve never had to sharpen them and they handle like a dream.<\/p>\n

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Similar to Alys\u2019s pair from Romania, these Utility Scissors cost \u00a34.95 at Rex London<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

My favourite place to shop<\/a> for my home is The Rag and Bone Shop in Machynlleth, Wales. Almost all my purchases come from there \u2013 most recently I bought a tiny prayer stool.<\/p>\n

At the moment I\u2019m reading a modern translation of the oldest gardening book<\/a> in the world, Sakuteiki. It\u2019s about Japanese gardening around 1,000 years ago, but it feels like it could have been written yesterday. I\u2019m desperate to learn kintsugi. It\u2019s the Japanese practice of repairing cracked pottery with a gold or metal lacquer \u2013 I have a lot of chipped pottery to fix!<\/p>\n

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This Kintsugi plate from Seletti costs \u00a333 from Amara<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Currently, on a free day you\u2019ll find me in Wales, hunting for a plot of land on which to self-build a cabin and grow some fruit trees. I decorate my home for Christmas in a pagan way. This year I\u2019ll bring some evergreen foliage into the house and some holly or ivy to garland<\/a> around, but not much more. I like to be able to compost Christmas. I often decorate the tree in my front garden, instead of one in the house.<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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