The Gardens of England

For my first blog post, I thought I would write about the inspiration behind my ‘In the Garden’ collection here on Eleanor Thomas London.  We’ve been lucky enough to have some lovely Autumnal sunshine recently and still make the most of the outdoors, enjoying the flowers, birds and trees.  The gardens of England have a special place in my heart, and it began with one in particular – the wonderful garden at my grandparent’s house in Surrey.

I have the fondest memories of spending warm, sunny days in their garden, playing games and having picnics.  Although I grew up in the US, many of my summers were spent at my grandparent’s home, with a large garden that was lovingly cared for by my grandmother.  The garden was always so bountiful – full of beautiful flowers including roses, peonies, daisies, foxgloves and lavender to name a few, stone paths leading to secret nooks, a bench to rest in a sunny spot, a shady apple tree, and even a greenhouse full of peppers and tomatoes.  And my grandfather was a perfectionist at cutting the grass and getting those elusive lawn stripes!  My grandmother worked tirelessly in her garden and nothing made her more happy than when her family was there to enjoy it.  We often reminisce about our memories in ‘Nanny’s Garden’.

Fast forward to current life with 2 kids, and I still take pleasure in the special moments spent in the gardens, squares and parks of London.  A quiet moment spent sitting in the sun when my children were babies in their prams, to family picnics and watching my son play football, and laughter with friends for birthday parties.  When the weather is pleasant (in our case as long as it's not raining!), we tend to spend as much time as we can outdoors and are grateful for all of the green spaces in London.  I especially appreciate the feeling of calm and quiet when I now step into a garden, remarkable considering the busyness that is happening all around us in the city!