The Garden That Started it All: How We Found Our Home Over 15 Years Ago
More than fifteen years ago, when our second son was born, we found ourselves at a crossroads. We were living in a two‑bed bungalow that we had spent the past seven years renovating and absolutely loved. We had plans to convert the garage into a kitchen, open up the space and create a third bedroom to make it work for us long‑term — but there was one sticking point we couldn’t get around: the garden.
It was tiny – a small patch totalling 10 x 10 metres.
We approached the neighbour behind us, whose long, unloved strip of garden ran parallel to ours, to see if they would consider selling a portion. We thought they would consider it as they were renting out the property but, unfortunately, they weren’t interested. So, although I didn’t want to move, I knew deep down that if we wanted another baby and a bit more breathing room, we’d eventually need a bigger house and a bigger garden.
I still cringe when I remember telling a friend that I wanted a garden “we could get lost in.” Romantic, yes. Realistic? Not at all.
But then we found it — our 1930s home with a garden that stretched far beyond anything we had seen in our price range. It wasn’t quite big enough to get lost in but it was big enough for our boys to kick a ball and climb a tree.
The bottom third had been fenced off and abandoned. The grass was as tall as our heads. I remember standing in the back bedroom with the estate agent, looking down at the garden and asking whether that fenced‑off section was really part of the property. He confirmed it was — and admitted he thought it would put us off.
It had the opposite effect.
Behind the garden was a small copse, and because we were viewing in June, the trees were fully in leaf. The whole space felt rural, peaceful and full of potential.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Like many 1930s homes, it came with a huge asbestos garage built from textured bricks, sitting right in front of the kitchen window. Plus, in the middle of the lawn, planted in the most inconvenient spot were a few apple trees and a plum tree.
But we didn’t see problems. We saw possibility.
This is the story of how our garden journey began — the first chapter in a series that will take you through everything we have done since: the clearing, the planting, the mistakes, the wins, and the transformations that shaped the garden we have today.
- The Garden That Started It All
- Why We Needed to Move
- The Bungalow We Loved (But Outgrew)
- The Garden That Was Too Small
- The House-Hunting Moment That Changed Everything
- Falling in Love With a 1930s Home
- The Garden That Took Our Breath Away — For All the Wrong Reasons
- The Bottom Third: A Wild, Forgotten World
- The Asbestos Garage and the Oddly Placed Fruit Trees
- Why We Saw Potential When Others Saw Problems
- Looking Back 15 Years Later
The Garden That Started It All
Why We Needed to Move
The Bungalow We Loved (But Outgrew)
The Garden That Was Too Small
The House-Hunting Moment That Changed Everything
Falling in Love With a 1930s Home
The Garden That Took Our Breath Away — For All the Wrong Reasons
The Bottom Third: A Wild, Forgotten World
The Asbestos Garage and the Oddly Placed Fruit Trees
Why We Saw Potential When Others Saw Problems
Looking Back 15 Years Later
SubThe reality of a two‑bed bungalow with two children
The tiny garden that held us back
The awkward conversation with the neighbour
The moment I realised we needed more space
The embarrassing thing I told a friend about wanting a garden you could get lost in
The estate agent’s warning — and why it had the opposite effect
The jungle at the bottom of the garden
The rural feel that stole my heart
The 1930s quirks we didn’t expect
The garage that blocked the kitchen windowThe apple and plum trees plonked in the middle
What we imagined this garden could become
trimmer / brush cutter — cordless or petrol
Wheelbarrow — galvanised steel or folding
Heavy‑duty gloves
Loppers / pruning saw
Hedge trimmer
Rake and garden fork
Garden waste bags
Safety goggles + ear defendersAmazon Associates UK
B&Q (via Awin or Impact)
Homebase (via Awin)
ManoMano (via Awin)Tree stakes
Tree ties
Pruning tools
Fruit tree feed
Books on pruning or fruit tree care
win
Impact
ShareASale
Amazon (for books/software)
Books you can link to
These convert very well on Amazon:
The Complete Gardener by Monty Don
RHS How to Garden
RHS Pruning & Training
A small “What we used to clear the garden” box
A “Garden planning tools I wish I’d had back then” section
A “Shop the tools” list at the bottom
A “Related posts” section linking to future posts with more affiliate opportunities
Tools we used to reclaim the bottom third Clearing the overgrown section took weeks of work, and these were the tools that made the biggest difference: – Heavy‑duty strimmer – Wheelbarrow – Loppers – Garden waste bags – Protective gloves
(Affiliate links go here.)