ONE

1 year of Horticulturalish

Oct 26, 2025

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“Start writing…”

Each new, default Substack post begins that way. And one year ago today I did.

I don’t even really remember why or how. But I know I was sitting right here, on my sofa in London, laptop on a laptop table that doubles as a sad-TV-dinner table. David had died a few weeks before. I don’t remember consciously connecting the two, but I do know that writing this Substack has helped pull me through a year of ups and downs.

Ostensibly this is a Substack about being an enthusiastic amateur gardener cultivating a tiny, mostly-paved London garden. But through this year a lot has changed. Topics on this blog have run the gamut. And to my delight (and astonishment) the number of you willing to continue receiving these emails has grown to almost 1,300.

I am so grateful.

Thank you for your support, for your likes and comments, for your encouragement, for your friendship.

Here’s to another year of gardening and writing, and writing about gardening.

Love you guys,

Lucy

I’ve decided that the appropriate way to celebrate is with a look back at some favourite posts from this year, and then with a BUMPER review of the year in my garden(s) in pictures! 365 days, 2 gardens, 118 miles apart, countless plants purchased - gathering these photos together is a reminder of what a glorious time I’ve had outside in the mud playing with flowers this year. The best.

So, to begin our celebration, and to encourage any newcomers to go back and read some of this year’s posts, here are the official 6 most popular posts, and then my 10 favourite posts (weird brag, but there we are):

MY 10 FAVOURITE POSTS TO DATE:

BUMPER GARDEN REVIEW IN PICTURES

And here’s my little London garden through (almost) the year.

I didn’t document the garden at all in October and November. I was deep in grief and started ripping everything out of the garden.

And then in August I ran out of money spectacularly and was stuck at the Barn unable to afford a tank of petrol or a train ticket back. Unfortunately that was also a month of catastrophic drought across the country, and the gardens suffered significantly.

In London, things have revived a little in September and October, but over this winter it will need a significant re-think. Not being around to water regularly through the summer months means I will have to reassess my planting plan.

But without further ado, here we go. Beginning with my