Minimalist Monday: Does Simplifying Get Easier?

Hi there. I hope all had a good weekend and an extended Bank Holiday weekend if you live in the UK. As you can probably see from the above photo we've been busy continuing our work on landscaping our small garden and becoming lawn free. It isn't finished by any means but the structural work is almost done and we're beginning to turn our thoughts to our planting scheme. Yay! I'm so excited about the thought of planting a garden from scratch having only inherited very mature gardens before. Prairie grasses, bamboo, euphorbia, salvia, hellebores, hostas and ferns are all on our current planting list to suit our partially shaded garden. The colour scheme will be limited to green, white and purple but this still leaves us with endless choices of plants. After much deliberation we chose blue slate for our landscaping material which is dark grey when wet but appears almost white when dry.

Has simplifying our garden been easy? No! 

But since when did simplifying any area of our lives come easily? Simplifying our garden to create a low maintenance but attractive space has been hard work both in the planning stages and in the practical work involved. Simplifying isn't easy no matter what task, space or area of your life you are addressing or how many years of experience you have. Successful simplifying requires careful planning, preparation, creative thinking and patience. In the early stages of planning our garden I was convinced we would require professional help to complete the manual work involved in removing our lawn, yet we have accomplished it easily (but more slowly) ourselves. Likewise, instead of buying large plants in bulk we intend to buy small plants in small numbers and gradually transform our outdoor space. We want to watch it settle down, evolve and be able to nurture it if it needs intervention. There is no rush. 

Patience, dedication and optimism are all key ingredients when trying to simplify any area of your life. Whether you're trying to reduce your debt, downsize your home or reduce your possessions stick with the dream. The journey to simplifying is hard work but achievable!