Easter at Chaos Cottage

Mud, muscle (ache!) and making space for nature

There are Easter weekends that involve chocolate eggs, family gatherings and gentle pottering… and then there are Easter weekends at Chaos Cottage!

It’s been muddy, busy, slightly chaotic (on brand) and, while not completely satisfying, everything is on track to be at some point soon. It's been the kind of weekend where you collapse into bed feeling like something meaningful has has been done—both in the land and in the rhythm of the place.

A pond with purpose

At the top of the field, we finally tackled something that’s been on the list for too long: the winter flooding.

If you’ve followed along for a while, you’ll know that heavy rain tends to sit up there, slowly making its way down in ways we’d rather it didn’t. So this weekend we took decisive action by digging a large pond/soakaway to manage that excess water properly with the help of some heavy machinery and Charlie (son). As with most things here, it’s never just about solving a problem but about turning it into something useful - to the wildlife and/or us.

What started as drainage has become a future habitat. A place for frogs, insects, birds and all that quiet, unseen ecosystem that make a garden (and a smallholding) truly thrive.

Even King Charles III has been investing in water management and land stewardship at Sandringham, including large-scale lagoon and drainage projects to support sustainable farming and land use . Ours may be a little smaller (though feels just as challenging and with fewer staff and resources!), but the principle is the same: work with the land, not against it.

Trenches, drains and a slightly overenthusiastic digger

Back down by the house, things were also redesigned, for want of a better word!

The digger made quick work of what would have taken us weeks by hand - cutting a trench into which a new pipe will take water that seeps in through the hedge from the neighbouring field down to the main drain. In the process, we've created new beds alongside the annexes.

There is something deeply satisfying about seeing water finally have somewhere to go. And something equally humbling about just how much earth one small machine can move in a day.

The dogs, as you might imagine, were thrilled. Mud was embraced. Newly dug areas were immediately inspected (and occasionally “redecorated”) and after they became proficient (and too excited) at jumping into the cab, they were expelled out of the garden for their own safety and into the kitchen to calm down.

A garden for Mum

One of the loveliest parts of the weekend was creating a new flower bed outside Mum’s annexe. Because while the big projects matter, it’s these smaller, more personal spaces that really shape daily life.

Mum is almost house-bound now, so what she sees from her windows, and when she steps outside, matters enormously. This new bed (there was a scruffy piece of turf perviously) has been designed to give her something gentle and beautiful to look at. Soft structure, seasonal change, and plenty of interest without being overwhelming.

The plants came from Soto Gardens, and they’ve been brilliant. We chose from their White Collection (with a little pink woven through at our request), and every single plant is strong, healthy and properly established, the kind that give you confidence they’ll settle in happily.

It already feels like a space, rather than just a border.

The in-between stage (mud, hope, and imagination)

Right now, we’re in that slightly awkward but rather magical phase - there are piles of soil where there will be flowers. Trenches where there will be order. Bare edges that will soften, spill and settle over the coming months.

It doesn’t look finished because it's not! I have annuals growing in the polytunnel, they're currently seedlings but they'll fill any gaps that we have this year until the planting is fully established. The interplanting with cosmos and other cottage garden staples will add a little changing interest each year.

It's not finished, but a garden is a work in progress, right? It feels right.

A little chaos, a lot of heart

This is what Chaos Cottage is, really.

Not perfection. Not instant results. But slow, thoughtful change - layer by layer, season by season.

A pond that solves a problem and creates an environment that supports life.

A garden that works harder but feels softer and is constantly evolving.

A space shaped not just for how it looks, but for how it supports the people (and all creatures) who live here.

It’s been a busy Easter.

I suspect that's a theme that will continue this whole year.