Our Garden Transformation Begins! 🌿 First Garden Work of 2025 | French Home Renovation
Description:
Spring is here, and it’s time to get back in the garden! After focusing on the inside of our renovation home last year, we’ve slowly been chipping away at the outdoor space—and what a transformation it’s been already. When we first got the property, the garden was completely overgrown with dead trees, wild greenery, and barely any visible ground. Now, after a lot of clearing, it’s finally starting to take shape!
In this vlog, I take you along as I:
🌿 Show the garden’s current state + before clips of how it looked when we moved in
🪴 Weed & clean up the winter growth to freshen up the space
🌳 Re-pot plants & my beautiful olive tree for a refreshed look
🚪 Install a stunning new metal gate to add character & charm
💧 Replace a temporary water pipe
💦 install a new hose
🌱 Share exciting future plans for the garden’s next phase
It’s a slow and steady process, but I absolutely love perfecting each detail and seeing the transformation unfold. I can’t wait to share more updates throughout the year!
Let me know—do you enjoy gardening? What are your spring garden plans? Don’t forget to like, comment & subscribe for more renovation and French expat life updates!
#GardenTransformation #HomeRenovation #FrenchHome #Gardening #SpringGardening #OutdoorLiving
38 Comments
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That gate is exceptionally beautiful!
Fern, you need to put hydrangea in smaller pot, the larger the pot the more root it will grow, and not top growth, and as it grows take it up a pot size. The border could do with new compost
Hi dear Fern and Ryan! I am looking at the old garden and it had a lot of palm trees, overgrown, but I think, for that little space, palms are way too big! Even the one that you still have, it looks great, but it is quite big, occupying space on the path. The lemon tree needs a bit more space as well? You have to think of how big the new plants will grow in the future. Our garden is so much overgrown, and it is very hard to cut back, especially get rid of tree stumps. And the new fence, would you want it to be tall, to give you the privacy? On each side of the gate, would you put, on top of the concrete, the same type of fence as the one along the path? I can predict exciting vlogs coming, regarding the garden! I cannot wait! You have such a sweet boy, helping you! I know it is not easy for them to get away from their gadgets! And I love it that he stick with his running routine! Well done, Seth!!!❤❤❤
Fern, your patio looks lovely. Seth and Ryan are such good helpers. You have quite the green thumb! I love your new gate and your future plans. Great job! You have done a lot in a short period of time. See you on the next video! 😀❤🇱🇷
Fern your inspiration pictures for the garden are a dream come true. I think you could do them! The gate is so lovely and dreamy. I really love your space. You definitely need a new sturdy fence all around to replace the metal fence (even though the rusted metal adds character in a way) When you can do a new privacy fence all around it will change the feeling so much. The wonderful thing about smaller spaces is you can do so much more with them and make them a luxurious dream more easily. Honestly you still have a lot to work with. Your garden idea will add a multitude to your lifestyle and upgrade the home so much.
I love your clean new start. Happy Spring!!! Hurray!! 🎉💖🎊
never plant palm trees too close to the wall the trunks get bigger ! I live in Thailand and I know its palm trees very well.
Lovely! Now you need a little table and chairs for your morning coffee to enjoy your garden.
easy tpo propagate just dont water for a week or two
Hi Fern , beautiful job with your garden love the olive tree in your beautiful pot , Your new gate is very classy & you are very creative knowing what you want . I love gardening & can't wait to get out there ….great helper Seth & excellent running well done . Thank you Fern loved this video 🇨🇦
It’s already a beautiful garden. Honestly I think Ryan can build or fix everything. Thanks for the lovely video. Cheers.
Where’s that pretty swing you had? Maybe you can put that out there in your little happy place! 🤗
Sweet fern, I love that you love to putter and are so patient with your trial and error. A couple unsolicited suggestions, first what about black metal foot tall rectangular containers on either side of the gate on top, with spillers like petunias and sweet potato vines? And second I think there’s some amazing you tubers that you could learn a lot from in the gardening world. First and foremost garden answer, Laura is so amazing with the way she teaches and explains and is so no fuss about her plants. And then for more in depth the impatient gardener is really good as well. Just some thoughts. Love watching, love the progress and love your guys positive energy and beautiful attitudes. ❤
Oleander is a good Mediterranean plant as it flowers for months and needs no water. Prune it right down in winter. Can I just say not to over water the olive or lemon trees. The lemon tree in my garden is huge and I never water it. Can't wait to see further progress – very exciting. x
Love the new gate ❤ love seeing Seth getting involved too! Get him planting 👏🏼👏🏼🥰
The ice plants would be nice with ferns along borders.😊
The gate is beautiful…I love your little garden…if you get two oblong pots you could put ferns in them either side of the gate..it’s going to look gorgeous anyway..love to you all ❤❤❤❤
i think your new gate would look better plus be more secure if teh side walls were the same height as the gate
Very nice 😊❤️🇺🇸awesome
It's going to look wonderful,it looks so much better all ready and the gate is perfect happy gardening xx😊
Why not integrate the letter box in the side panel on the wall next to the gate. One you can open from the garden side, then the mail person doesn’t have to come through your gate into your garden.
Also not clear how you want the new fence on the long side of the garden to look like. It all should match somehow. I’m sure you can find Pinterest ideas, like you always do. Coming together nicely. Every step 💪is one towards your end goal👍
Is your dream inspiration pic somewhere on Pinterest?
❤🙏🏼✨️ love from the Netherlands. Can't wait to be busy with my garden 🪴🌸🌻🪻🌴 much love xxx Pilar
Hosta's are great hardy maintenance free border plants that look almost tropical and they have beautiful flowers in the summer .. I love the blue green leaves with the tall white fowers, Abiqua.but I believe you can get pink flowwering ones too. Climbing hydrangeas make great fence cover as well and look so beautiful when in flower..Hydreangas are my fave .. Pink Snowball.and Limelight 💕 Will you get another Wisteria. A white or pink climbiing rose for your gate would look beautiful. Jasmine and Honeysuckle are so beautiful . Oooh the possibilities of gardening .. Have fun, happy Spring .
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Fern I think because the biggest place to put a hanging chair or lounge chairs and tiny bistro table is in the corner where the olive tree is. So I would make the sides of the gate as private as can be and let beautiful flowers grow over it. The outdoor space absolutely looked amazing (messy for sure at the start) but when it was overgrown with tall trees before you pruned it, had great atmosphere exotic. It’s a great space!!! Dreamy.
Oh how about wisteria by the new gate? I'm not sure how it grows, but I remember a past vlog that you showed wisteria growing and you loved it. Everything looks great! I can't wait to watch the transformation! I cleaned up my garden yesterday…it was a mess! Gardens bring such joy and peace. And yes, propegating is correct – great job!
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Hola Fern. Love that you get stuck in to anything you put your mind to. The Spring Patio looking good, love the gate, & I'd want the sides private. We've got 2 acres to care for, 40 beautiful old Olive trees, Almond & various fruit trees. Also planted about 50 Oleander around the fencing. We planted 400 at our last house & I'd always wanted an Orchard, so we planted 70 fruit trees. Left it all behind 2 years ago, so enjoying starting again. Bistro table & couple of chairs will look lovely. Love ❤
Hi there – great to see you in your little courtyard garden as a garden designer (lives in France)I would suggest you focus on hardy heat resistant plants. Jasmine great. Lots of under planted Impatiens – white glows at dusk. Salvia (perennials/plantes vivaces) are hardy and colourful and can be cut back to keep form and encourage flowering. Later on you might like to consider removing beds on house wall to give space for compact garden furniture and do groupings of pots to break up the wall. One chance!
Love the gate! Just lovely.
The gate is stunning Fern. I love it. Well done with all your hard work on the garden. We've got ferns around our pond and they look lovely xx
Hydrangeas this time of year need pruning back to a new shoot preferably out facing shoot to.
Hi fern, loving the courtyard future vibe! But huge job, wow hydrangea cutting has taken off. The gate looks amazing, I would have made the sides to match the gate full length – replacing the rendered walls with symmetrical pots both sides- also garden mirror in courtyard strategically placed when you do you makeover but wow great clean up 😊
Love it…. Shame what happened to your Lips ? they all swollen, did you have an accident or perhaps you allergic to something? you should have it seen to…. Anyways take care and keep up the good work
❤Love your gate looks awesome 🤩. Wonderful to see spring coming, getting your garden and pots 🪴 sorted 😊, roll on Summer 🌞💫🌳🌴🌵xxxx
It’s looking beautiful 😍👍🏻 🌱🍃🌿🌳
Ferns are very intrusive. They will take over your garden. Maybe it's best to plant it in containers to prevent its aggressive, spreading nature from taking over your garden.
Garden gate is beautiful!! I immediately saw you needed two pieces matching the centre of the gate flanking both sides, it will be gorgeous when completed. And if you want jasmine to grow up and over the top you still can. Did you know you can get pink jasmine?😊 it has a pink vine.