Digging Around with… Lisa Dawson
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Hello, and finally, I’ve been out once more, Digging Around with garden-y Substack writers.
First though, if you’re new to The Gardening Mind, welcome. There’s all sorts going on here in this gardening community. We’re number 2 globally in the Home & Garden section, we have members in 177 countries, and we are now in our 5th year - I say WE because this whole publication is in existence because of you, the most amazing group of people who have come together to form the very best of garden-loving worlds.
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But for today, whether you’re a long-time member or just discovering The Gardening Mind for the first time, I’m delighted to share this free-to-read conversation with you. So pour yourself a cup of tea, find a cosy corner, and dig in.
This week we are joined by award‑winning interiors expert, writer and content creator Lisa Dawson, famed for her practical, sustainable approach to home styling.
Lisa first built a dedicated following whilst documenting the renovation and decoration of her Georgian home in York, sharing ideas and inspiration that resonated with a wide audience.
She is also the author of Resourceful Living, a guide to creating stylish interiors by reusing, repurposing and sourcing creatively. Her Substack, Joie De Vivre, ranks number 4 in the Home & Garden category worldwide. Lisa has three children and lives in York, where she continues to share evolving ideas for thoughtful, characterful living.
When I saw that Lisa was making a new, tiny courtyard, I wanted to find out more:
Lisa, when did gardening arrive for you?
I really only started getting into my garden when we moved to a house that had only grassed lawns and no borders. I KNOW! Not a single plant in sight. It was a Georgian house that had no less than four lawned areas, with one of these being hedged in at the back which is where we sat.
Over the ten years that we lived there, I dug borders on three sides, including one against a really lovely brick wall, and planted it all out myself. I did a lot of it during lockdown when there were limited places to buy from and I’d stand in the queue at the superstores and always add something to my trolley. I grew roses, hydrangea, verbena, rosemary, peonies, wisterias, a plum tree and two eucalyptus trees.
There was a method to my madness as I purposely grew some flowers that I could use in the house (I create content for interior brands) and therefore didn’t have spend a fortune at the florist! The eucalyptus was particularly brilliant as it kept giving and giving and the best part of the year was when the peonies were ready to cut.
I had less success with potted plants, if I’m being honest. The patio ones rarely survived – we lived in a quite exposed area in the country – and my olive trees were never winners for me. The front of the house was again barren of plants, so I got a local gardening company to build a large border edged with pavers which transformed the front. I grew big grasses, verbena and lavender and it was just LOVELY. The grasses loved it there and grew huge and swayed in the breeze.
I moved to this house, a Victorian terrace in York City Centre, a year ago. and the back yard was tiny and taken up by an outbuilding. The front yard was a huge privet with lots of gravel and I wasted no time in clearing it out and having a raised sleeper border and paving laid. I have planted this with my favourite verbena (I LOVE verbena), grasses, rosemary, scabiosa, Cupids Dart and am prone to adding supermarket herb plants once I’ve exhausted them in the kitchen.
This year, I attacked the back yard and took down the outbuilding, built a bench and paved it. To the left, I’ve added a raised sleeper border which is my planting area and I’ve added two large pots filled with verbena and gypsophilia which are doing very well. I picked up a little fig tree from Lidl (I am a nightmare for grabbing supermarket plants) and I think it’s going to love it there – it’s very sheltered and my neighbour has one in the same position that is huge so keeping my fingers crossed. I’ve also planted climbers which I’m hoping will flourish in this sunny position.
I’m helped in my gardening journey by my father in law, Barry, who is a landscape gardener and has the most amazing garden in Caversham that is his pride and joy. It’s not formal in any sense of the word and has little paths going through it, including a deep ‘conversation pit’ filled with plants at the end and his patio is covered with rare plants and cacti that he brings in during the winter. He spends 12 hours a day out there sometimes and is always on call to give me advice.
Are you an all-weather or fair-weather gardener?
Fair weather! My gardens are very small so there is never a necessity to get out there if there’s a chance I might get cold or wet, ha.
Are you a weeder or a let-them be-er?
A weeder! I find weeding quite satisfying, actually. Although it’s easy to find it satisfying when you don’t have a huge garden to weed.
What for you is the best part of gardening?
Watching what you have put in flourish. My children think I’m mad, the back yard has only been planted for a month and I’m out every day looking for progress. The front yard was planted last year and it’s really come into it’s own this summer, I love it.
A gardening hack or handy hint that you’d like to share?
I work in interiors so my brain in always wired towards the aesthetics! So when I am choosing plants I often head to Pinterest to see how the professionals have combined border plants to best effect. When I chose plants for the front of my previous home, I basically found a picture and gave it to the garden company to reproduce. I am nothing if not easily influenced.
Does anything get your gardening goat?
Posting my borders on my social feeds and receiving comments that people preferred the massive privet hedge. Ha. This is a downside of living a social media life, but I always say that you don’t have to like it. It’s my house, if I like what I’ve planted then my work here is done. Just like interior decorating, don’t do it for others, do what YOU love as it’s yours.
Bad garden habit?
Not ‘feeding’ my plants. I am always being told to do this by followers but I have NFI what that means.
Happiness is….
Sitting in my back yard with the sun shining, a book, a glass of wine, a small bowl of crisps and the bells of York Minster tolling in the background.
To mow or not to mow?
Luckily I don’t need to worry about this as I don’t have grass. However, in my old house, Diarmuid Gavin suggested I swap up one of the lawns to a wildflower meadow lawn and it’s my greatest regret that I didn’t.
Gloves or no gloves?
I never remember to put on gloves and therefore ruin my nails. So gloves.
Edibles or pretties - or both?
Mostly pretties but I love being able to go into the garden and pick herbs to cook with. It makes me feel like Nigel Slater.
Proudest garden-related moment?
Seeing my verbena grow to over 10ft tall this year after my friend Karen grew them from seed for me last year. So satisfying!
Describe your garden in one word:
Chic.
And finally
If you could be a time traveller, which garden in history would you visit?
I would love to go back and look at all the houses I’ve lived in from when they were built to see how they looked at the start. My previous home was built in 1756 and had fountains in the back garden and I would have loved to have seen them.
What an inspirational treatment of the tiniest of spaces. Please do join with me in giving an enormous thank you to Lisa Dawson - what an absolute treat of a read!
If you liked this and enjoyed reading about interiors, do have a look at my conversation with JP Clark right here.
Others in the series include:
Chic is the word, Lisa, I’d have never thought of a tiled bench. Of course, you live in the best city in the world 😉. I love this series, Jo, thank you.
Thank you! A lovely insight into Lisa Dawson’s world 💚