Mojo’s Memorial Garden

A beautiful garden, decorated with Mojo’s likit holders, jollyball, haynets, leadropes, a handmade sign, stone foals, ponies and horses.

Mojo’s Garden

Losing Little Mo has been the hardest thing that has ever happened to me, and it’s been difficult to see her stable and paddock each day without her beautiful face hanging over the door or gate.

I wanted to do something special for her and to have a special place to celebrate all the wonderful times and memories we shared together so I decided to make a special garden and wildlife pond in her memory.

We've worked really hard outside to make a peaceful and beautiful place where we can sit and remember the wonderful times spent with Mo. We’ve made some lovely big flower beds out of her post and rail fencing with beautiful flowers and Mojo’s treatballs inside and I had a special sign made to put in it. I’ve planted a very pretty tree next to her stable and hung her brushes and toys on the fencing. Tash and Aaron gave me a beautiful new bird feeding station and some lovely little birds are already using it and Shan sent me a sweet little fairy called April to hang amongst the flowers.

All kinds of birds are visiting Mo’s garden as well as ducks and a fox. We’ve had blue tits, great tits, pheasants, collared doves, pidgeons, chaffinches, goldfinches, a spotted woodpecker, a green woodpecker, warbler, greenfinches, buntings, robins, thrushes, blackbirds and wrens.

Today, 30th August 2019, I was just thinking how much I miss having Mo here with me. Suddenly the most beautiful spotted woodpecker landed on a new bird feeder that I put in her garden. I feel it was sent by my darling Mo.....

I’ve also managed to make a lovely hanging plant holder from Mojo’s special leather halter and it looks very pretty hanging next to the planter that Tilly gave me on Mothering Sunday and the bee lights that Jacqui gave me for my birthday.

Mojo’s Trees

Amelanchier Canadensis, Picea glauca, albertiana conica (miniature Christmas tree)

Sometimes when I sit outside her lovely little stable I think about how she loved our barbecues and nights by the chimnea. She just loved trying to pinch our food and keep warm by the fire!

A special leather headcollar, belonging to Mojo, made into a beautiful hanging planter

Mojo’s likit holder, solar lights and stone pony and foal used to decorate a new plant border for her memorial garden

Flowers in the garden

Magnolia soulangeana, Jasminum x Stephanense, Jasminum nudiflorum, Genista porlock, Lavandula ang. Munstead, Lavandula ang. Felice, Dwarf daffodil ‘Minnow’, Anemone ‘Blanda Blue’ Ribes san. King Edward VII, Aqueligia ‘Spring Magic Yellow’, pansies, Japanese Anemones, Verbena 'Enchantment Purple’, Pink Kisses and a pink hardy Lily (chosen by Lily).

Precious Love (Bush Rose) from Pammy

Mojo’s pink rose

The pink fragrant rose that Mojo eagerly ate the blooms off of as soon as they appeared is beginning to really shoot now. I can’t wait to see the first rose bud. I remember that they had the most wonderful scent....

Sometimes I sit in the garden outside the stable and think of my darling Mo munching her hay, biting off the pink rosebuds as soon as they appeared or hanging her head over the gate waiting eagerly for her food. At other times, she would barge at me or bang the shed door open and shut in her eagerness to get treats, her treat ball and likits. How she LOVED her food. They are such lovely memories....

Mojo’s rose bush. The Easter Bunny hid me a chocolate bunny this year!

The wildlife garden and pond

Mojo’s old paddock is a lovely area for wildlife and we have had ducks and a fox visit. We have planted some lovely trees and plants. Mojo’s favourite thistles and cow parsley have started to grow and I’ve planted some lovely wildflowers and seeds. Aaron has helped us make a beautiful pond, and birds and toads have started to use it already.

Trees

Prunus Subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea (flowering cherry), Sorbus Pink Pagoda (rowan), Betula Pendula Tristis (weeping silver birch, because Mo loved to eat the silver birch that was next to her stable before it had to be cut down).

Apple, Pear, Cherry & Plum

Pond plants

Nymphaea Marliacea Chromatella (water lily), Ranunculus Aquatilis (water crowsfoot), Hottonia Palustris (water violet), Equisetum Hyemale (Dutch rush), Lychnis Flos Cuculi ‘White Robin’ (white ragged robin), Lychnis Flos-Cuculi (pink ragged robin), Lychnis Flos-Cuculi ‘Terry’s Pink (dwarf ragged robin), Mentha Aquatica (water mint) and Oenanthe Javanica 'Flamingo' (variegated water dropwart) and Cardamine Pratensis (cuckoo flower), Cotula Coronopifolia (brass buttons), Nymphaea Mayla (water lily).

Plants around the pond

Buddleja, Sennetti Blue, Primula Denticulata Lilac, Syringa Red Pixie from Richard for my 59th birthday, Saxifrage, Ragged Robin, Cerynthe, Iris Sibirica (Caesar’s brother), Saxifraga X Urbium (London Pride), Bacopa Blue, Veronica Mountain Breeze, potentilla Fruticosa ‘Bellissima’ (chosen by Maisy) and Veronicastrum Sibiricum.

There are times when I sit at the end of the garden and remember how Mo would charge up the paddock when she heard us pulling up the drive. She would neigh and neigh incredibly loud, then muzzle my face as I came to say hello to her over the gate.

Wildflowers

Some lovely seed mats from Pam which contained a selection of: Giant Hyssop, Prince’s Feather, Bishop’s Flower, Borage, Safflower, Cornflower, Palm Springs Daisy, Branching Larkspur, Coneflower, Blanket Flower ‘Indian Blanket’, Candytuft, Tree Mallows ‘PinkMallows’, Scarlet Flax, Lemon Bee Balm, Four O’clock Flower, Love-In-A-Mist, Sweet Basil, Common Poppy, Black-Eyed Susan Devil’s Bit / Yellow Hawkweed, Moss Verbena, Zinnia, Oxeye Daisy, California Poppy, Field Mustard, White Mustard, Alyssum, Baby Blue Eyes, China Aster and Blue Lupin.

Some lovely seeds from Jenny: Sweet Pea ‘Night & Day’, Sweet Pea ‘Erewhon’, Wild Poppy, Bluebell, Corncockle, Ox-Eye Daisy, Cowslip and Corn Marigold.

When I sit at the end of the garden, I remember how Mo would love to roll in her paddock, to doze or just stare across the fields. She spent hours standing there and always looked so beautiful and calm....

How Mojo loved rolling in her little paddock....

Mojo’s stable, converted into an area to sit in the summer and decorated with special bits and bobs to remember her by.

A display of Mojo’s old stirrups hung on a runnng pony / horse bar and some lucky stones taken from the beach

The Stable

I’ve hung up my old stirrups and mini ones used for Lily and Maisy and other children who were lucky enough to have ridden Mo, on the stable wall outside. One of her shoes, painted silver now hangs on the door inside a wreath and Richard has put in an extra window to make it lighter inside. Little fairy lights twinkle under the roof at night and make it very pretty.

The inside of the stable now has a lovely mock fire place with a rocking chair either side. It’s become a cosy cabin, a retreat to spend time reflecting on happy memories of brushing Mojo and feeding her in the mornings. We spend a lot of time in there, especially after gardening and with Lily and Maisy. It’s a lovely place to relax, eat and drink tea or wine!

Mojo’s Swallows

I hope that Mojo’s swallows will come back to the stable this year to nest as they didn’t come last year. Strange but I remember saying to Richard at the time, ‘I think it’s a sign that we will lose Mo this year’. One swallow came on its own the day before Mothering Sunday. It flew straight into the stable while I was in there. I like to think Mo sent it to say hi! xxxx

Mr Fox paying a visit

The swallows that used to live in the stable

Ducks coming to visit Mo’s garden

Mojo’s stable one year later...

Mojo just loved hanging over her gate or fence to be near to us

Mojo’s garden one year later.....