My garden is one of my favourite places to be. I am already making lots of plans for it for next summer. This will involve a lot of digging, hammering, painting, planting and my husband building me a new raised herb planter. Oops haven't told him that yet and he reads my blog - sorry darling, love you x
When I was growing up my Dad was the gardener. We had a beautiful garden full of flowers and herbs. I just left him to it and played in it, mud pies were my speciality! After he passed away my Mum just kept the garden tidy, it was Dad's domain not hers, she worked in it with him. gradually it became mostly lawn. So I never really ventured out into it much apart from to laze in the sun and read books.
When I married I acquired an amazing Mother-in-law who could have worked for the RHS. She could grow anything and knew so much about horticulture. When we moved into this house she immediately came to visit, told me what all the shrubs were and how to care for them. We have two very small gardens, my parents-in-law is huge. At first I thought that meant I couldn't do much but my lovely Mother in law bought me a book on Courtyard gardens and told me that by time the children have grown up and I am getting older I will be glad to only have small gardens to tend and that the possibilities were endless. She filled me with so much enthusiasm. By the time she had returned to Malvern I was out there planning and redesigning my garden. It is now totally different to the one I inherited which was a low maintenance one as it had belonged to two teachers who were far too busy for such things.
As soon as spring arrives I am out digging, pruning and planting. My husband often tells me that we really cannot fit any more into it but fortunately we do have a garden like a tardis and it always seems to squeeze things in. A few years ago it was two apple trees and fruit bushes to be squeezed in. Of course they fitted- it was perfectly planned! The harvest was delicious this year. Whenever I cannot squeeze something into my garden I just buy a new planter. The last visit my Mother-in-law made here she looked at the planters covering the patio and down the side of the house and said "You know Janet, you really need a bigger garden" then laughed. I probably do but if I did get the garden of my dreams my poor husband would never see me!
So, why is a garden so wonderful? Well it relieves so many of life's stresses, far better than any therapist. An hour out breathing fresh air, digging, pruning and watching the wildlife out there and peace and tranquility is restored.
It is also a wonderful gym, by time I had dug up and relocated the orange blossom to make room for one of the apple trees I had certainly worked off plenty of calories. And, in case you are wondering, all are growing beautifully.
Last of all it makes a delightful cafe in the summer, sitting out there whether alone or with friends is absolute heaven. The colours and scents of the flowers, the sounds of the bees, butterflies fluttering everywhere and all the visiting birds mean that you can never get bored. In all honesty I could sit out there all summer, I could even be tempted to camp out to check what I miss of a nighttime. We have some lovely pipistrelle bats who fly across the front of the house in summer and I have heard a little owl too and we have at least one fox, but what else comes to visit?
Winter tends to leave gardeners a little sad, I so miss being out there and getting busy. I used to plant vegetables and flowers with the children at this time of year but they have reached an age where their windowsills are their own domain to be filled with tardises and engines not Mum's indoor gardens. Never been faint hearted though. Gardening magazines have been purchased, Hessayon books out and this year's garden makeover is about to be planned. May have some more suggestions for my husband's carpentry skills, which will delight him, but just wait till he sees it finished!
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