In the summer a friend turned to me and admitted that she thought gardening was actually rather fun, as if admitting to liking something she shouldn't. I smiled and admitted in a conspiratorial fashion that I loved it.
I've always dabbled in the garden. It started when I was a child, I'd help my parents plant, weed, dig, and water. When I left home I wanted to add some colour to the concrete back garden of the shared house I was living in. My three male housemates had no interest so I had carte blanche to do as I pleased.
I can't believe that there are no photos of the little garden I created. It was a random collection of shrubs and flowers in container pots, that I lovingly watered every night and added to with addicted regularity. I was so cross one day when I realised that someone had walked in the back gate and stolen my newest plant, in it's brand new (and very pretty) pot. It was Mother's Day so I can only assume that a Mother somewhere received it as a gift. I hope she looked after it.
These days I have a bigger garden to play in. Whilst I still have loads of things I want to add, change, and develop it's seen quite a transformation since we moved in 9 years ago. Although a lot of what we have done I call anti-gardening - digging things up rather than planting them. And we're still not finished.
My love for container planting is still with me, some play host to evergreen shrubs, others to seasonal plants and flowers. Some of the shrubs that I transferred in pots from my old house have now been planted in the ground and it has a lovely feeling of continuity. I remember where I bought all of my plants, and I'm actually (and perhaps weirdly) rather fond of a lot of them.
I have a great fondness for shrubs, especially evergreens. I love that they have interest all year round, often transforming themselves with flowers at different times of the year. Not everything I have planted has been a success, so my gardening ethos is simple - if it thrives, leave it where it is, if it doesn't dig it up and find it a new home (which can sometimes be the compost heap). I'm learning as I go along.
I dabble with growing flowers too.
In recent years I've discovered the joys of growing edible plants from seeds in my greenhouse. We've eaten lettuce leaves rather a lot in years gone by thanks to my heavy handed sowing. I've had chives growing in pots since our first year here, which are the icing on the cake of scrambled eggs.
It's exciting to see a seed you've sown grow into something that thrives. I want to grow nasturtiums again this year, one because they are really pretty but also because I can add them to salads. One of my hanging baskets has been reserved for sweet peppers, and my brother is saving me some strawberry runners.
Getting up and watering all of my plants and seedlings first thing in the morning is a lovely part of my day, it's so relaxing.
And I enjoy the days when the cats join me either for a garden wander or falling asleep whilst I potter in the greenhouse.
The thought of spring's arrival is keeping me going through these dull, grey days.
