Why I Love Gardening
I am writing this blog, to explain more why I love gardening and how it helps me. In doing so I hope help and to encourage more people to get out and do some gardening.
Is gardening good for you? Is a question I am often asked. Yes it most definitely is.
Gardening For Better Health And Wellbeing
As I have mentioned in my “About Me’ page, I didn’t enjoy gardening as a child. Looking back I didn’t have much chance to actually garden, as in growing and planting, or to learn about flowers and plants. I wasn’t taught or encouraged to like plants and flowers and there wasn’t a garden at my school.
My parents had the usual suburban front and rear gardens, my mother being sort of gardener and my Dad in charge of the lawn mower.
As I grew up it became my or my sister’s jobs to weed or cut the grass. These two jobs were nothing more than chores to be completed as soon as I possibly could. Or I would make my escape, whenever I could.
I am a strong advocate now for teaching children to grow flowers, veg and fruit.
Why I Love Gardening
When I got married and bought my first home, I thought I would pop in a few daffodils and that would be that. The house was an old Victorian terrace with a very small back yard.
Paved, on two levels, with a concrete footpath leading to an old outhouse at the bottom.
The only living thing in that garden was a double white lilac tree in the bottom corner.
When I sold it six years later, the outdoor space had been completely transformed.
The paving was gone, in it’s place were two levels of greenery, foliage, shrubs and flowers. The walls were covered in flowering climbing plants. I had many containers and hanging baskets over flowing with lush growth.
You see, I started to plant those daffodils and became completely hooked on gardening.
My Garden
The house where I am now is an 1850’s stone, brick and wood frame. A bit of a mishmash but I love it.
It was built in a quarry so the garden goes round on three sides and is on many levels, affording glorious views off the surrounding countryside, river and to the coast in the distance.
It mainly faces south-west, and has its own micro-climate.
I have numerous trees, from native hawthorn, to a towering Eucalyptus and a variety of Japanese Maples, as well as some fruit trees.
One large herbaceous border dominates and is backed by the quarry cliff.
At the moment asters are providing colour and foliage for the garden and nectar for pollinators. Also, flowering is the Belladonna lily, Japanese anemone, crocosmia and roses.
I have many favourite parts of the garden and several seating areas, placed to catch the sun at different times of the day or to catch the views.
Favourite Features Of My Garden
One of my favourite features is the wild plum tree which is approximately 80 year old.
It lives by the front gate and flowers in late Feb, it is absolutely stunning. Right now it is providing me and the wildlife with a huge bounty of cherry sized plums, which are sweet, juicy and make a lovely jam.
My other favourite feature is an antique, marble-topped side table, which rests precariously against the stone wall of the outbuilding.
I use it to display containers and pot grown plants.
Gardening has given me a wealth of pleasure and well-being.
I am a firm believer of making the most of nature and the outdoors to improve ourselves both mentally and physically because I find that gardening substantially lowers anxiety levels and helps me find peace of mind and calmness from within. In writing and sharing this article I hope to influence more people to embrace the outdoor world, gardening and growing which ever plants you love.
My work as a gardener brings me in to touch with many like-minded people, I enjoy helping them maintain, improve and use their gardens.
I strive to be eco-friendly and to do as much as I can to provide a peaceful haven for anyone or any wildlife who visits.
Visit more beautiful gardens at WineandWisteriaTravel
Happy Gardening!
