And finally...
What does Spring mean to me? enthusiasm for the impending days of spring and the planting
Reader Mark Jennings writes on why gardening
of my plain-sized three metre-square raised beds.
and the arrival of Spring are so important to him
Spring is coming!! My seeds and now my seed mats (great when
you can neither feel or see the seeds)are ready and waiting.
After the longest winter in my “disabled memory” i.e. 10 years,
When I had my accident the psychologist asked me what I
the additional containment that ice and snow brings to we
would miss. Amazed by my unusual answer of “gardening” she
“wheelchair residents” had begun to “do my ‘ed in”.
tried to understand what it was about this strange Brit that
The snow and ice restricting my exercise on the walk rail creates made gardening so important.
its own set of problems. The cold air with accompanying winds
I spent ages ‘umming’ and ‘aahing’ about whether a raised bed
freezing my hands means my wheelchair can’t move anywhere
would help me temper my frustration for no longer being able
without an able-bodied push.
to manage my three acre garden. How high? How wide? What
I’ve had enough of being even further limited to my indoor space to make it out of? What to fill it with? The sort of questions we
with the boiler burning oil like I was trying to heat a hospital. gardeners spend ages considering and researching.
Today at last it was three degrees but with no wind. I could go Now I fill hours weeding, raking, planting, watering and seed
out for ten minutes and at least explore my patio. I could go spreading so that I can bore everyone with “do you like beans?”
out and for short periods talk to my gardener about my plans. or “would you like some coriander?”
We talked about the village “garden open day”, raising funds My raised beds have really helped me to recover my gardening
for our Norman church in June. About which propagated plants enthusiasm and whilst I still have many “could you just.”
would be sold (hopefully) and which seeds would become questions for my friends and helpers, I manage to harvest out
plants; saleable in 12 weeks without a supporting greenhouse of these beds, many flower seedlings as well as the obvious
Spring is the time of rejuvenation, of the plant world waking up
herbs, onions, lettuce etc.
from its deep slumber. I await with exciting anticipation to see If you know what I mean go and build one.
the buds bursting through in gay abandonment. Those fiercely
anticipated yellow buds, those snowdrops and primula flowers.
Quote of the month
Aaahhhh what thoughts and dreams to look forward to.
‘If you have a garden and a library then you have
Well my Suttons goodies arrived and I was getting excited.
everything you need’- Cicero
Then the third batch of snow came but it failed to curb my
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