But before we all rock out with our air guitars, a pause for thought. There is no doubt that all gardeners get attached to what they grow, be it flowers, fruit, vegetables or weeds. It brings out the nurturing side of us, and for those of us without children yet is far more socially acceptable than harbouring 35 once feral (and if you're honest still feral despite what you think) cats.
There are days of course when you feel like a bad plant parent. Perhaps you think to yourself, I'm just not doing enough to fulfil their potential, these wonderful living things who if only they had more soil/plant food/ SUNSHINE (hear me up there weather god?)/gardening tlc would produce more flowers, bigger berries, larger pods.
Coming back from holiday, that's how I felt. I saw my wreck of a garden, realised just how little I had been able to provide for it, and I could see that nothing was really growing. A failed parent.
First of all, I thought I was alone, but your comments on 'Minging in the rain' showed I was not. We all feel the same this year. But if you do, take a closer look outside.
This evening I took advantage of a rare clear blue Bristol sky and spent a bit of time clearing up. Whilst doing so, I started to notice a few things. Firstly, one of my two blueberry plants still had healthy looking berries (lets not talk about the other one for now).
Suddenly, I discovered my first raspberry of the year, hidden under all the leaves. It's not there now of course. Yum!
And finally, I'm not sure how I missed these, sitting in a tray on the ground were some flowering sweet peas. I had planted them nonchalantly in February, rescued them from a fallen growhouse in March and forgotten about them. Yet to my surprise, and (whisper it) delight, they have come good despite remaining in a seed tray all this time.
The flowers are bright and the fragrance is wonderfully reassuring; and even as I feel the sense of neglect in my bones, they clearly had enough self belief and determination to come good. I couldn't be more proud.
And to celebrate?
3 comments:
I shared half a strawberry today with my husband - which was all the slugs had left of our meagre crop. My quarter tasted very good.
Same here Tom - I have just spent my first happy sunny evening of the year down on the allotment, where I found that the slugs had left me all of four strawberries. Even though the peas are gone and the courgettes are munched, the raspberry cage is bursting with potential and there's so much to be pleased about. Let's hope there is more sunshine to come now x
Esther, that sounds so tragically romantic!!
Carolyn, it sounds like cage fighting is the way to go in the allotment! A promising sunny start today, if only our skies knew how to hang on to it!
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