Two years deep into having a garden of my own and I’ve finally ‘discovered’ it. I mean it’s in constant use and all that, but because I’ve not had a garden since I moved out of my parents’ house, I hadn’t really put much effort into doing anything but mowing it when the grass was making us itch. When lockdown hit, my garden became my personal project to fix.
I’m really annoyed that I didn’t take any ‘before’ photos, because it was a real state. There were whole sections that were completely baron, whole sections that were thoroughly overgrown to the point that they were unusable, and we had no idea the things that were growing back there.
We discovered:
- Two rose bushes
- Mint
- Two lots of spring onion
- Wild garlic
All just doing their thing, while we were completely oblivious.
We literally had no idea what was going on, and hadn’t paid it any mind. But it’s all changed now. My grandad niced me up with some tools, I copped a load more from Wicks, Homebase and even the pound shop (I forget which one we even have) and I’m creating greatness out there.
Step one was to grow something, anything. All it took was a few grass seeds to convince me that this gardening thing is worth the effort. I couldn’t believe how quickly I transformed the lawn from patchy to classy. And then I couldn’t stop.
We used to diss the neighbours for watering their grass all the damn time, until I ended up doing exactly the same. I’ve got a routine – that the ladsdem often want to involve themselves in – to moisturise the lawn, and I’m actually stressed if I see it looking dry.
The garden used to be the place I just skipped, practiced backflips and chased the boys around, but now I’m literally spending every spare moment trimming the vegetation I’ve got out there to make it presentable again. It legit wasn’t over winter, and now I know that the season isn’t even an excuse to leave it looking a state.
It’s made me realise just how much potential we have for this garden of ours and what I’m capable of. It’s got me considering all of the other jobs I could be doing in the home and what I’ve shied away from even though I might be fully able to tackle them.
For instance, pest control. There were sooooo many insects that freaked out the kids out hiding in the garden and I swear this phase got me in the mood to take on anything. I was learning the difference between the different caterpillars. It had me feeling like if I moved abroad, I’d be confident enough to advise people like this https://www.
The chances are that we will get rid of the tree house in the next year, because Cameo is getting stronger and something is going to snap soon. If I find a hammock online soon, it’s going to end up taking its place by next summer.