The Neglected Garden

I am ashamed to say that last year our garden didn’t get the attention or care that it deserves, so this year we have both agreed that we will spend much more time in the garden during the evenings after work.
We were lucky when we bought our house that it has had owners and tenants who have been green fingered and as such we have a well stocked garden with many mature and well established plants, shrubs and trees. We have over the last five years added to this stock, mainly with dwarf fruit trees but also with a number of ornamental plants and shrubs. The garden is relatively low maintenance and easy to look after, the hedges and lawns are the time consuming items that need the most attention. Last year we lost a number of plants due to the harsh winter, some have started to grown again; others will need to be replaced with new stock to fill in some glaring holes in the landscaping.

Luckily Liam’s parents have just moved into a new house which has mature gardens stocked with many well established and interesting plants. Come spring this will give us a great opportunity to take cuttings from these plants and introduce some much needed new and varied planting stock into our own gardens. Amongst the plants we have chosen to take cuttings from are Schumach, Variegated Holly, Scots Pine and a plain dark green Holly. In exchange we will give them cuttings from our many house plants including Dragon tree, spider plant and orange tree and the pup from our Mother in Law’s tongue. This exchange should give us enough plants to restock our gardens; however it will be some time before they become mature and established enough to make a real impact on the gardenscape.

With the gardens restocked, tidied up and generally looking much more presentable we may be more inclined to spend our evenings at home relaxing in the open air, instead of wallowing in front of the TV for hours on end. The BBQ at home didn’t get used at all last year despite the great weather we enjoyed so we are both looking forward to evenings spent in the garden cooking on the coals.

We bought our house so that we could enjoy the open space that it afforded, yet last year we failed to make the most of arguably one of the best features of our property. We pay handsomely for the pleasure of our own home, so this year we plan to make the most of it and enjoy it to the maximum. Neither of us is particularly green fingered, and you don’t have to be to enjoy the benefits of outdoors space. Trial and error and a few mistakes along the way soon teach you the ways of the garden. Gardening needn’t be an expensive hobby either. Taking cuttings from your friends and families existing plants will provide you with free stock for your garden, you just need to give them some initial love and attention to ensure that they grow on successfully and strongly.