The nearly naked gardener
It's wet..... wet and cold, this is not my idea of September! So much for harvest festivals and hazy late summer days. I'm now back at work after a little holiday - back to face a new chapter of ´óÏó´«Ã½ gardening, and I can honestly say, back to work with a very nice chap whose name is Mr Buckland. I managed to escape this inclement landscape and the growing gardening media upheaval for two whole weeks, skipping carefree off to the sunny isle of Cyprus where I dipped my toe more than once in the warm Mediterranean Sea, sipped more than my fare share of cocktails, slept for hours on soft golden beaches and of course did a bit of gardening. I've been going to that particular part of Cyprus for the past 25 years, my family have a small place out there which has been a well needed refuge for me on many an occasion. The best thing about this minute oasis is its little garden, a slow paced project that has kept me entertained since a child. This years additions are; a couple more plants to the Hibiscus hedge, a shocking pink Bougainvillea propping up the side of the white washed building and a sweet scented Jasmine near the patio - I must admit that this garden has never been one of my 'tasteful' projects - more of a Hawaiian shirt (I think everyone should have at least one in their wardrobe!).
Many years ago I grew a lemon tree from a seed discovered in the lemon smile which crowned a glass of pop, I nurtured him for a year and then when the family holiday came around I shipped him out with me to Cyprus and planted him - he was the first step in the creation of our garden in Cyprus. He has now grown into a handsome tree standing center stage, producing a bountiful crop of lemons year on year - but time had taken its toll and he was in desperate need of a prune and reshape, so out came the pruning saw. Now it was fantastically hot and I was dressed for the heat rather than the task (mistake number 1). The tree needed some serious work and after opening up the center of the tree to let in light, removing dead, injured, diseased and crossing branches, suckers and branches growing downward, I saw the end in sight. But then with the arrival of our Cypriot neighbours and not wanting them to catch sight of me all but naked and dripping in sweat I started to rush (mistake number 2). Now, normally my training takes over whilst doing any task such as pruning; horticultural technique, health and safety etc are so ingrained at an early age that, like riding a bike, it just comes naturally. It seems that on this occasion I was also on vacation from such natural resources and with one of the last 'hasty' strokes of the saw on the last branch (sods law), eyes darting to check I was not being observed - I slipped and sawed my thumb in a rather nasty way..... A great deal of hopping around and some rather unsavoury use of the English language followed, the neighbours not only witnessed me pruning like a good en' in no more than underwear but also the bleeding and swearing that accompanied it!. I was reminded of many lessons from this experience which I will not forget again; never rush a job - no matter what the circumstance, safe tool handling - at all times, wearing gloves/dressing appropriately and of course the most important - never prune in your pants...... I left Cyprus with a sore but healing thumb and a tarnished health + safety record - but the garden was looking lovely.
Well back to wet old blighty and a very positive feeling GW, as you have probably heard gardening is going back to 'grass roots' - that's not to say we won't be covering all aspects of horticulture but a more tangible and natural pace is being set. One such move is the introduction of a cold greenhouse, one of the projects I am working on at the moment (for programme on 26th September). Having brought a second hand greenhouse off the internet our horticultural runner Dave and I went out in the deluge on Tuesday to dismantle the unloved 8 x 6 greenhouse from a local garden and carefully transported it back to its new home of Berryfields (recycle + reuse - we will be seeing a lot more of that in future). The merits of the cold greenhouse will no longer be over looked! So many gardens have one and with the knowledge that you can extend your growing season by an enormous 3 months - who wouldn't?? But for those such as me who with all the will in the world just can't fit one into their little patch, GW will be covering cold frame and cloche growing in the coming months, so we shall not be left without shelter! The autumn feels well and truly upon us and all the jobs it brings are now starting an orderly queue, I personally can still spend hours in the garden doing a multitude of equally important tasks, how do you decide which is most worthy of the screen??! This is when the feedback from all of you gardeners at home really comes into its own. I'm in full swing planning the programme for the 26th Sept' - so far it includes the wonderful cold greenhouse, a bit of seasonal sowing, planting for the future and some catching up with the garden but with a meeting on Monday with Toby and an openness to suggestion from all of you - things can always change!
Happy gardening
Ben.
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