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The Steward Family From Hethersett |
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SITE LINKS |
The Non Gardener's Guide to Gardening!!!! When it comes to gardening the Steward household is divided. Peter admits openly that he doesn't enjoy it unless it's taking a wild patch and clearing it. The artistic side of gardening has always been beyond him and he likes nothing less than having to go out in the cold wind on a winter's day to clear leaves and debris from the trees. Anne on the other hand enjoys being out in the open and creating something worthwhile. So Peter does the hard labouring kind of stuff and Anne creates pretty flowers etc. A simplistic view maybe but then there was a further disagreement between them and in many ways it was a strange turn about. Every year Hethersett has an open gardens' day when the public visit plots throughout the village. Alongside this is a competition which is split into a number of areas including best overall garden, best patio, best baskets etc. Peter had decided that in 2008 we should enter this competition. Anne's not so keen. Whether we make it is open to discussion is well open to discussion. Whatever happens, and you'll be the first to know, we have decided to take photos of the garden throughout 2008 to show the different seasons and the different levels of untidiness. Peter will accompany this with the idiot's guide to gardening. Don't expect any Latin names or clever technical terms here. Peter is just keen to prove that a non gardener can produce a garden without having any idea whatsoever about what he is doing. So we start in January: In January I mostly put off gardening (surprise, surprise). Rain and high winds made it easier to stay inside once the winter leaves had fallen from the apple trees inside the garden and the large oak tree at the bottom. I was glad of the heavy winds as it blew many of the oak leaves into other people's gardens and so there seemed many less to pick up. The winds did take a couple of fence panels with them as well but no gain without pain as they say. On a bright and sunny Saturday morning towards the middle of the month (well the 12th actually) I popped out with my new Canon Digital camera to start the monthly photographic log. The things on the right hand side of the garden seemed to have died and for some reason the Christmas tree still stood in a pot near the back door. Actually Anne can't bare to be parted from this festive reminder. We buy this special kind of tree where the needles don't drop off. So it looks as fit and healthy when we take it down on 12th night as it does on Christmas Day. And there is the problem. Anne insists we can enjoy it for a while longer by adding it to the garden which already seems to have too much in it since we had it landscaped a few years ago. Last year she had me planting it in the back. I told her it wouldn't live. She wouldn't believe me even when I explained that it had no roots. I think she believed the fairy of garden growth would somehow turn the block of wood that was its end into something that would grow and flourish. By the spring most of the needles had gone and it was looking decidedly brown when I decided enough was enough and cut it into little pieces and placed it into the garden re-cycling bin. Anyway on the photos you will be able to see this Christmas' (or should that be last Christmas') tree? Elsewhere it's all pretty dismal and shows the amount of trimming that needs to be done - when the weather improves of course. Click on the photos to see a large image.
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