I’ve probably mentioned more than once that the garden has galloped away with itself, it’s gone completely feral and mocks our admittedly pathetic attempts to keep it any sort of order. It is actually far too big for us, but over the years we’ve managed to mow the front and back lawn, and we maintained raised beds for a while. Several years ago we had a long period of very wet weather, which delighted the garden and it went mad – like some sort of half-hearted horror film where vegetation becomes not only sentient, but malign – remember John Wyndham’s triffids? I’m sure we had their descendants in our garden.
Fast forward to now and we decided the triffids had to be subdued and we put a note on our local facebook page for someone who could come and tame at least the publicly visible part of our garden. Our prayers were answered by a young gardener who’s just starting her business. I got in touch, she came, she assessed, she returned and looked fiercely at the overgrowth and soon knocked the front lawn into shape. She made it all look so easy – but to be honest, she’s young and skilled and full of energy. She did a grand job, so it seemed obvious to ask her if she was available to come back and look at the side – the gap between the fence and the public footpath.
In the gap we had planted climbing plants including rambling roses, years ago. They’d been wonderful for a while, attracting insects and birds, but then brambles and ivy had become entwined and vigorous anonymous plants with green and white leaves took their chance and soon it was more like the sort of wild growth which surrounded Sleeping Beauty’s castle – or was it Rapunzel?
We contacted the young gardener and she came back, had a look, and suggested she bring her sister to help her, we agreed without a second thought. They came on a day that we had to go out to an appointment but it mattered not to them. They must have worked like Trojans in the blazing sun because once again the did a miraculous job. A kind neighbour had given them glasses of orange squash and lent them a particular garden tool that they needed, and when we came home we were stunned – yes amazed at what they had achieved. At last everything is beginning to look better, but there’s a lot we still need to do to make it possible to maintain.
One thing they told us they couldn’t do, was dispose of the vegetation they’d cleared. They left it in a massive but neat pile, but it was up to us to somehow get rid of it all. Coincidentally, because we’d had some other work done on the house we had a skip (a massive metal container which a truck with lifting gear will come and take away.) So today, husband and I have attacked the bramble mountains, and although we’ve more to do, we have made good progress. We’ve been prickled, scratched, scraped and stung, but the skip is nearly full and we only have one pile of garden waste to chop up and load.
We have been fortunate that it’s been sunny and fine – but not too hot and although we have more to do we have made good progress, and will continue tomorrow. I feel so virtuous!
My featured image is not of our garden (obviously!) but I can’t remember where it is – a photo I took some years ago.
Lois Elsden 