Garden bursts with life
YES, it’s that time again. Have you noticed that the birds are twittering with new purpose first thing in the morning? The grape vines and wisteria are budding ready to burst forth, and the lavender is alive with busy bees?
I always know when spring is here – my nose tells me! The first sneeze sends me for the antihistamines, which are very effective. Thanks again, science. It reminds me to get out in the garden and burst into action.
Burst is a good word for me, because I get so very enthusiastic in spring. I dig, I weed, I plant, I buy plants that I know won’t survive (my fault, for sure), and generally have a ripping good time.
The plant shops do a good trade thanks to me. What a brilliant business plan – sell plants to people who kill them and then they keep coming back for more.
I have an incredibly brown thumb, you see, or is it that I fail to stick at things? Pot plants are great but are you telling me I have to keep watering them, like, forever?
What about weeds. They’re just like housework, you do it and then six months later there it all is again.
This is all a bit of an embarrassment, living in the Garden City. Despite that, some kind visitors tell me I have a lovely garden. I’m not sure why – perhaps it’s the overgrown mysterious charm of a deep, dark wood. Maybe it’s the odd little garden ornaments I’ve collected – they don’t need either fertiliser or water.
However, for me, I think it’s the Australian native plants which have saved my bacon.
They seem to thrive on a fair bit of neglect.
Also the really hardy tough things that you never see in the champion gardens – May bushes, daisies and pig face ground covers.
We have lots of grass, but it could never be called lawn. At least it’s green.
I’ve put lots of seats out in the garden too.
I love to sit there with a cup of tea on a spring day.
It rejuvenates the senses.
It takes great discipline to sit there and not notice the weeds, and all the pruning that needs doing …
I love spring – all three weeks of it! KAT ADAMS, Toowoomba