HOW THREE NI PEOPLE TRANSFORMED THEIR GARDENS IN LOCKDOWN
As garden centres reopen across NI, people are looking forward to revamping their plots. Linda Stewart meets three people who transformed their gardens
Disability campaigner Michaella Hollywood (29) is furloughed and in self isolation in Crossgar with her mum Marie, dad Michael and dog Charlie.
She’s been planning to transform her unusable back garden for a year and a half and the builders came out to do the work early in lockdown, creating a well-designed space where she can sit outside and enjoy a change of scenery without leaving the house.
The work was part funded by Michaella and partly by the Housing Executive and included building a new bathroom as well.
She says: “When the occupational therapist was visiting, she had noticed that the paving had become unsafe — so that was really where it began. It went through the planning system, along with other elements she wanted to change in the house and the builder was able to do social distancing which has been brilliant.
“The area was really all over the place — the paving was up and down and when it rained, the water would lie on it, so we would have had to wash the water away. There was really only one small part where I could sit.
“As part of my disability I can’t hold myself against gravity, so I was finding it hard to hold myself up outside. It was barely usable for me anymore — it was really hard to drive the wheelchair on.”
Michaella was born with spinal muscular atrophy which affects all her muscles.
“I can’t brush my own teeth or scratch my nose if it’s itchy, and when I go to sleep I have to use a ventilator. I get my food through a tube in my stomach,” she explains. “I often describe it that I can do everything, but I need someone to be my arms and legs.”
Michaella was also born with no ears, an unrelated condition.
“I recently got new hearing aids before the virus and now the sounds I’ve been able to hear outside are unreal. I never realised you could hear Charlie sniffing until about two weeks ago — being able to hear your dog sniffing is something I’ve never thought of before,” she says.
The builders have replaced the paving and installed a pathway around the house, and then the family got to work on the soft landscaping.
“We’ve planted flowers and there are raised beds that are about 75% getting pulled out and new stuff planted — but that hasn’t started yet,” Michaella says.
“We’ve planted radishes and tomatoes in a pot at the front and once they’re mature we can plant them out the back. We also have pansies — they’re growing rightly and once they’re mature enough we can plant them out.
“Mum wants an apple orchard, but I really want berries. I like making jam, so I’d like to plant blackberries and that sort of thing. I’d say we’ll end up with a mixture of fruit and veg — all our flowers tend to die on us, but we seem to be able to grow veg.”
The family is also growing bonsai from seed, a complicated process involving a spell in the hotpress followed by weeks in the fridge.
“They will be able to come out of the fridge in the next few weeks and that will be very interesting,” Michaella says.
Because of her health conditions,
‘Thisnew areahas been a godsend ... it’s a little slice of heaven for me’
Michaella and her family had been in self isolation since March 12, and the garden has been a godsend.
“It’s so good to have this at this time — when we planned this, a pandemic wasn’t in our minds at all,” she says.
“I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the back garden and I’m able to take the chair for a walk round the house.
“We’ve put a table in the middle as it’s been really useful for me. Even writing with a pencil can be quite tiring so it’s good to have the support of the table,” she says.
“You can’t underestimate how important this is. Last September I went to the US on a State Department-funded trip for emerging leaders and I was on six planes in a month. And in such a short space of time to be in self isolation, it’s bit of a culture shock and it’s not what I’m usually like.
“So to be able to come out for a bit of a change of scenery has been really nice. I haven’t been anywhere in three months, so to be able to come out the back and not worry has been really good — there’s no one here to put me at risk.
“As a shielder, this has been a slice of heaven.”
Estimated cost: approx £1,000.
Time: one week.
Best bargain: pavers were £15 a pallet in an
auction. The advice I’d pass on: if it’s complicated, let
the experts do it!