EMBRACE YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE

I don’t think gardens have ever been as important as they have been in the past year. Being confined to our homes for so long has left us yearning for the outdoors and sometimes the only breath of fresh air we get during the day is a snatched lunch out the back. I’ve never been into gardening – partly because I don’t have the interest and partly because I don’t have the time. Or at least I didn’t until the last 12 months. PreCovid (and hopefully post), I travelled a lot so anything that needed regular care and attention is of no use to me. It’s funny because my mam is a great gardener and I love looking at hers in full bloom in the summer, but I didn’t inherit her green fingers. What I love about gardening guidelines now is that they accept that not everybody has an expanse of lush lawn or space in which to separate borders from vegetables. One of my excuses was always that my garden was too small in which to do anything but that’s been blown out of the water by savvy, clever, space-saving planters. In today’s issue we have a 12-page pullout with Alan Titchmarsh’s guide to making the most of your outdoor space, whatever the size. He has some wonderful tips whether you’re looking to embrace wildflowers or simply plant a couple of herbs to enhance your home cooking. At a time when climate change seems to have taken a back seat to Covid somewhat, it’s also a good way to give nature a helping hand. My local park – the entirety of which I only discovered when I took up running in the absence of my gym last year – is part of the national Rewilding Ireland initiative and I can’t wait for the flowers to return. Some have already started to push through but I know that when I see it returning to full bloom, it will hopefully be at a time when the whole country – the whole world, in fact – is feeling more optimistic about everything. One of the wild flower patches is very close to my brother’s house and my nephew was complaining that h’ed been chased by two bees in his garden last week. I tried to explain to him how this is a very good thing but he’s still a little too young to understand. I decided to go down the herb route myself recently. The rosemary is flourishing, the basil didn’t make it. But I’m learning as I go and hopefully when the weather warms up a little more, I’ll be able to expand my range. If you don’t have a garden, window boxes are a great way to add some colour to your outdoor space. It looks like we’re going to be cooped up for a little while longer so we might as well make the most of what we have.

Enjoy the issue!