HOUSEWORK! And there’s plenty to do in the garden at this time of the year
Gardening is my kind of
Housework isn’t my favourite occupation, although gardening housework presents a different scenario altogether. It’s true it’s repetitive, but not in the same way as regular housework. Whereas that needs to be done frequently and regularly, sometimes repeating the same job several times a week, some jobs in the garden are seasonal and getting stuck into them reminds you of the natural year and the way that one season glides into the next.
Vacuuming is the same summer and winter alike, whereas the jobs that need to be done now outside are quite different to those that need our attention in a few months’ time. I’m by no means a tidy gardener and my role is more that of a manager than a controller. How do you feel about your garden? For some people, regimentation – insisting that plants do what they are required to do – is an all-important part of their gardening ethos. We here, and probably most of you, have a more ‘laissez-faire’ attitude.
For us, plants are full of wonder, and we want to help them to be themselves. It’s up to us to choose them carefully and try to put them together so they can live together harmoniously without too much interference. Maintaining a garden so that plants can be happy while we enjoy them, though, implies regular intervention.
Winter is one of the busiest times of year; there’s clearing up and cutting back to do so we can see what’s happening in our gardens and think about what we may want to take out or add. Roses need pruning, and this is the best time, too, to attend to both soft fruit (gooseberries and currants) and fruit trees (apples and pears).
Winter affords a great opportunity to get on top of weeds, as most of them are still visible. Some gardeners dig in annual weeds but since we practice a nodig policy, we don’t. However you garden, perennial weeds, docks, couch grass and ground elder need to be extracted. Once we’ve cleared beds, we mulch with compost, leaf mould and old dung. This acts as a weed suppressant, keeps moisture in and improves soil quality. All the paths with hard surfaces, bricks, slate and stone flags are extremely slippery so several sessions with the power washer are on the cards. It’s a mistake to use this where plants are close to or overhanging the paths, they get badly bashed, but there’s no quicker nor more efficient way of returning paths to clean and, more importantly, safe surfaces.
On gravel paths, the track and even some of the beds, there are still leaves to rake, providing great exercise. If this was the wild and our snowdrops were growing in a ditch or at the woodland’s edge, leaves would just stay and gradually rot down, but this is the garden where planting is condensed and plants need a little help to do their best.
This is the housework for me, in the open air, in the garden.