Hello, and welcome to my very first post all about my gardening obsession! How exciting, and actually quite nerve wracking!
Honestly, this is not something I would have ever considered doing, but life has a funny way of pushing you in odd directions doesn’t it? I am gardening obsessed. It’s my passion for so many reasons. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I could actually help others just by continuing to do what I absolutely love. There is no downside really is there?
I figured that you all may want to know a bit about me. You know, make sure I do actually know my turnip from my tulip. So, for my very first post I thought I would give you a little insight into how I actually came to love messing about in the mud so much.
Where the gardening obsession started
So, I took up gardening properly about 15 years ago. At that time, I had an established demanding career, a husband, a dog, and a small postage stamp sized garden. And I was, like most people I suspect, only interested in having a garden where I could sit in the summer supported by a glass of nicely chilled vino.
However, what I did have was a passion for was cooking. So, I gradually built up my culinary knowledge by watching a myriad of cooking programmes, and really fancied the idea of cooking with my own home grown vegetables. Everyone will tell you how home grown produce tastes so much better than shop bought. And it really does!
This new little hobby, coincided with a house move, so cue a larger garden. Taking inspiration from my mum and grandmother (both avid gardeners), I built my first greenhouse and started growing my own vegetables with varying success. That first year, it was all about the veg. I found out that I couldn’t grow parsnips, (still can’t). But, I also found out I could grow tomatoes. Probably a bit too well really. That year I learnt all about gluts and I ended up with more fruit than I knew what to do with!
However, my biggest lesson those first few years was just how easy it is for anyone to start growing flowers and vegetables. It doesn’t matter if you have zero knowledge as it builds, as does the enjoyment of it.
Life changes
After a few years, my love of growing plants became my passion. But, my gardening obsession had not quite yet fully blossomed. However, I then had some significant life changes. Because my relationship ended, and I had to move from my lovely little cottage, leaving my beloved garden behind. Then, my new house only had a little bit of front garden space. It was really hard not having a garden and honestly, I struggled. Then worse still, my world came crashing down as a short while after that I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
As a result, I really had to find something to get me focussing on the future, and I was really lucky to get half an allotment plot. I had to be particularly careful as I was having chemo and any infection can be deadly, so I wore 3 pairs of gloves at a time! I threw myself back into gardening, and it was then that I realised just how important gardening was to me. As it was not just a hobby, it was vital. Messing about in the mud became my lifeline and it literally kept me going for a number of reasons.
Firstly, I was determined to be around for the future, to see the seeds I had sown grow into mature plants. Secondly, spending time on my allotment allowed me to forget about how bad I felt physically, and gave me the mental space I needed to take a break from my worries. Thirdly, my allotment was my version of meditation. Thus, it was the way it made me feel, that really started my gardening obsession.
Lessons learnt
Sometimes, I am not sure how, but I made it through that difficult period. I eventually moved away from the little house with no garden, and took my new gardening obsession with me. However, giving up my allotment was a wrench. But, I think about it now with a profound sense of gratitude. How that little allotment saved me!
Moreover, cancer taught me that simple things, like making a cup of tea or planting some seeds, can at times seem like a mountain to climb. But something good will happen when you get to the top, so you just have to keep going.
Accordingly, I learnt to live in the present. To focus on what you are doing now because you will never get that time back. It is not until you can’t do the little things, that you realise how important they actually are.
However, the best lesson my experience taught me was that you can be wholly committed to the present AND look toward the future. This is what messing about in the mud does for me. And this is why I now have a gardening obsession.
Bizarrely, having cancer changed my life for the better. Though obviously I didn’t realise it at the time. As a result, I now try and focus on the positives, even when things do not feel that positive! Because let’s face it, life can be challenging! Still, cancer connected me to gardening in a way that will never leave me and I am a lucky girl.
A new beginning
My new house was a lovely terraced cottage that had a really long, narrow back garden. It was about 4 metres wide and 20 metres long. Additionally, I moved there in the spring which is a fantastic time of the year. I spent so much time in my little garden. As a result, my gardening obsession developed. I then started to move from vegetables to flowers, and into garden design and landscaping.
In fact, this was a garden of gardening firsts. It was the first garden I designed, taking my inspiration from books and the internet. Furthermore, it was where I laid my first patio, and where I discovered that levelling the ground is my least favourite thing to do! It was also where I first discovered propagation, as I had little spare money and needed new plants. And, I made my first wildlife pond in this garden, it wasn’t even one metre square, but I was delighted to find a frog had made it their home.
Whilst I was happily rediscovering my plant passion, I also found the love of my life. Typically, he doesn’t like gardening, but then you can’t have everything can you? He is, however, a good photographer and set about taking pictures of all the flowers I have grown over the years. You can find them all here: http://Instagram.com/thegirlthatstaresatplants and http://Instagram.com/jodiesgarden
Moving on
So, after a few years, we moved from my little cottage, to our current home. Now, I won’t lie, I bought it purely for the garden. Whilst my house didn’t have a kitchen or a bathroom when we moved in, and we are still renovating it, that was all white noise to me. Because what we do have is a large garden. It’s about 15 metres wide, by 60 metres long. It’s not as big as I would like, (I don’t think I will ever have a garden big enough😂 ) but it absolutely keeps me busy.
I can honestly say that the peace and pleasure I get out of my garden is immeasurable. I have done a fair amount since I moved in, and over the coming months I will share some of these things with you. However, it is not in any way finished, and frankly I am not sure it ever will be.
Furthermore, my garden differs year by year, like the whole space is a living thing, changing its clothes depending on the latest trend. I love that it’s never the same. Some years it has been spectacular, and in others it has been muted. But irrespective, it always keeps me grounded, gives me mental freedom and makes me smile.
Gardening obsession, passed from me to you
So, over the coming days, weeks and months, I would love to share my passion for all things gardening with you. Show you how I continue to develop my own garden and knowledge, as well as what I find works and what doesn’t work. So, If you want to know how to get started in your own garden, head over to my design inspiration page and have a read of this post It’s All About You Darling! This is the first in my series of Easy Garden Design Secrets, which I hope will make it super simple for you to give garden design a go. However, if you want to read the ultimate guide to planning your own dream garden which is the entire series in one post then click here.
Finally, if I can give you just a little piece of the joy I feel when gardening, and help you the way my allotment helped me, I will have achieved my aim.
J.T. x
