Gardening is one of those words with a very elastic meaning. It covers anything from managing a tub in a city balcony to managing the surrounds of a country house with many variations in between. Like many things in life it looks simpler from a distance than it does close up.
Starting from the door what does one have to use, a balcony, a small section of a community garden or a large inter-war garden? The answer affects our responses ranging from “How do I squeeze as much possible from what I have?” to “How do I save labour on that?”
Paving over the landscape certainly saves on the labour but is difficult to be pleasing on the eye. Too much paving can aggravate flooding and, of course, is really non-gardening! Other forms of low maintenance gardening include using plants which virtually look after themselves.
Lavender is one plant that can be left alone if there is plenty of space but can be kept in a tub in a balcony, only needing to be trimmed lightly once per year. Some types of lavender can be used a herb as well as having an attractive scent and appearance.
Gardening is a practical hobby as well as an aesthetic one. Growing food may not save that much money but a gardener can choose varieties which are rare in the shops and place an emphasis on taste rather than on the keeping and transport characteristics of the produce.
It is quite easy to stretch the growing season by three weeks at either end with a cold greenhouse or frame. Starting off seedlings early and protecting produce from early frosts is a cheap way to widen ones options.
The growing of flowers is some people’s passion. So much choice, so many varieties! One can start from seeds, corms, tubers, cuttings and end up with a glorious display. Of course luck with the weather plays a big part in the outcome. Last year conditions were nearly perfect so long as one could water in the spring, this year spring was a very, very poor. Also, with a small garden it is very difficult to grow enough if one wants to have picked flowers in the home. It really is very difficult to have the range or the quantity too “crop” flowers from a small garden. This is where the commercial sources have an advantage. They really do have the scale to cover a broad range of demands and one really does have to go technical and surf the florists on the internet to make sure one has the choice of flower delivery online, such as online florist Flowers24hours in London to cover all occasions!
This post is written by wedding, events and corporate florist Todich Floral Design
