Wednesday, October 11, 2006

GARDENING















Do you like gardening?

There was a time when I thought I did. But I've figured it out. What I really like is the end product. I like nice gardens. I love lush growth and the odd object lurking in an unsuspecting corner. I like buying and planting new plants and making up new baskets to hang off our verandahs. I love herbs. I love being able to go into the garden and pick them when I need them for some culinary delight. I love picking flowers and making arrangements. I love doing something arty in the garden - like mosaicing a wooden post I left in when I took out our clothesline. I love that our garden is big with lots of different areas to explore.















I hate the chore that our big garden has become. Especially at this time of the year when I have neglected it over winter. I hate having to spend hundreds of dollars every couple of years to get the trees professionally trimmed. I hate that it will take me 20-30 hours work to get the garden looking good again. Hard work - digging out agapanthas that have spread too much. Enough weeds to fill our wheely bin 20 or 30 times over. So that I really need to hire a skip. Ripped forearms from roses digging into my flesh as I try to weed undrneath them them. Battling the jasmine and the ivy that I thought I had eradicated but which comes back year after year. I need to get a man in for a spring garden makeover (and I hate having to pay for that).















But later in summer I will look out at my garden and I will love it. And we will have lots of people to visit for barbecues and dinners and people will say "What a beautitful garden you have. It must be heaps of work." And I will shrug and say, again "I love gardening."

10 comments:

Penny said...

LOL!
Yes, it is a lot of work to get it looking nice. I love the end product too though. Especially in the summer when I can wander outside and pick a few veges, huck out a few weeds, toodle around looking at stuff.... I find that bit relaxing. DH curses our huge lawn and that is something I'd like to reduce if I can.

I love roses too but I'm thinking that I'm going to have to be more realistic about them and only have a very few. It's survival of the fittest round here - I don't have the time to pamper things. And in Auckland, the weather is so non-rose friendly.

Your garden looks lovely though.

Lynda said...

Nice looking garden Mel! Yep I agree with you there, I hate doing the work too, but love the end results. My favourite way to do the weeding is with round-up.

Love doing the lawns though, we have an acre and need a ride on to do them so that is a really relaxing chore :-)

Anonymous said...

I agree. I find there are a few activities that I prefer the end result rather than the process of getting there, including cleaning ... and gardening. Small rooms and small spaces are best! but the large rooms and the large lawns/gardens ... well, they look spectacular and like you say, people do appreciate the effort of keeping such areas looking good.

Roo said...

I so hear you Mel. I find I don't like gardening anywhere near as much as I once did. Oh well, soon I won't be able to get in my front door because of the weeds lol. Your garden looks like it is quite big too.

Anonymous said...

I loved your garden Mel but I would hate to take care of it. It's so big..... I am with Lynda and my idea of gardening is spraying with round up......

Sandra said...

Your garden looks gorgeous Mel. I'm the 'enjoy other peoples efforts' type gardener. Our landscaper didn't understand when i said "nothing with flowers on" but I truely wanted 'maintenence free'

Donna said...

I used to like gardening too. Then along came scrapbooking. Now I let my box hedging hide the sinful mess & bare spots behind it! Today was to be gardening day but oops, guess what i did? Now I feel guilty. LOL

Anonymous said...

Know what you mean we have a big garden as well love having it - hate doing it lol

Anonymous said...

Of course you love it.. but like Labour...... you just forget about all the pain, hard work etc that you had to go through to get there.lol!

good luck with the spring/summer gardening.

Delys said...

Im with Donna on that one! Loved my last large garden but just cant get inspired to do anything with this new small garden. Ive planted a few things from my old garden and need to get into it this weekend for a clean up. Might get the kids to help! mmm