My niece and her husband have just bought a house with a
rather large garden. At the moment, it
almost entirely consists of lawn and not much else. They’re ambitious about it but not
experienced gardeners at all, as, since their marriage, they’ve always lived in
a flat. They have large containers with
beautiful plants, to which they pay real attention only at weekends. As both of them work full time ++, something
tells me they might be in for a bit of a shock, which, I think, they rather
sense. They’ve even asked advice from
me! H E E E LP!
The most important thing about gardening, I think, Artemis, is the joy it gives you. I don't subscribe to regimented gardens or to gardeners who try too hard to "blind you with science". There has to be hope and joy in it or it's hardly worth the effort.
Perhaps they will find Frances Tophill's "The First Time Gardener" easy to read and helpful.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day..
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their
character
F.T. is delightful as a presenter and a splendid writer, so I think Zoe's choice is a very useful one.
I too think your garden is your space and you should have it as you want it. Monty's book "Down to Earth" is absolutely a must, if you're creating a garden really for yourself and your needs. He's such a gifted writer.
Above all, you could possibly tell them to take their time and perhaps to wait till spring before doing anything much, so they can have a better idea of what is already growing there.
I hope this gardening adventure proves a very joyful experience for them both.
When I first got married, OH kept buying me the Expert series of books by Dr Hessayon - he himself definitely not a gardener. All these books contained vast amounts of information but, unfortunately, they failed to excite or inspire me.
For several years, every Christmas, birthday or wedding anniversary, at least one of my gifts would, invariably, be a gardening book. As not all books appeal to all people, many of them, sadly, ended up on the shelves of our local charity bookshop.
I do, however, still have Monty's "The Weekend Gardener". (Actually, my daughter borrowed it many months ago...) He is a very engaging writer.
We then subscribed to Gardening Which - another bunch of experts trying to blind you with science! Finally, we subscribed to GW and shortly after that we became google addicts!
The internet is such a rich resource.
Good luck to them both, Artemis, and do introduce them to this Forum. There are many splendid, kind and generous experts here.
Posts
A petty, devious, misleading pack
HOWZAT?
and of course Marcus Rashford
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
In my books, Marcus R is an angel and so are all those who care for the oppressed, neglected and abused.
As for the current PM, no doubt he's loved by the populace but I think he's a dangerous joker and an embarrassment.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther KingMy niece and her husband have just bought a house with a rather large garden. At the moment, it almost entirely consists of lawn and not much else. They’re ambitious about it but not experienced gardeners at all, as, since their marriage, they’ve always lived in a flat. They have large containers with beautiful plants, to which they pay real attention only at weekends. As both of them work full time ++, something tells me they might be in for a bit of a shock, which, I think, they rather sense. They’ve even asked advice from me! H E E E LP!
Perhaps they will find Frances Tophill's "The First Time Gardener" easy to read and helpful.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther KingI too think your garden is your space and you should have it as you want it. Monty's book "Down to Earth" is absolutely a must, if you're creating a garden really for yourself and your needs. He's such a gifted writer.
Above all, you could possibly tell them to take their time and perhaps to wait till spring before doing anything much, so they can have a better idea of what is already growing there.
I hope this gardening adventure proves a very joyful experience for them both.
For several years, every Christmas, birthday or wedding anniversary, at least one of my gifts would, invariably, be a gardening book. As not all books appeal to all people, many of them, sadly, ended up on the shelves of our local charity bookshop.
I do, however, still have Monty's "The Weekend Gardener". (Actually, my daughter borrowed it many months ago...) He is a very engaging writer.
We then subscribed to Gardening Which - another bunch of experts trying to blind you with science! Finally, we subscribed to GW and shortly after that we became google addicts!
The internet is such a rich resource.
Good luck to them both, Artemis, and do introduce them to this Forum. There are many splendid, kind and generous experts here.