Think it started when I was very young I remember throwing some marigold seeds around, they grew I was fascinated.....been gardening ever since. Glad to say my daughter has followed in my footsteps we are the only ones in my family that are gardeners.
My 1st memory was growing candytuft from seed in a candytuft competition at primary school, aged about 7 (my god, do kids even do stuff like that any more?! It was the 70's mind...)
Dad grew veg and roses from my earliest memories. I spent time watching and helping, I realised many years later how much I could remember about veg. Mum came to gardening in her 50's and is still at it at 85.
Had a go at veg in my 20's but when plasic greenhouse blew down I fell out with the garden. At that point the only flowers that I ever noticed were cauliflowers. At our next house a new build we just kept blank soil weeded, not even any turf. One day we walked around the estate and saw the hard work others had put into their gardens and I felt ashamed
4 yrs later when we decided to move to have a bigger garden !! some of our neighbours wanted cuttings, plants from the garden, even wanted to buy the greenhouse and my plants in pots. Most came with us ( plants not neighbours). I cried at leaving my lovely but small garden.
We've been here 13 years, I have a good number of shrubs and plants, but this is the first year I've bothered or had time to grow annuals, free seeds did the trick. I still get the biggest thrill from harvesting vegetables.
I love being in the garden and am happy that we could retire early and spend more time in it.
This is an interesting question. As a child I reluctantly would help Dad do stuff though I am sure he mostly planted flowers to keep Mum happy and veg as he wasn't a high income earner.
I lived in flats for years with houseplants. Moved to Asia and pretty much had no plants at all but in my late 30s, when I was moving back to the UK and looking at houses online, I found myself unable to look at a house without judging the garden and it suddenly became essential to me that any house I bought must have a decent sized garden.
I have always pottered in the garden, as did my mother, but she always regarded it as 'Mans' work. Goodness knows why as after my father passed she proved to be a brilliant gardener.
Always searched for large gardens but 3 children put pay to anything like flower beds, although I did develop a shrub border.
Slowly a garden became less important so the next house move meant thta we downsized the garden. it was overgrown so once again i pottered, clearing a bit, growing a few beans. Then Ill health forced me to leave work and I was looking out at this tamed mess. So with pruning saw I chopped and removed stuff (also very therapeutic) discovered buried slabs and then began to recognise weeds. - I did nurture a clump of ground elder until my then NDN moaned about it.
After I had cut and discovered things my son, then at uni, cme home and said why don't you try planting instead of destroyng. It was like a eureka moment. I designed and planted up little garden and began to crave for somewhere that I could design and plant up. Move house and i am here, largish garden, started from scratch, still very much develpoing it. Mind you we did have to clear it first.
Have tentatively started to grow a more varied amount of veg apart from runner beans
Now I am so hooked I spend nearly every day in it, plan trips/ holidays so that I can visit others and if too wet trawl through catalogues, gardening books planning the next stage.
Yesterday, for instance , a circle where the butterflies are had been designated a wild flower area but while looking, weeding I realised because of its prominence in garden it needs to be planted up properly - I think big bright annual bedding in a formal display, can't wait for the seed catalogues to come to plan it
Great thread Verd and lots of lovely stories and anecdotes. Not sure where my interest came from other than it being creative which I've inherited from my Dad. When I bought my first flat I had a tiny space below the front bay window as it was ground floor. I enjoyed the planning of it and I suppose that's what my main interest is. I did garden design for a while but when I suddenly found myself on my own with 2 young children I realised it wasn't feasible to pursue as a career. With each garden I've moved to it's the creation and planning that I enjoy most - seasons and conditions have to be taken into account so it becomes more complex than designing an interior of a house. I like seeing the transformation of a space I suppose.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
To my shame about 2 years ago, I realised that my husband's bees had no forage in our garden! I am a very late starter, have learned masses in the last two years but the field outside is beginning to look a little like a garden now. I only grow bee friendly flowers and can bore for England about compost! Is it odd to get a 'high' from going to a new garden centre?
To be able to visualise and design a garden is a great skill Fg. I admire anyone that can do that.
Thinking about it i may not be a gardeners at all. What I like doing is growing plants. They then need a home and they're all out there, just where there happened to be a gap at the time
Posts
Think it started when I was very young I remember throwing some marigold seeds around, they grew I was fascinated.....been gardening ever since. Glad to say my daughter has followed in my footsteps we are the only ones in my family that are gardeners.
The others are all decking and gravel
Great post Verdun
My 1st memory was growing candytuft from seed in a candytuft competition at primary school, aged about 7 (my god, do kids even do stuff like that any more?! It was the 70's mind...)
I was hooked.
Dad grew veg and roses from my earliest memories. I spent time watching and helping, I realised many years later how much I could remember about veg. Mum came to gardening in her 50's and is still at it at 85.
Had a go at veg in my 20's but when plasic greenhouse blew down I fell out with the garden. At that point the only flowers that I ever noticed were cauliflowers. At our next house a new build we just kept blank soil weeded, not even any turf. One day we walked around the estate and saw the hard work others had put into their gardens and I felt ashamed
4 yrs later when we decided to move to have a bigger garden !! some of our neighbours wanted cuttings, plants from the garden, even wanted to buy the greenhouse and my plants in pots. Most came with us ( plants not neighbours). I cried at leaving my lovely but small garden.
We've been here 13 years, I have a good number of shrubs and plants, but this is the first year I've bothered or had time to grow annuals, free seeds did the trick. I still get the biggest thrill from harvesting vegetables.
I love being in the garden and am happy that we could retire early and spend more time in it.
This is an interesting question. As a child I reluctantly would help Dad do stuff though I am sure he mostly planted flowers to keep Mum happy and veg as he wasn't a high income earner.
I lived in flats for years with houseplants. Moved to Asia and pretty much had no plants at all but in my late 30s, when I was moving back to the UK and looking at houses online, I found myself unable to look at a house without judging the garden and it suddenly became essential to me that any house I bought must have a decent sized garden.
It has been said that I was born middle aged...
I just love always having a reason to be outside
I have always pottered in the garden, as did my mother, but she always regarded it as 'Mans' work. Goodness knows why as after my father passed she proved to be a brilliant gardener.
Always searched for large gardens but 3 children put pay to anything like flower beds, although I did develop a shrub border.
Slowly a garden became less important so the next house move meant thta we downsized the garden. it was overgrown so once again i pottered, clearing a bit, growing a few beans. Then Ill health forced me to leave work and I was looking out at this tamed mess. So with pruning saw I chopped and removed stuff (also very therapeutic) discovered buried slabs and then began to recognise weeds. - I did nurture a clump of ground elder until my then NDN moaned about it.
After I had cut and discovered things my son, then at uni, cme home and said why don't you try planting instead of destroyng. It was like a eureka moment. I designed and planted up little garden and began to crave for somewhere that I could design and plant up. Move house and i am here, largish garden, started from scratch, still very much develpoing it. Mind you we did have to clear it first.
Have tentatively started to grow a more varied amount of veg apart from runner beans
Now I am so hooked I spend nearly every day in it, plan trips/ holidays so that I can visit others and if too wet trawl through catalogues, gardening books planning the next stage.
Yesterday, for instance , a circle where the butterflies are had been designated a wild flower area but while looking, weeding I realised because of its prominence in garden it needs to be planted up properly - I think big bright annual bedding in a formal display, can't wait for the seed catalogues to come to plan it
Great thread Verd and lots of lovely stories and anecdotes. Not sure where my interest came from other than it being creative which I've inherited from my Dad. When I bought my first flat I had a tiny space below the front bay window as it was ground floor. I enjoyed the planning of it and I suppose that's what my main interest is. I did garden design for a while but when I suddenly found myself on my own with 2 young children I realised it wasn't feasible to pursue as a career. With each garden I've moved to it's the creation and planning that I enjoy most - seasons and conditions have to be taken into account so it becomes more complex than designing an interior of a house. I like seeing the transformation of a space I suppose.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
To my shame about 2 years ago, I realised that my husband's bees had no forage in our garden! I am a very late starter, have learned masses in the last two years but the field outside is beginning to look a little like a garden now. I only grow bee friendly flowers and can bore for England about compost! Is it odd to get a 'high' from going to a new garden centre?
To be able to visualise and design a garden is a great skill Fg. I admire anyone that can do that.
Thinking about it i may not be a gardeners at all. What I like doing is growing plants. They then need a home and they're all out there, just where there happened to be a gap at the time
In the sticks near Peterborough