My garden

Much of this afternoon was spent outside in the garden - helped (or is that hindered) by two very frisky kittens. If something moved, they pounced .... a worm, a weed, my fingers, a butterfly or a leaf - all were equally as exciting.
I wouldn't call myself an avid gardener but I do enjoy pottering about outside and growing things.








I get a lot of pleasure when I see things growing especially if I can pick them and either use them myself or share with others.
I have always had a garden of some description. When I was a young stay-at-home mum living first in Taihape and then Wanganui, I had a huge garden. It took up the entire width of the section and half of the back yard. I would grow a variety of veges ranging from potatoes, to sweet corn, strawberries and carrots and everything in between - cabbages, lettuces, beetroot, broad beans, runner beans, parsnip, tomatoes, etc .... you name it and I probably grew it.
Then we moved to Invercargill where the temperatures were colder and it wasnt so easy to grow things. The size of my garden decreased considerably (3 metres by 2 metre approx) but its amazing how much you can grow in a small space. It was down south also that I first started growing flowers, especially dahlias which remain my favourite.
In Hamilton, I returned to the workforce and had no time to keep a garden but I still managed to grow tomatoes and rhubarb.
Now I am in Wanganui on a smaller section and it has taken me almost two years to decide how to organise my garden. It's bitsy but very satisfying. I am growing tomatoes and rhubarb as usual but I am also concentrating on things that are a bit different. This year I have egg plant, capsicums, courgettes, red onion, celery, par-cel (parsley/celery), as well as thornless blackberry, tamarillo, passionfruit, pepinos, strawberries and blueberries. On the flower side, I have gladiolis, carnations, dahlias, miniature roses, and other pickables that I don't know the names of. There is nothing quite so satisfying as taking a bunch of home grown flowers when visiting someone.
Its just as dangerous for me to wander around a garden centre as it is to let me loose in a clothing store... in fact, I think I spend more money in the garden centres! There is always one more plant that I think will look perfect somewhere.
My dream is to establish a wild garden - one with very little structure and created with all sorts of interesting plants, stepping stones and little concrete "creatures" hiding amongst the foliage. That will have to wait until I re-fence so could be a few years away yet.