Novemeber 21st 2005:
Q:
With summer a distant memory, how can we remind ourselves
of the pleasure our gardens gave?
A.
As we all put our gardens to bed for another season, it is great
to reflect back over the high points of the colourful summer months.
Taking photographs regularly of your garden its features
and problem areas is a way of constructively analysing
your gardening successes and failures.
A
glance back through photographs taken just a couple of seasons
ago will highlight marked differences in plant size and growth.
Photos taken at all stages of the making of a new flower
bed, digging of a pond and construction of a patio can act as
a historical reminder of the considerable time commitment you
have invested lovingly into your garden. It is surprising how
quickly we forget the pain and effort involved in building a new
feature once it has been successfully completed!
With
a new gardening year approaching, its the ideal time to
begin taking monthly photographs, to act as a Gardeners
Calendar for future reference. Why not give a gardening
friend a photograph album for Christmas with this in mind? Just
a few snaps, casually taken at regular intervals throughout the
season will catalogue the progress of new plantings, favourite
shrubs and bedding displays. Dont forget to date the reverse
side for an accurate record.
Looking
back at my own photographs recently, I was reminded how well the
summer poppies flowered encouraging me to plant more; how
quickly new herbaceous plantings took hold, even though they didnt
go in until the end of June and how tidy the garden looks when
freshly mown and edged. In addition, they have also emphasised
the need to redevelop some boring areas, which seriously
lack colour and interest for much of the year. I can now happily
draw up plans over the winter months for their transformation
next spring.
Chris
Roberts is Managing Director of The Van Hage Garden Company