Chapter Three; Pretty Green

Dear Reader, 

I’ve recently been attempting to garden, and when I say ‘garden’, I really do mean that in the loosest sense of the word. I’m not even entirely sure that what I do qualifies as gardening but nonetheless…

My ‘gardening’ consists of buying pretty plants and potting them in pretty plant pots. This requires only a small amount of knowledge and hard work. But does make you feel like you’ve contributed somewhat to your green fingeredness and can thus be just a little garden proud. Though, really, I’m just desperately hoping the plants don’t die.

There is definitely something rather lovely about seeing something you’ve planted by hand grow into a beautiful flower, fruit or vegetable.

One thing that bugs me though, why on earth is gardening seen as an old person’s hobby? Why do I feel boring for enjoying it? However poorly I may be doing it and however little knowledge I may have, it’s peaceful and requires care. You’re helping a living thing to grow, there’s something primal and quite lovely about that.

So if gardening makes me old and boring then bring on my cup of tea and comfy chair because I’ve just turned 75!

I’m currently growing Salvia, Rudbeckia, Lavender and a little tomato plant. If you think it’s clever that I knew the names of the first two plants, hang fire…because I just got up and pottered into the garden to look at the nametags that I left in the pots. Hurrah for not having a clue!

One particular feature I did look for when choosing my flowers was that they attracted bees. This is something I feel quite strongly about and I’m not entirely sure people understand how important bees are to our world. In no uncertain terms we could not exist without bees. Wasps I could do without, but bees, they are wonderful creatures to whom we owe a lot.

I’m a big supporter of Greenpeace and a bit of factual blurb from their website states; ‘Since the late 1990s, beekeepers around the world have observed the mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees, and report unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies.

Bees make more than honey – they are key to food production because they pollinate crops. Bumblebees, other wild bees, and insects like butterflies, wasps, and flies all provide valuable pollination services. A third of the food that we eat depends on pollinating insects. In Europe alone, the growth of over 4,000 vegetables depends on the essential work of pollinators. But currently, more and more bees are dying. The bee decline affects mankind too. Our lives depend on theirs.’

I love bees, I think they’re rather sweet and fuzzy and it’s rather comical the way that they bomp into things like little drunk furballs. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who aren’t as keen, but we have to love all creatures on this Earth, even if we’re not their biggest fans (That means wasps too!). Because together we all hold the ecosystem together, and what Greenpeace say about the bees, I reiterate about all animals, ‘our lives depend on theirs.’

So, dear reader, when I see a little fuzzy ball of black and yellow bomping into my lavender I feel a little glimmer of pride, in some tiny way I’m doing my bit for the animals and the plants…by being a truly amateur gardener.

SP.