Gardening

[Jimbo]

I think I'm finally starting to get somewhere with my meds and feeling a little more human again. Most of my threads have been rather negative over the last few months and I thought I'd start a positive thread about the successes I'm making.

I've been trying to find a good excuse to get outside now the weather is starting to improve. I've decided to sort out our garden.

It should give me a bit of exercise and an excuse to be outside in the sunshine doing something. Hopefully by summer I will have lots of flowers and maybe even some vegies too.

At the moment it's just a square patch of overgrown grass. I mowed it yesterday, nearly died of exaustion, and the strimmer blew up when I tried to do the edges, lol! But I feel good having done it.

Hopefully by summer, if I mow it and look after it enough, I'll have the grass like a 'putting green' and lots of relaxing plants so I can spend some time chilling out in the garden.

My plan today and tomorrow is to mark out a flower bed and start digging it over ready for some plants.

I'll try and post some pics as I go along.

Wish me luck.

Jim

[sandie]

Hi Jombo

Well done - gardening is a fantastic way to distract yourself - really positive and rewarding move forward. Even if the weather is not good enough to get outside, you can spend time sitting designing flower beds, looking thru magazines/books etc planned themed or coloured flower beds, determining what soil type you have and what plants/veg will grow well in that soil.

I love gardening - planning, digging, pruning, raking, weeding, scrubbing the patios etc, etc. Unfortunately for some years now I haven't been able to get into a garden and its ben very frustrating. Hopefully, that will change in coming months.

Well done, keep it up and keep us informed of your progress.

Take care

Sandie

[Piglet]

Well done mate - gardening is a smashing way to have some alfresco therapy.

We should all have little allotments shouldn't we - a nomorepanic project and sell all our produce. I wonder how you grow Pringles?

Piglet

[Jimbo]

I wonder how you grow Pringles?

ROFL Piglet!

Here's a pic of today. Still nice and sunny.



Just the mow so far, sadly the grass is not too happy about it.

I'm thinking beds down each side and maybe something in front of the shed. Just have to get my housemates who actually own it to ok it before I start digging it all up. Trouble is the left side is the shady side and the grass is even struggling to grow there, but has the most space. The right side is the sunny side where the grass seems to be growing best, but I don't have much space for a bed and still be able to open the shed door.

Jim

[sandie]

Hi Jimbo

Good to see the pic. The garden has a very rectangular feel and appearance - maybe a few curves/circles would help make it more dimensional? Shade loving plants for the left side would be great (hostas would do well there and you can get a great variety - all with different leaf colourings/patterns.

It might help if you could do a scale plan and actually draw a few designs - perhaps help persuade your housemates to your ideas!!!

Have fun!!

Sandie

[clickaway]

Jim, That's a great attitude - I have a big problem with the garden, but at least the last couple of days I have spent 10 minutes cutting some shrubs back (in the spring I know) as a token gesture.

I think planting some flowers will be a great way of livening up your garden and given you the chance to say to yourself "Hey, I did do that, I can do that!"

I'm hoping my occupational therapist will get me in touch with the allotment group that the Mental Health Team here are helping to set up. Maybe Piglet, you can send me some canisters of Pringle seeds for the project!

[Piglet]

Oh wouldn't it be marvellous to grow pringles, oh and easter eggs too!

Piglet drifts off happily for a few moments there

Jim what a marvellous blank canvas to start off with. Much like Sandie says what about introducing some curved shaped beds to give a nice sense of flow and movement.

You could then do a half circle towards the top lefthand corner to the side of the shed and mirror it on the bottom righthand corner next to the patio.

Or stand in the middle of the garden and put a stick in the centre, attach a long peice of string and then walk round marking the shape you are making giving you a complete circle of grass. Cut the shape out so all that you are left with is a complete circle and then everything outside of this can be given over to beds. It will make the garden feel much bigger and you can keep the circle really big if you want a fair bit of lawn.

Piglet

[Jimbo]

I like the idea of the curves and stuff, especially Piglet's idea with the circles. My housemates didn't like it tho , they want straight lines and formal looking stuff. So far I'm allowed to dig a straight bed up the left hand side and I think I've managed to talk them into having similar on the right hand side. I think they are a bit worried about 'upkeep' on it, so it's hard to talk them into having large bedded areas. Good thing I didn't just start digging today, lol!

I think I might draw up some plans tomorrow so I can show them some different ideas.

They want to get some decking to replace the dodgy patio you can see just at the bottom of the picture, so I'm thinking of keeping it symetrical to keep them happy and perhaps have some 1/4 circle beds in the corners by the decking and some stepping stones up the middle of the grass to the shed.

I'll just have to keep working on them.

I've also got to think about what sort of plants to get, that's something I know nothing about. It's probably going to be a bit tricky as the left side of the garden is so dark, and the right is so light. I think I'll be googling for a good reason tomorrow.

Jim

[groovygranny]

Oh, you're so lucky to have a garden Jimbo - and with all these good ideas it's going to look just great!!

GG has, what I, laughingly but lovingly, call a 'container garden' - a fairly large back yard with pots and wall baskets!!

The only grass I get to mow is the little tufts that sprout in me pots!! And I can do that with a pair of nail scissors !!

I just luv feeling the soil in my bare hands and planting what I have grown from seed.

If you want to see hope, then follow a plant's growth from seed to final bloom

Have a great time in your garden!

[ludovti]

How exciting Jimbo, gardening is a really positive thing to focus on!

Keep working on your housemates, the final results I'm sure will be amazing with all the thought you are putting into it and all the great advice you are getting from your friends here.

Keep up the good work!