Part of the joy of gardening is simply relaxing and enjoying your surroundings. There’s so much more to gardening than relentless chores when you don’t even notice what you’ve already achieved. There are, of course, times when there’s masses to do: spring sowing and planting; preparing to go on holiday and picking up the pieces on return; a summer party in the garden with friends; or, Heaven preserve you, a garden opening weekend.
But for everyday life, be sure to arrange the garden so you can stop and soak up the joy of the place. Your garden will change with your age and commitments. When young, you ’ ll have boundless energy but you’ll be too busy and with children; it’ll become a play park anyway.
As you age, you ’ ll have more time but less energy. So decide what actually matters and focus on that. Only you know what makes you relax.
Is it simply sitting in the garden, with a cup of tea or glass of wine, enjoying the fragrant aroma of a nearby rose or honeysuckle. And listening to the birds, bees and little voles nipping around about their affairs If so, you’ll need a comfy chair on the grass, real grass, as unlike plastic rubbish, you’ll see green in its multitude of shades. It’s been shown to be the most relaxing, calming colour of all.
A flower bed or a little wildlife corner with a sheltering tree could also do the trick. But you have to accept that a wildlife garden, whatever its size, needs some care. Nature doesn’t zoom in at the wave of a .