In article ,
Elizabeth writes


I only really got into gardening in the last few years (now mid-20s), once I
moved into a place that had more than a windowsill.

Though back in Australia I grew a fabulous crop of zinnias as a child. I was
extremely proud of them and have a great picture of me standing next to them
with most of them up to my waist in brilliant mixed colours. I learned the
names of plants (mostly Australian natives) from my mother who has a mad
fascination for banksias, and I picked up how *not* to prune rhododendrons


Does anyone know if banksias grow over here? (my mum would be so proud if I
managed one)

Not out of doors. You might manage one indoors - ISTR Thompson and
Morgan sell seed for them - think Chiltern do too, and they will be
cheaper.

Chilterns have quite a few australian natives, some of which will grow
out of doors here.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Rick McGreal" wrote in message
...
"mick" wrote in
:

But I couldnt find any interest in it until I turned thirty ( my
garden for many years was nothing more than a piece of lawn - weedy
lawn at that.)

May I ask what turned you around?

Good question. It may just have been "old age" and a greater interest in
settling down, although I had owned a house and a garden since my early
twenties. Dont get me wrong , it was always "neat" ( mown). I found
gardening boring and couldn't grow a plant and keep it alive to save my
life!

The trigger for my gardening activity was a neighbour from hell.
she:
a) put weedkiller on the border between our houses ( I lived in a terraced
house at the time) and it seeped all over the lawn and killed it off. I had
no choice but to do something about it.

b) she killed my cat ( I kid you not!) . I loved my cat. So I decided to
fence her off with a five foot high boundary fence.

Since both of those things meant I had to dig up the garden. I decided to
put in a vegetable patch and make a raised bed , terrace the slopes on the
one side of the garden. It was probably the veggies and some success with
cucumbers and tomatoes that got me interested. I like salads in the summer!

The gardening carried on from that.

Once I'd done that garden I decided to move house, neighbour form hell still
making my life hell, ( to one without neighbours) and bought myself a
bungalow in the middle of a large field with a couple of greenhouses, a
summerhouse, a potting shed and an outside store/preparation room. with
about a third of an acre done out in plants, trees and similar as a "garden"
( the rest grass).
It used to be a market garden.

It was very overgrown and neglected ( house and garden) when I got it. I am
now renovating it.

And I have another cat who keeps the mice away and I love him to bits! he
does not destroy mine or anyone else's garden.

Probably around the 24 mark when I got my flat. Due to it only being a
brick patio and me being into oriental things and working in timber
industry seemed inevitable that I`d go for Bonsai.

Now that I have SWMBO and we have a garden plus allotment I`m getting
well into it all.

If I had known it was this easy to have had an allotment I`d have had
one years ago.

"dommy" wrote
snip
When did you start and what was your first experience?

There were always gardeners in my family when I was growing up. My father
had a big veggie plot and I can also remember my Nan's garden very well.
She grew all her own veg too and also loved cottage garden flowers.
Particular plants always seem to bring back childhood memories - like
hollyhocks growing alongside a wall at the cottage where I was born, or the
double daisies edging Nan's front path. There was a huge, wonderfully
scented philadelphus by her front door and a buddleja by the gate that
seemed every year to be smothered in butterflies all summer.

Then I had a primary school teacher who'd also taught my mother and she
knew all the names of wild plants and flowers. She used to keep a 'nature
table' in class and if anyone brought in something to display she would
make a neat label in immaculate copperplate, so we learned the names. I've
had an interest in native wild plants ever since.

At home I had my own little plot that I sporadically tended and remember
growing things like marigolds, sunflowers, nasturtiums and candytuft when I
was quite young - about seven or eight I suppose.

As an adult it's only been the last few years when I've had spare time that
I've really been into making a proper garden - or trying to anyway. I've
learned a lot of useful info reading this group. Thanks all!

Sue

On Mon, 5 May 2003 20:26:36 +0100, mick let rip with:

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Randall
P. McMurphy writes
31 (last year!)

I was in my early thirties before I took any interest in gardening.

This was not because I was not exposed to gardening. Indeed as a kid I
was dragged round nurseries and such whilst my parents bought plants . My
mother was always ( still is) to be found in her greenhouse.

Have the forensic team not searched that area of the garden then


My grandfather was a Head gardener for a large house. he also had a large
garden of his own.

--

Pscylo

prsvryprfctmnvrkpthsprcptstn

"mick" wrote in message ...
"Rick McGreal" wrote in message
...
"mick" wrote in
:

But I couldnt find any interest in it until I turned thirty ( my
garden for many years was nothing more than a piece of lawn - weedy
lawn at that.)

May I ask what turned you around?

Good question. It may just have been "old age" and a greater interest in
settling down, although I had owned a house and a garden since my early
twenties. Dont get me wrong , it was always "neat" ( mown). I found
gardening boring and couldn't grow a plant and keep it alive to save my
life!

The trigger for my gardening activity was a neighbour from hell.
she:
a) put weedkiller on the border between our houses ( I lived in a terraced
house at the time) and it seeped all over the lawn and killed it off. I had
no choice but to do something about it.

b) she killed my cat ( I kid you not!) . I loved my cat. So I decided to
fence her off with a five foot high boundary fence.

Since both of those things meant I had to dig up the garden. I decided to
put in a vegetable patch and make a raised bed , terrace the slopes on the
one side of the garden. It was probably the veggies and some success with
cucumbers and tomatoes that got me interested. I like salads in the summer!

The gardening carried on from that.

Once I'd done that garden I decided to move house, neighbour form hell still
making my life hell, ( to one without neighbours) and bought myself a
bungalow in the middle of a large field with a couple of greenhouses, a
summerhouse, a potting shed and an outside store/preparation room. with
about a third of an acre done out in plants, trees and similar as a "garden"
( the rest grass).
It used to be a market garden.

It was very overgrown and neglected ( house and garden) when I got it. I am
now renovating it.

And I have another cat who keeps the mice away and I love him to bits! he
does not destroy mine or anyone else's garden.


From: joanne mcdonald
Date: Tues 6th may 2003
Subject: Gardening

i am also thirty-something and like your self had no notion of
gardening, but i have purchased a lovely conservatory and do not
want to look out onto a riot, i have a garden which is 100ft long
and 40ft wide where do you start, do you really think it is as
theraputic as they say?

"dommy" wrote
snip
When did you start and what was your first experience?



I started, like many posters here at the knee of my father over 40yrs ago. I
was his 'helper', though Im not sure how much actual 'help' I was! Most of
my memories are of him muttering to his plants in one of the two greenhouses
he built in our back garden. I never remember seeing him read a book or look
up a reference, he seemed to have a natural 'feel' for the garden, he tried
everything at least three times, he used to say, once to learn, once to
learn from your mistakes and once to know for sure it can't be done. There
were'nt many things he couldnt do. The year he cross pollenated the melons
and cucumbers by accident was interesting! He was still pottering about in
his greenhouse last spring, muttering to himself and his plants a week
before he died at the ripe old age of 85. My main interest up to this year
was shrubs, trees and flowers, although I must say he was a mine of
information and I'd not have grown anything but for many phone calls to him.
I've started veggies this year in the hopes that I've picked up just a teeny
bit of his talent. I surprise myself sometimes in the garden when I remember
something he's said, or the way he did something, and am frustrated when I
can't remember. As another poster says if only I'd LISTENED more!!..My four
children all have their little parts of the garden which they enjoy
immensley and it gives me a warm glow to think of a third generation getting
soil under their nails
I miss him a great deal but just being out in the garden makes me feel
closer to him.

Shan