Journal 03/08/23

Posted byThe Autistic ComposterPosted inBusiness JournalTags:, , , , , ,
03/08/2023

How Does Your Garden Grow You?

With gardening, l work with four main elements; theme [type], brief, visual path and the a – z strategy needed. Every garden l work with and in will be different to the last, but the four elements are always the same. In simple terms, it’s like the starting point for me. Another gardener will undoubtedly be different.

What is the garden type? Country, town, cottage, courtyard and so on – each garden has a different
environment and layout. What is the brief of the job? What does the client want us to do with the garden? Rewild, restoration, maintenance, organise, general cover, what? What is the visual path like? How does the garden appear to the observer when they first take the area into their focus? What stands out, and how presentable is it? Finally, what is the a – z strategy required to do the job most efficiently?

I break each garden down into sections and address each one separately; l walk the garden to get a feel of it, l ask the client many questions, l ask what they like about their garden, do they enjoy gardening, do they walk in their garden as well as work it? Are they gardeners, or is it for show, to relax in? What does their garden do for them?

I like to research their garden; l look at photos or videos they have of their garden. Do they have Instagram, Facebook, or other media to display their garden with their images? What do they want from their garden?

Years ago, l used to be involved in many industries in my journey to acquiring knowledge, and l find that now today, with gardening, many of my old skills are coming back into play and regular usage.

I used to profile people when l was a recruitment headhunter, so l use this skill to probe my clients and ask irregular questions that many gardeners probably don’t bother. All to catch a glimmer of something the clients love about their gardens – to take them from being just clients to being something more personal – people.

One of the more significant questions l ask is, ‘How does their garden grow them?’ It is a question that stops them dead many a time. It’s not a question that gardeners ask those they are doing the gardens for. Most gardeners consider the garden an a, b, c or x-styled job. Say what they will do, give a quote and either get the job or they won’t. They’ll work on their brief and finish the job if they land it.

Savvy gardeners ask more questions.

On average, non-gardening people will spend roughly two hours a week over the year performing general maintenance in their gardens – cutting lawns, weeding, trimming, pruning and so on, whilst gardening people might spend up to ten hours a week during the growing seasons, but less during December to February.

Of course, only some have a garden. The figures show that nearly two out of ten people have no access to a garden. But then, l am not gardening for non-garden people; l am working for people with access to their green spaces.

On a side note, having more green and park space is imperative today than ever before. People with or without gardens, but primarily those without access to their own, need green park space for improved mental wellbeing and health.

But the other day, a friend asked me a question following a post l had published that referenced my work with the Jubilee Garden Project. It was interesting because of the question l ask the people l work for … ‘How does their garden grow them?’

My friend asked me the same – “But we garden because that’s who we are, and we love it. Every garden has something to teach us. And it’s worth learning. That’s what life and learning, and gardening are all about. Growing.

So… how did this garden grow you…”

How did the Jubilee project grow me?

It taught me a few things – valuable lessons, if you wish.

But first, why did l take it on board? I performed the work because l wanted to show the building and its grounds that someone cared. I knew the charity were NOT green gardening people. Given the initial walk-around l had carried out in June and the grounds’ unkempt nature, I concluded. But the previous owners loved this building and the grounds and were environmentalists and eco-oriented. They were green-conscious.

Each garden l work in teaches me something different about myself, who l am, and who l want to be: from the basics of learning new plants is just one element as an example. What they give to the area they live within, or sometimes deeper than that, l know about my personality more.

I have developed a keener love for gardening the more l learn, and the more l do it. It’s no longer precisely a simplicity to say composting is my first love and gardening is my second. Now they are on equal footing. I learn from both of these loves. The gardening side allows me to be more artistic and creative, whilst the composting and worm farming side enables me to become more aware of the intricacies of the connectivity of nature – it teaches me the importance of preserving our environment as much as possible.

Composting and gardening offer me the satisfaction that everything is connected and that symbiosis is richly rewarding! Plants need the protection of compost to ward off pests, blights, insects and diseases, and compost cannot be produced without the plants. The two are hand in hand or stalk in humus; they are connected and not separate.

What does gardening teach us?
It teaches us many things, but some critical lessons are below.
01Gardening is sometimes an ‘alone-styled’ activity, very different from being lonely and not the same. The gardener chooses to work alone for long periods and enjoys being at one with nature and revelling in peace and serenity.

Working alone can be very rewarding.
02Positivity is imperative to success – optimism is integral to inspiration. Gardening encourages you not to give up after a failure but to learn from your mistakes, take a different approach, and try again – falling seven times and getting up eight is the philosophy.

Failures are needed to grow more healthily.
03There is no such thing as the ‘perfect garden’, and no one wants the perfect setting. Gardening and gardens are a cycle of success and failure. It would be best to have them both to learn and grow continually. Nature doesn’t come with a guarantee. Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for the balance of you. With gardening, you have growth, life and death – you learn not to fear it.

“I don’t shoot for perfection. Perfection is not possible. I aim for excellence.” Tiger Woods.
04It teaches us how to look at gardens and approach them. How we view it one day can be different the next time we do so. A dry garden will be different to one after the rains. Perspectives change.

Keep your mind open.
05That simplicity is often the most rewarding of tasks. Gardening can teach the gardener to keep everything simple when needed. Life doesn’t always need to be fast, so take things slowly.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished”. – Lao Tzu
06Be patient with who you are and like the flower. Allow yourself to grow, and you’ll show your true colours over time.

Appreciate who you are and value yourself.
07Understand the importance of adaption – adapting quickly to changing environments. Gardening teaches you the importance of consequence as a result of action and as crucial inaction.
08Accepting small wins as big wins, we often forget that a win is still a win, whatever the size. Gardening has taught me this – small growth is still good growth.
09Gardening is therapeutic and is good for the inner you. Being outside works wonders for our mental health and wellbeing; digging dirt and forking compost is good for the soul.
10Gardening is creative, allowing hard work and artistic merit to companionise each other and giving me more significant rewards.

What did the Jubilee teach me, and were there any additional lessons?

I learned more about me during this project.

I did acquire some new knowledge of myself as a personality. I now know that l can look at large green spaces with a more refined and approving eye. I can now turn space into time and time into hours.

The centre grounds took me a total of [including Suze’s part weekend assistance] 61 hours. In money, those hours alone equate to just over £1200. I can now look at extensive gardens and can price up more efficiently and it also afforded me other possibilities with regard to pricing up. That is a precious lesson. I also learned that l could do a much larger garden without worrying about it.

I learned to appreciate the green side to gardening more and realised just how much maintenance-wise understanding l had progressed as a person from the man l was ten years ago. Now l have the confidence to tackle any project with more comfort.

I also realised that l was worth more than l was admitting to myself l was worth and that, as many people have said over the last few years, l need to stop undervaluing myself and my skills. I decided to stop putting myself in positions where people could take advantage of me. The Jubilee Centre project taught me not to sell my time for less than it is or what l am worth, and so l put my prices up to reflect gardeners around Kent and not to feel guilty of doing so.

The most important lesson from the Jubilee Centre Project was that not all jobs need a yes attached and that saying NO is an acceptable part of our language. I learned that l don’t have to feel guilty for declining or not offering my time to others.
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Published by The Autistic Composter

Earthly Comforts is a journal supporting my gardening business, focusing on flora and fauna, gardening, composting, vermiculture and photography.

15 thoughts on “Journal 03/08/23”

  4. We don’t have much space to grow a garden. However, our balcony serves us well for growing plants. I feel growing plants, veggies, etc. is therapeutic and brings one close to nature.

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