Leaving the garden alone

 

Pic: That should keep the dogs in for a while.

There have been a few changes in my life over the last few months, the largest probably being the house move. Gone is the acre garden with the myriad of raised beds and natural woodland overlooking the Swilly to a more modest, but beautiful semi detached bungalow in the town.

The Garden

The overgrown garden is half taken up with a crumbling double garage complete with internal ivy dangling down from the rafters and the trampoline that originally looked tiny in the garden it was originally bought for, but now looks extremely out of place. Its fun to see children bouncing on it though so it will stay for while until we decide what to do with the garden to put our stamp on it.
I’m intending to let nearly everything else stay in the overgrown garden for now. The last owner of this 80 year old house planted the garden with a lot of shrubs and bulbs, which are now appearing everywhere as the mild winter weather continues. There is a hard standing area at the top of the garden that looks like it used to be a greenhouse with only a small concrete wall surviving over the years; we unearthed this when we were hacking back the overgrown rhododendrons and holly. It looks like the birds have had a hand at planting over the years as self set cotoneaster has emerged at the edge of the paths. As yet these are the only shrubs I have dug out as the roots can be very damaging. There is one bulb I am trying to remove now that smells like onion but as yet I can’t identify it. All I know is that it is very invasive and hardy; spreading onto most areas in the garden and it’s even growing along the edge of the house wall. I can dig out the tiny bulbs that are in the soft earth but the ones that pop up along the gap in the concrete are more difficult and appear to be immune to any natural weed killers that have been poured on them.

Resistance is futile

It’s a bit difficult for me to show so much restraint with the new - old garden. I’m usually straight in there with my mattock and any petrol powered machines that I can get my hand on removing anything and everything. The fact that I can’t get any machinery into the garden through the narrow gate is probably a good thing as this will give us time to decide exactly what to do with the area with the design and layout that best suits our needs.

The things we know we need are:
• Washing line
• Vegetable raised beds
• Area for the dogs to play
• Patio
• Bit of lawn
• Path

That’s about it up to yet, pretty basic really. It doesn’t sound too taxing but even deciding where to place the patio is proving to be difficult. The summer sun manages to shine onto most areas of the (nearly) south facing garden throughout the day and so in the height of the growing season you would think the patio could be placed anywhere. Wrong. In the winter months the sun is so low that certain large areas of the garden are blocked off from sunlight by either ours or the neighbour’s rooftops. Not that we get much chance to sit out in the winter but it’s something to take into consideration, just like what the area will be made of. I initially suggested decking outside the patio doors but the lack of sunlight will turn the planks to an algae farm, breeding masses of the slippery stuff. I could go out and clean it off and treat it like an extension of the house, but I know it’ll never happen.

Everybody needs neighbours

The other bit of work that I needed to do a little while after moving in was to secure the perimeter. We have something here that we haven’t had for years. Neighbours. We are used to having the freedom to let our dogs roam about in the countryside on their own and not get into mischief. Being on an estate has made me realise that our two dogs have no sense of boundaries and jump over any that get in there way. They happily introduce themselves to anyone whose dinner smells the nicest, optimistically sitting outside the neighbours back doors with their noses twitching. It doesn’t go down too well so I have built a very effective barrier from 2x1 lengths of wood and secured these to the three foot boundary wall, raising it to over 5 feet. I know it’s only a question of time until they find a way through the barricade but it’s doing the trick for now.
I’m enjoying every day in the garden as I am finding something new in every corner from the bulbs to perennial plants that are now emerging.

It’s a waiting game though because unlike the dogs I am thinking of a way into the garden not out of it - with a mini digger. I will document the plants that emerge of course and put them aside for replanting. Then the fun can commence and I can dig everything else up. I can’t wait!

Horticultural Therapy and care in the garden

Having a garden is a wonderful thing. Gardening helps to relieve stress and is being more widely used in the Health Service as well as in the community for its social and financial benefits as people can remain healthier for longer. Community initiatives such as the one set up on a housing estate in Carndonagh are becoming more popular as the recession bites. Local residents have the space and facility to grow their own vegetables and be actively involved in a healthy outdoor community initiative, making friends with people they probably wouldn’t normally see in the day. As a rehabilitation method in the Health Service gardening is proving to be very successful with positive results from people with both mental and physical issues. The practice is known as Horticultural Therapy.

Horticultural Therapy

Horticultural therapy or Social and Therapeutic Horticulture as it is also known has been an extremely successful method of keeping both mind and spirit healthy and positive. There are loads of different areas of the Health Service where it can be used and specific exercises and projects can be created to suit the individual.

Where can Horticultural Therapy practiced?

• Psychiatric hospitals and mental health programs
• Vocational, occupational and rehabilitation programs
• Substance abuse programs
• Hospitals and clinics
• Hospice and palliative care programs
• Correctional facilities
• Public and private schools
• Community and botanic gardens
• Assisted living and senior centres
• Residential setting such as foster care, homeless shelters
• Physical rehabilitation hospitals

There are a couple of places where Horticultural Therapy are practiced very successfully in Inishowen, the Whites Oaks Centre in Muff and Cashel na Cor on the outskirts of Buncrana. A growing number of schools across the peninsula are also finding that creating their own gardens for the pupils to work in has beneficial effects on children’s behaviour as they get fresh air exercise and the satisfaction of seeing something grow that they can eat or cut and put into a vase.
All of the jobs such as digging, weeding, mowing and lawn maintenance, pruning, trimming hedges, sweeping and raking, watering, sowing seeds, planting out, growing in containers and moving things in the garden can be tailored to the individual depending on their requirements.

Different Approach

Someone who gardens after recovering from a stroke or has heart disease will need to approach things differently to someone in a wheelchair, with sight loss, a weak grip, only the use of one hand or not being able to bend. Suffering depression can be debilitating and sometimes the client will feel totally exhausted by just being in the garden and will benefit from just being out of doors. Senior citizens in nursing homes might be stuck in doors all day too so the option to work gently outside for an hour could make their day, especially if they were used to being active in the garden before being moved from their home.
Limber Up
Regardless of our condition it’s always important to limber up with some stretching exercises before going to work in the garden
I know myself that when I am physically fit the garden is a joy to work in, on the other hand when I have a bad back the garden can be quite stressful and appear to grow in size. An even simple job such as picking the trowel up from the ground is a major issue.
Getting ready to garden when you can't bend easily
• Taking a bit of time to get ready can really make a difference. Some of the stresses and strains of gardening happen when we begin a job on impulse, without any planning.
• When you have difficulty bending, working in short bursts and changing position frequently will cause less strain.
• Try and avoid over reaching by making sure that you are working at a comfortable height.
• Make your raised beds narrow, so that you can reach without straining.
• Get all the tools you’ll need together to save trips back and forth to the shed or garage. Try and keep your storage area tidy and you’ll be able to find your tools more easily.

Taking care in the garden

• Have breaks with a warm or cold drink according to the weather. Stop work before you get too tired.
• Hand rails and resting places can ease the strain of moving around the garden. Also, make sure that your paths are even and have a non-slip surface.
• If you find it difficult to carry things, you might need to base your activities near the house or the place you keep your gardening equipment.

Tools for the job

• Make sure you choose the right tools for the job. Try out tools before you buy them and check for weight and comfort. Choose well balanced and lightweight tools to help prevent stresses and strains.
• Picking small things up from ground level can be easier using a litter picker. A grabber rake is useful for lifting larger amounts of debris. A long handled dustpan and brush is another option.
• Find the best way for you to carry your tools. You could use a garden trolley with a sturdy frame, which could double up as support if your balance is a problem, a twin wheeled barrow, tool carrier, bucket, or a tray or basket attachment if you use a wheelchair.

Book Review - A Space for Nature by Liz Sheppard

I have three books on the go at the moment to help while away the wet evenings. I have the 2005 Beano annual, classic yearly fun that’s a bit like Viz but not funny, but I like looking at the pictures. The second book is called 50 Ways to Kill a Slug by Sarah Ford and is providing me with even more ways to help eradicate the ongoing issues with these pests. You think you have found all of the methods of killing the slimy creatures then find come more.

Here are my favourites up to page 30:

• Hoe the slug eggs onto the soil surface in early spring for the birds to eat.
• Spray them with extract of Yucca. Simply stick a yucca leaf into a blender, pour on water then spray onto the slugs. Slugs won’t go anywhere near the plants.
• Create a slug playhouse made from grapefruit halves. After eating the insides of the fruit place the fruit halves face down onto the ground and cut out a small doorway for the slugs and snails to go in. Pick them out in the mornings as they sleep.

The third book is a bit more of a grown up read but it still has loads of pictures if you are not feeling in the mood for too much text. It’s Liz Sheppard’s beautiful book called Space For Nature.

Book Review

Space for Nature-The Wildlife Story of a Donegal Farm by Liz Sheppard
Space for Nature is a beautiful reminder that we are not the owners of the earth but trustees who are here only for a blink of an eye. The land we live on, though constantly transforming, has its own story and the creatures and plants that we live alongside are ruled by natural rather than man made laws. Liz Sheppard not only embraces her stewardship but shares her journey with her readers. The book has evolved from Liz’s ‘Natureview’ articles in the Donegal Democrat and highlights the lack of differentiation between humanity and the natural kingdom on her farm in East Donegal. Liz describes her many encounters with her neighbours; the birds, plants and animals and in their meetings there is a mutuality where she seems to be accepted as an unthreatening life form that happens to share their territory.

There is a friendliness throughout the pages of the book and a deep appreciation of the land and all that dwells there. There are also stunning photos of the farm, its flora and fauna (taken by Liz’s husband Ralph) showing the beauty of our landscape, the hedgerows, the primroses, butterflies and fungi. The book also has beautiful illustrations of the animals not captured on film by John Shiels.

This book will deepen our appreciation of the life that might be unseen by those of us who move upon the earth too fast to take the time to tune into our surroundings and uncover the rich diversity of life. There is a tender, timeless quality in the descriptions of nature’s ways which have continued uninterruptedly for thousands of years. It is a book that slows the reader right down. A book that is light in its touch and fascinating in its detail.

Space for Nature will be appreciated by any-one who loves the land, loves nature and realises that we are only travellers on the journey of life.

Where to buy your copy
Space for Nature priced at 10 pounds can be purchased at local bookshops. Amazon and the Book Depository have copies too if you would like to buy online.

The Dream Team

I’m contemplating hiring my dogs out. I think they would make the perfect rotovating duo when it comes to totally eradicating grass from the garden, turning the resulting ground into mud then filling the space up with chewed up work boots and garden ornaments.
I’m not sure there would be much of a market for this though but at least the lawn would have a bit of time to mend itself as they played somewhere else for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I love having them “helping out” in the garden, it just means that when it comes to garden design, most of the features you read about to include in the plan go out of the window and are replaces with chicken wire, concrete slabs, six foot fences and shrubs that would spring back up again after a JCB had run over them.

Crazy

Of course not all dogs go crazy in the garden, some of them are very well behaved, use paths, leave plants alone and don’t spend all day looking longingly at the fish in the pond as their appetizer for dinner. Our dog Chips spends a considerable proportion of her free time in the evenings staring at our one remaining guinea pig in his cage. I think they are really good friends as Chips always wants to be looking through the bars. This was confirmed a day or two ago when the cage somehow fell over and the guinea pig escaped into the garage. They still just stared at one another and I am sure if either of them had tails, they would be wagging.

How to plan the Doggy Garden

If the garden needs a makeover to accommodate a dog then the layout might need to be changed a bit. Frequently used grass paths are likely to become worn and muddy in wet weather if the dog uses it as a path. Bricks or paving stones along the routes the dog uses most frequently can be effective rather than grass cover. By doing so, you can greatly reduce the maintenance levels of you garden. Hard materials such as brick, slab or stone can also be easily hosed down if your dog messes on them.
Moving around the garden is an important factor; try to make it easy and enjoyable for the dog. Beware of slippery surfaces, especially in wet weather. Cover slippery steps with mesh or some other material to increase traction.
Take your dogs' age and physical condition into account and make adjustment accordingly. Ensure they have easy access to the house, their kennel, water bowls, shaded areas and their favourite spots in the garden.

Protecting Flower Beds

Flower beds in central areas of your garden are vulnerable to damage caused by the dog running through them or playing in them. Damage often occurs in flower beds separating two open areas of lawn or paving. Dogs often charge straight through these to get from one area of the garden to another, and plants may be trampled and crushed. Likewise, flowerbeds situated between the back door to the house and the main area of the garden often suffer as dogs run through them in the excitement of being let outdoors.
Flower borders around the periphery of the garden are generally much less likely to incur damage them than flower beds in central areas. You may decide the easiest option is to remove any flowerbeds in the middle of your garden your garden. Laying central areas of the garden to lawn will reduce maintenance and also provide more space for the dog to play.
Another solution is to create a formal pathway through a border. A path made of bricks, stone or slabs along the route your dog normally takes can minimise damage, allowing the majority of your plants to remain intact. Materials such as wood chip or cocoa shells could be poisonous to the dog, so preferably make the paths out of things they can’t eat.

Sturdy Plants

As another option, you could try using robust plants in flowerbeds that your dog tends to pass through. Some plants are remarkably resilient, and will stand up to dogs crashing around in them, heather and lavender for example. Planting tough lavender in a border near the back door has the added bonus of making the dogs smell nice when they run through it and come into the house.

Poisonous Plants

There are loads of plants suitable for gardens with dogs and you will find even the most delicate looking specimens pick up again after being trampled. There are some plants that could be poisonous to the pet though. Apple leaves, stems and seed all contain cyanide (all be it in very small quantities) but if they eat enough it could prove fatal to a dog. Azalea and Rhododendron are toxic to dogs. All parts of these plants are poisonous if chewed or ingested. Slug pellets and other chemicals shouldn’t be used in the garden either when dogs are around. They are not daft generally and don’t eat things that are poisonous intentionally, but if your dog is anything like Chips’ puppy, they will eat something first then decide if it’s edible later.