It occurred to me when I was planting up my Mum's old basket, pictured below, then again when the first crocus began to bloom that I don't ever remember learning about gardening...somehow or other it led me to being a really keen gardener. It got me thinking...
Back in the day when I was a girl in the 1950s/60s - SO many years ago now!!! - most families had a garden and gardened - fruit, veg and flowers...the old cottage garden principle. A little of what you fancy does you good! As a product of wartime austerity and make do and mend principles, as well as her own upbringing it was second nature to my Mother to plant seeds, take cuttings and split plants - garden centres didn't exist until well into the 1960s, although specialist nurseries did exist, and I learned grafting from my rose grower Uncle.
As soon we were judged safe in charge of an old kitchen fork we would be pricking out seedlings and planting them into wooden trays cadged from the greengrocer or market and lined with newspaper (plastic mushroom boxes are a wonderful modern equivalent). When they became too ancient they went on the compost heap or provided kindling for the fire. I suppose we must have just been talked through the names of the plants, and wild ones when we went for walks, and it has stayed with me.
I have to say I am amused to be 'lectured' on recycling, upcycling etc.....it's second nature and I'd hazard a guess our generation have probably always done it quite automatically. Plastic pots were 'new' - then we used and still use clay pots, some of mine must be 90 years old - because we were making our own from old tin cans, cut down plastic bottles and newspaper twisted round a wooden block. It would also have been a heinous crime to throw a sweet paper onto the street!
So - from an 'unconscious gardener' to a full time miniaturist - but we are all doing the same aren't we? Thinking 'outside the box'...how can I turn this into that? How can I make a chair/bed/washbasin out of....all these bits and pieces?
If you don't have much of a garden how about making your own miniature version (it will never need weeding) or a greehouse or a conservatory?
With a little imagination and practice, super flowers and plants can be made from paper or the many great kits available and it is surprising how much dried real plant material can be used. Of course as we all know, tea leaves and coffee grounds make great soil and cardboard, paving stones - polystyrene packaging can be carved or indented for walls and all sorts of small containers covered in glue and sand to make authentic looking planters.
The following pic. is part of the back wall of my mini conservatory. The wall itself is simply polystyrene indented to make 'stone' and liberally painted. Most of the plants are paper, some printed and some real leaves copied and reduced. There is some dried plant material in there too...and the pots are purchased, home-made from paper and clay, as well as beads and even a cartridge case. Following is the conservatory itself. Everything is possible!
This year for the first time in ages I've been planting flower seeds and having been given lovely flowers for Mothering Sunday, carefully removed side shoots from the carnation stems which I've planted as cuttings. It's been successful in the past and as my Mum would say, 'they've got two chances!'
Stay safe, and thank you for looking.
Robin
