I have written a few blog posts about myself so my readers can get to know me. I thought it might be nice to continue to share a bit about my passion for gardening and describe what it means to me. I have been gardening for over a decade. I divide my time between gardening (a practical act) and garden writing (in the form of my blog and free weekly gardening newsletters). I also maintain an active Facebook and Instagram page which enables me to connect with people who would like to be a part of my world. I enjoy sharing my gardening journey. So many people have inspired, encouraged and taught me about gardening so it’s nice to share what I have learnt with others.
I started by planting a lily in an existing garden bed after my father passed away in June 2012 and it grew from there. I do put my heart and soul into our garden, which is quite humble and situated on a suburban sized section in Manukau, a suburb in South Auckland in New Zealand. I dug up our entire front lawn! Those were the exact words that one of my former bosses, a partner at a large law firm in the city, said to me when he saw the garden one evening. Gardening has helped me to grow and develop as a person. However, it isn’t for everyone and others may find that they enjoy other activities. I made the mistake of creating a larger garden than I could handle because I got carried away by my passion. I ended up developing a love/hate relationship with gardening, so I try to make time for other hobbies to maintain balance in my life. I enjoy going for a walk in the morning and swimming at the local outdoor swimming pool occasionally. I also try to remember to make time for socialising. I catch up with my best friend who I went to school with and is a secondary school teacher. This year I want to spend more time chatting to my younger cousin in Whangarei and getting to know her more. The garden has helped me immensely with my mental health. I have already written about this here, so I won’t repeat myself. You can also read the post I wrote for the UK Gardening with Disabilities trust here. The garden is a little sanctuary, an oasis where I can escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world. It is a place where I can go to so I can reflect on things. While I am working, so many ideas for developing my garden and content for my blog and newsletters come to mind. It’s a lot like that when I exercise outdoors. I find that I think a lot more clearly when I’m active than resting and also when I’m outdoors rather than indoors. It was a lifesaver during the lockdowns because it provided me with a safe space to go where I wouldn’t catch Covid. I didn’t want to go out because I would have to use the Covid app or sign the register. I didn’t want to risk being forced by the government to take a Covid test and whisked off to the Airport hotel under the law if it came back positive. I know that the people isolated and incarcerated there were looked after very well with proper meals and good medical care, but I didn’t like my freedom being interfered with like that. It was bad enough that our rights were already infringed by measures taken by the government during the pandemic. The airport hotel was the last straw. A major worry was being separated from our adorable cat Ginger, who is currently missing from Anita’s Garden. We hope she returns to us one day after she has enjoyed many exciting cat adventures somewhere else. The garden has helped to unleash my creative side. In recent years, I started to spend time designing garden beds, such as my formal mass flower displays (click here to read my blog post about them). Gardening has also provided me with a way to express my gratitude and affection for others. I love sharing produce, plants and flowers with people that I’m close to. I used to go to a gym in a neighbouring suburb and really enjoyed sharing things from the garden with staff members who were very kind and helpful towards me.
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