SF0216 Into the Garden

An episode devoted to all things garden-related – flowers, plants, grass and so on

We once ran an episode on the subject of nature, but this one’s all about nature tamed and harnessed.

We’ve got to that time of life when we’re considering downsizing. Estate agents being estate agents prefer the term ‘rightsizing’. It’s downsizing. One of our dilemmas is whether to forget about a garden.

Unfortunately, I’ve now got to the point where I actually enjoy time spent in the garden, just when it makes more sense not to have one. Gardening is on that long list of things I wish I was better at. No manner of YouTube videos or advice from green-thumbed friends seems to compensate for my lack of intuitive ability outside the house.

Not to say I have had zero success. My espaliered apple trees always receive plaudits whenever we have one of our little gatherings in December. Though I’m bound to say the crop of actual apples seems to diminish year on year, despite the fact that Toby is no longer around to reach up, take one bite, and then spit the rest out. (We do miss him though).

Meanwhile in the front garden the daphne, in particular, and rhododendrons are flourishing, as is the hebe. Though I will confess that I went for the hebes on the basis that Don, my next door neighbour, told me they planted them at service stations because they’ll grow anywhere. And so it has proved, but I’ll take it.

So, onto the tracks in this episode. Gardens perhaps lend themselves to more reflective, gentler tracks but I’ve unearthed three or four more challenging cuts. I’ve started with a repeat of a brilliant track – ‘Into the Garden’ by Artery – because it’s at least seven years since I last played it, possibly longer, and who doesn’t want to hear a brilliant repeat every now and again.

Hope you enjoy it, as ever. And, as ever, my enormous thanks to Jamie Pond at Plexus Media for all his help and assistance with the website.