By Christine Swan

About eight months ago, we bought a greenhouse. It wasn’t my idea. It involved concrete smashing, the hire of a special drill, lots of dust, noise and mess. Then new concrete was poured and finally, a man came to install the greenhouse.

The greenhouse has been in constant use since installation

While I was caring for my late parents, I had very little “me” time. Their needs came first and I was always watching the clock between visits to ensure that I was always there, on time, to do whatever needed doing. They both loved gardening and were very proud of their beautiful displays and carefully cultivated plants.

When I was a small child, I liked to grow things while I was in primary school. Our classroom had a windowsill full of busy lizzies, spider plants and geraniums. I took cuttings, and the number of pots increased. Other teachers would take some to put on their windowsills. When I left, one teacher commented in my little notebook: “May your fingers always be green!”

I have transplanted plants from my late parents garden, including some beautiful fuchsias, grown by the previous owner’s late father. I cared for these plants and nurtured them back to a good state of health. I also split them so was able to return a duplicate set to the previous owner’s son, who was delighted.

A stunning mix of fuchsias from my late parent’s garden.

Last winter, all of the plants were loaded up into the new greenhouse for protection against the horrendous weather – which turned out not to be so horrendous after all.

B.G. (Before Greenhouse), the conservatory was the place where plants were overwintered.

When spring began to show itself, I began planting seeds. I bought tiny plants to grow on. I felt like my younger self, caring for these tiny, delicate pairs of leaves. I’d forgotten the joy of growing, the excitement of waiting for the first emergence of new life. I began to anticipate and look forward to a garden full of bright colours and joyful forms.

I am so pleased when green shoots push through, heralding spring

For just a few pounds, I had so many plants that I could become a supplier to populate my son’s garden too. One small packet of nasturtium seeds, apparently just thirty five of them, seemed to produce hundreds of plants, now creating a cascade of red, orange and yellow exotic blooms. A similarly tiny packet of pansy seeds is creating a wonderful display. I had forgotten how beautiful they are, especially when you know that you grew them from a tiny seed in just a handful of weeks.

Nasturtiums always create such a great display. The leaves, seeds and flowers are all edible too.

It seems that old green-fingers was back. I rummaged around and found an old packet of sunflower seeds. I seems to remember that they were a free gift when I purchased something else years ago. They surely wouldn’t grow after all this time? But, they did and have now been planted in a flower bed at the mercy of our populous slugs and snails.

I am now branching out, if you will excuse the pun, I am growing houseplants, exotic plants, planning ahead for autumn colour and thinking long term. One of the greatest gift that growing can give you, is the ability to look forward, positively, in anticipation, that something good is going to happen.

I’m also sharing plants with neighbours, which leads to a conversation that we otherwise wouldn’t have had.

These pansies were from King’s Seeds. One packet created a very intense range of colours and huge flowers. Pansies are also edible and look beautiful in salad bowls.

I did a little research and found that some sites had a whole list of benefits. It has certainly kept  me busy and the blooms are cheery and delightful.

I have previously written about my battle against my molluscan nemesis. In flaming June, they seem to have decreased their activity and left the scorching temperatures in the greenhouse. As a result, my seedling marigolds, Michaelmas daisies and wallflowers, are flourishing undisturbed.

I have bookmarked a number of interesting commercial websites which I have found to be pretty good in my experience. I am always tempted by curiosities so I currently have some Arabian coffee seeds and Darjeeling tea plant Camelia seeds prepped for germination. Let’s see. I cannot imagine that either germinate or grow quickly but what a talking point if they do!

These scented leaf Pelargoniums were purchased from Special Plants – one smells of cola bottle sweets! They are also all edible and can be used to flavour sponge cakes by baking on a bed of leaves.

I also gather free seeds – fruit stones and pips are worth a try and cost nothing other than the price of the compost and pot. I have an orange tree of some age now, that has survived in either the conservatory or the greenhouse, but is currently outside experiencing a British summer and apparently loving it.

As well as the fuchsias, that are quite old and were much loved by their previous grower, I have some Agapanthus that my parents bought in Madeira. I also have some geraniums that were grown by my dad, who preferred them to be bright crimson. These little connections are meaningful and create a connection with the past that is somehow reassuring.

When I travel in Europe. I would love to be able to bring back plants but it is difficult for several reasons, and I certainly wouldn’t want them to be stopped at customs. However, bulbs are permissible, up to 2kg in weight. I have brought several waves of tulips from Amsterdam and Leiden. Some of the originals have multiplied and create a very colourful display every springtime. Every flower reminds me of trips with my son, or on my own to carry out family history research. I remember where and when I bought them, and the memories come back into sharper focus.

An overblown tulip from Amsterdam. I was struck by the beautiful colouration and pattern.

From a window sill, to a bathroom shelf, a window box, to a kitchen window, a hanging basket, to a planted garden, there is always space to grow plants. You don’t need to spend a great deal: a lemon pip in a handful of soil, placed in a yogurt pot, will grow into a refreshingly green houseplant.

Children can get involved too and learn how to nurture and care for plants. I am of the opinion that this should be an essential part of the school curriculum. Although I work in the secondary sector, school gardens are often a feature of primary schools. Some secondary schools still have greenhouses – a school that I worked in had a sadly neglected one, with broken glass panels and rotting wood.

I will continue to cultivate my little patch. I feel the benefit of it and it gives me joy every day, even when there doesn’t seem to be much anywhere else in the world. I hope that you, dear readers, will do the same, and will share your plants with friends and family to spread the love. May they bring you joy and that you feel all of the long list of benefits.

Where I buy

https://www.kingsseeds.com – I really rate this seed supplier. They deliver quickly and have a good range of different types.

https://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds – Huge range of products and lots of offers if you subscribe to their newsletter. Quick delivery too.

https://www.specialplants.net/ – I met the owner of this nursery at a plant sale in the church of St Philip and St Jacob in Bristol. She was incredibly knowledgeable and gave lost of advice for growing.

https://realseeds.co.uk/ – I stumbled across this site but confess that I haven’t ordered from it yet. What I found interesting was that they do not stock hybridised seeds. This means that if you gather the seeds and grow them the following year, you will still get the same plant, whereas with a hybrid plant, you will get some wild-type plants from the previous generation. This seed company also have a strong community focus and lots of advice.

https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/ – This company has an incredible range of products. This is where I bought the Darjeeling tea plant Camelia seeds. They came quickly and have offers if you buy multiple packs of seeds.

All photographs by the author