And, so it begins

The best thing about gardens and gardening is renewal comes naturally. There’s nothing more optimistic about starting afresh. Like planting a seed for the first time, this first entry in our garden journal starts a new journey to share life behind the scenes in The Pickery.

Right now, in September 2021 the world is stuck in a continuous loop of COVID-19. Wave after wave of life changing disorder. This living nightmare is testing people in previously unimaginable ways. Personal liberties have been set aside for collective safety.

Here in New Zealand we’ve escaped largely unscathed by comparison with other parts of the world. Yet it’s been tough not being able to travel beyond our borders. The consequences are profound.

Families separated indefinitely. Special events cancelled or scaled back. Livelihoods shattered and supply chains interrupted. Relationships tested with work, study, rest and play confined to people’s homes not designed for such multi-purpose at-home activity, at least not all at once.

Here at The Pickery, being in splendid isolation is the norm. It’s a luxury many people don’t have and we don’t take for granted. Living amongst a large landscape makes you humble towards the power of nature and the privilege we have as stewards of our land.

It’s been so exciting to see other people embracing the opportunity to start a garden as a way to embrace nature as a way to seek solace in these difficult Covid-laden times. Growing has been a way people can be hopeful for a positive future and find fun in learning a new skill. Being able to grow your own food from a seed is the ultimate intention of self-sufficiency. A step to take control of what’s essential in life.

When you start a business of any kind it can through your life off balance as you go all-in on your new venture. I certainly lost my stride growing edibles so but that’s something I’m going to rectify for the coming season by restocking my garden with vegetables and salad crops as well as getting back to growing tomatoes from my own seed. I largely blame the flop crops of last season down to the fact that I bought seedlings rather than grew my own. 

It’s exciting to think of everything a garden can give you. Solace, distraction, creative inspiration and, more tangibly, flowers and food you can enjoy yourself or share. 

For years I documented living life in a personal blog but my writing and photography become crushed by grief of losing one of my faithful basset hounds in a shocking way to cancer. Just a few months ago when our remaining hound died at the grand age of 13 it was a natural conclusion to his life well-lived. My garden was as much their playground and mine and so where I go for memories of happy times with my hounds.

The garden is now at threat to two more hounds. Two bouncing puppies with no respect for what’s growing instead curious to explore, including digging up what’s there to see what’s good to eat. Although a little too curious and aventurous now, I know that they will embrace their roles as garden companions in the future. At least, one has to hope they will!

When people buy our flowers they will hardly know how much goes into cultivating flowering plants nor the full extent of life in the garden. This journal will share what goes on behind the scenes and what garden life means to me and other seasonal cut flower growers. 

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