What has held you back, as a gardener?

Physical ability, closely followed by money available.
Now in my dotage I cannot garden for long or do many of the jobs required. In my head I am still young, fit and strong, reality says otherwise. Hense an increasingly overgrown garden.

 

My limitations are location and soil. My garden is on two levels, connected by two sets of steps with a height difference of about 6 feet between the two levels. I have shallow, sandy soil on a bedrock of sandstone. Although the garden is south facing, my neighbour has a mature laurel hedge up to 12 feet high in places which shades most of my garden from midday onwards.

As a result of these limitations, I have adapted my planting accordingly, growing mainly shallow rooted plants like grasses and perennials which can adapt to dry, sandy soil, plus a range of evergreen shrubs for all year interest. It has taken a few years of trial and error to find plants that are happy in the different locations and conditions in my garden. This has resulted in growing a limited range of plants but repetition in a small garden can make it feel restful and it is easier to maintain.

Ideally, I'd prefer a flat, south facing garden with perfect loamy soil and no close neighbours . Plus plants that resist all pests and diseases would help!

 

Isn't it funny? Lots of you have the sort of garden I've been trying to create for 17 years, albeit perhaps limited by space restrictions. Aren't we a dis-satisfied lot?

 

Perhaps not dissatisfied, just knowing you could do better .

 

I've been held back most by two knackered knees and one equally defective hip. The hip has been replaced which has helped but I still can't kneel for long. That slows everything down.

 

Health issues which caused me to lose my sense of balance. Fortunately I created a low maintenance/evergreen garden over the past 26 years but I do have a gardener in three times a year to do heavy stuff, tree/shrub maintenance etc as T'other Half does not "do" gardening. Since we don't have a severe winter down here, things can bloom almost year round to enjoy.

 

It is great to read all your replies! Some common themes emerging, aren't there?

 

I think what has held me back landscaping-wise is I see individual plants rather than the whole. So, to me, nothing looks messy as I am just seeing one bit, not how it impacts on a wider scale. I probably am not very good at plant combining, and I can't give up on a plant even if it is a right pain to keep going and doesn't "fit" anywhere. What has limited me most choice-wise is slugs, as I fret if something is being destroyed so have to avoid some plants I would love to grow.

Plus, early on when I had a blank canvas, I didn't look far enough ahead. Gardening is an in-the-moment thing, but also a long game. I didn't appreciate that.

If I were starting again, I'd bear these things in mind. That said, I like what I have, but to most eyes it would probably look like "plants in a garden" rather than "a garden".

 

My one regret is buying 5 plastic Growhouses instead of one large
greenhouse. Having caught Long Covid in 2020 it's made my
energy levels quite low.

 

Size, aspect and soil for me.

It's too small to grow everything I want to grow.
It's square and north facing so it gets no sun in winter, and the lawn gets ruined every year.
And we have awful new build soil, though it has improved in the 10 years we've lived here. But if I'd been into gardening when we first moved in, I'd have had the knowledge to have had it dug several feet down and replaced with better soil, rather than having to amend as I go, as I do now!

 

If I was to start again I'd have a bigger greenhouse along with a big poly tunnel, it called planning, something I've never been good at.

 

I like the thought of having a greenhouse, but having seen my neighbour's one lose its roof in both of the last two named storms, I can think well at least I don't have that to worry about.

 

I had a lot of fence damage in Darragh, with the wind taking them out in all directions. But my greenhouse didn't notice it at all. Strange, but good!

 

Time is probably the biggest problem right now - two small children and a full time job means that gardening is generally a weekend-only activity, and often interrupted by other things. Which would be fine if we were in a maintenance phase of gardening, but I'm trying to renovate ours over the next year or three. I'd love to do it quicker, but I have to keep my time budget in mind and do just a small section at a time.

I also would love to grow more from seed but haven't a lot of space and no greenhouse (yet!)

 

Over the past few years I was held back by a hip which was finally replaced early last year. I'm held back now by the amount of work required to get the garden back into shape. I certainly can't afford to get somebody in to do it, and my wife can't help since she broke her leg very badly and can no longer get down to soil level.