What plant, circumstance or moment made you fall in love with gardening ?

For me it was going to the allotment with my dad, growing marigolds and nasturtiums. I fell in love with trees going on forest walks with my great uncle.

I've had various obsessions with house plants (still have)and then finally having my own blank canvass garden this plant inspired me to go tropical.

It was inherited by my nan from a recently deceased reverend (year 2000)and she gave it to me when she could no longer look after it.

Zantedeschia.

 

I grew up in a flat in Hackney. No garden and the only wildflowers I saw were dandelions and daisies. :( Then I saw a cactus in a pot, bought it for 9d with my pocket money. It died :confused: so I got a library book and tried again. Still grow them in my greenhouse. :D

Moved out of London in the 1950s and started in Dad's garden. Been gardening now for 50+ years and 30 of them being organic. :D Been photographing wild flowers since 1974.

Obviously compensating for a deprived childhood

 

Read the third chapter of this piece. It is fairly true only a little exagerated.
http://www.writerstoyou.com/books/readonline.asp?bookid=5253&locid=4945&title=Palustris+Cats+%2D+The+Ashton+Rd%2E+Gang++Chaps+1+to+3

 

My Dad had an allotment where he used to grow Chrysanthemums and Dahlias which I believe he may have sold to the local ladies. I have always had good feelings about this time (long ago) hence my current interest.
I must add that it gets me out of doing odd jobs around the house which I detest being somewhat incompetent........

 

I must add that it gets me out of doing odd jobs around the house which I detest being somewhat incompetent........ [/QB][/quote]

So true, so true. "I will be 5 mintues love, just have to tie in the thingy and pot up the wotsit!!!"

 

First noticed alyssum and lobelia in our garden when I was growing up in Edmonton in the 60's and was taken then with the colours, that lead on to other plants and house plants became my main interest, started work at the biggest house plant nursery in the uk then. Unfortunately now most large house plant nurseries are almost automatic with very little hands on involvement. I've been working under glass ever since, as some of you know, mainly bedding plants but I have my own exotic collection as well.

 

Hi Strongy - I worked in Edmonton for a year or so in the early 60's. Did you work for the big houseplant nursery at Cheshunt? What was their name - Rochfords? They really started the interest in houseplants and then vanished.

 

What pushed me over the edge, was succeeding in taking cuttings of Pelargoniums, but that wasn't until I retired, still better late than never!

Gave me a hobby that is so healthy, and completely without any frustration, some disappointments yes, but makes you try harder...something special about working with nature?

Banana Man: You don't really think you fool Mrs.BM do you?

Strongylodon: Born in Edmonton and left there in 1968.

 

I think with me the real start was as a kid planting orange pips and pomegranate seeds and finding that they would grow.
My dad had an old plastic greenhouse that was capable of keeping them alive through the winter.
He had the "usual" tomatos in there which kept me interested for a few years, but I'm always moving on, I'm always looking for something new, still am.

 

Banana Man: You don't really think you fool Mrs.BM do you?

Not a chance! but its always worth ago.

 

I loved to help my Dad in the greenhouse when I was a kid - he'd worked during the university long holidays in a local nursery, and I learned to propagate all sorts of stuff very young, learning exactly how to tap off the hormone rooting powder! Didn't do much through teens, twenties and thirties, but then went to dig out some weeds as a therapy, and got completely hooked, and have been working in gardens all day every day since - and people even pay me to do it!! What a great way to pass the time! :D

 

Yep Rochfords it was and took a long time to get there and back each day on trains and buses.
Cheap susidised gas killed off the UK house plant industry
Lived by Pymmes Park. Did 7 years at Enfield parks nursery(Bury st) after that then left for Havant in '80 :D

 

I can still remember some of those wonderful old trees in Pymmes Park, strongy. Didn't go to Silver Street School by any chance?

 

Rochfords is now a large housing estate..but was a nursery when my daughter got married in 1971 and had a house in Broxbourne, we used to walk the dogs by the River.