Blog from a non gardener - Introduction - LJN Blog Posts

I have enjoyed my first week here, and think I will be here for a while as there is so much of interest even for a non gardener like myself.All round I have very little talent, I can't draw, sing, play an instrument, make things and as for my gardening talent I think I could make a good living providing plants for science fiction films which feature dead worlds.I do love plants, and I get a simple pleasure and peace of mind just watching a daisy greet the day. As with most things I envy those who can look at a piece of waste land and use it as a canvas to create a masterpiece which could rival any great painter. Or even those who can capture such beauty with a camera.When my daughter was younger she had such a wonderful view on nature, in all its aspects. Though when we decided to go bug hunting while on holiday I passed a cow pat on the path and told my daughter and her friend not to step into it. Of course a moment later there was a scream, and turning round she was covered in cow muck head to foot. To this day I swear she did not so much step into it as dived into it just to see what it was like, and decided she didn't like it.Anyway, I have grown up in South London and hate it, hate it with a passion. Mainly because of when I think of London I think of a city largely deprived of 'nature', of concrete, metal, tarmac and bricks. Over the last three years I have come to realise that this is not really true, but those images last.But even the joy of finding this out is tempered by a general desire to cut people off from accessing the 'gardens'. To give an example, earlier this year I was working in a school on a fixed term contract in Westminster. The primary school had a large number of children from families seeking asylum. In the middle of the estate I was, for a few moments, impressed with the amount of grassed areas and how well they were kept. I say for a few moments because the next thing I noticed was the metal fencing keeping people of the grass, and the number of children playing in the street. Of course there was the playground, with its metal fencing, metal play equipment - well I'm sure you get the idea.It reminded me much of how I felt when my daughter was little. Growing up on an estate with two play areas which had been locked up shortly after they were opened and left locked to rot. Grass areas where we couldn't let her play because of the amount of dog mess, or being verbally abused by other residents when she did play out.I guess that is why I want to blog, as someone who knows nothing about horticulture or urban design, why how we use our open spaces is important to me, especially on my own estate, my own ideas, aims and dreams, what I hope to see and how things move on. Including the frustrations of having to do things by committee, how slow progress can be.Hopefully I can make it a little enjoyable for those who read, and get some feedback from those who change dreams into reality.

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Comments

PRO

Phil Voice January 21, 2009 at 9:41am

Hi George

What a fantastically honest blog and may I say, you should give yourself a little more credit. You write well, you ask the right questions and you put yourself across exactly how I want to read.

Please blog with us because I am sure you will gain quite a few fans.

Kind regards

Phil
Shelley Barnes January 21, 2009 at 10:57am

hello- i agree you have a really nice way of writing- i loved the cowpat bit!
it's nice that the site is for everyone who appreciates gardens/plants and not just professionals- much more friendly and down to earth, and also good to get different perspectives. keep blogging- and you're in the right place if you want any help or advice about plants or green spaces.
Invicta January 21, 2009 at 11:51am

Have you heard of the GreenSpaces initiative? You might find their work relevant.
See their web site at
www.green-space.org.uk
Good luck,
Bernard
PRO

Phil Voice January 21, 2009 at 11:55am

Thanks Bernard

Here is the activated URL www.green-space.org.uk
dgeorgea January 21, 2009 at 12:06pm

Thanks for the replies.

I have been told before that people enjoy reading what I write. I don't understand why as I like to think I am a simple soul and like to keep my writing simple - though I can digress if not careful as one line of thought starts of another.

Thanks for the link Invicta, I have bookmarked the page and will take a closer look at the site later.
Shadow Hall January 24, 2009 at 12:46pm

I liked reading your blog and I think you will find there are a lot of people who fell the same. There are some changes being made and maybe if you contact your local council they could point you in the direction of some projects in your area.
If you get really frustrated you could always try some gorilla gardening :)

Shadow
dgeorgea January 24, 2009 at 7:43pm

Thanks Shadow,

Sadly in Southwark the most popular development tends to be towards gated communities, and for communities to lock the outside world out. Especially private developments but also some housing associations. Some of our own residents favour this approach as a way of stopping people from coming onto the estate. However because of the layout of the estate.

Fortunately as an organisation we are clued up on many of the projects in the borough. We are active in several forums, as well as members of the local voluntary support organisation. So we are usually informed early on when something is happening. The real skill is knowing when we can tap into these projects.