My Gardening History.

I’ve always loved gardening and my dream has always been to have a garden of my own. Ever since I was a little girl. When I was about 6, my adored grandfather(allotmenteer,avid reader of cowboy books which he would start at the end, and bellringer. He used to bike round to the various village churches and direct the intricate weaving of the order of ringing the bells in a peal) Well grandfather allowed me a portion of his garden, It was a strip… and all mine! It came with a few flowers already there, a Monkey musk( Mimulus) I believe and a Leucojum. Of course, the budding landscape gardener inside me, , wanted to start from scratch! So, I took all the plants out and lay them, on the path, under the sun. When the grown -ups discovered this , they were furious! Grandfather was so cross that he actually resorted to corporal punishment, which consisted in his brushing me across the back with his cap! ooohhh the power of symbols. I was chastised, ashamed and tearful. In the end my granny (sympathetic) my mum (angry) and grandfather (aloof) helped me get the wilted plants back into the ground, Talk about a steep learning curve!! You might be glad to know that I am now the proud owner of a lovely garden,in progress, as English-looking as possible for someone gardening in Italy!