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Gardening in a time of pestilence (or I’ve been watching grass grow)

That’s it. I confess. I have LITERALLY been watching grass grow. That is where my life has got to.

The thing is, I confess again… it’s not the first time I’ve done it. About 5 years ago, our house and garden needed gutting and re-doing. Part of that garden re-do was clearing stinging nettles and levelling the ‘lawn area’. I call it the ‘lawn area’ because at the time, there was literally NO grass.

I cleared it, levelled it by walking up and down many, MANY times and then sewing grass seed. And then I watched. Both Mr Dr Ross and I watered the grass, watched it and watered it some more. It took ages, or at least what seemed ages to grow. But then it did and it was an amazing lawn. We did a really good job with it. I was properly proud. We always seem to manage to kill plants, be they house ones, garden ones or any other kind. Grass however, was a different story. It totally thrived and looked really nice.

Flash forward to lockdown 2020, and again I am watching grass grow. We moved house and again have a place that needs a fair whack of TLC in the garden. Last summer we dug and built and dug some more ready for making the garden a bit nicer this summer.

So over Easter weekend, we dug some more, laid a path and then dug some more. I sorted out a corner of the garden that was left under a pile of mud last summer. I worked it, levelled it and then sewed some grass. I’ve been properly tending it every day since then. And because we’re on lockdown, I may have been looking at it multiple times a day. I do realise how ridiculous this is, but it has actually done me the world of good. I am not naturally a patient person, which is most of why I look at the grass a gazillion times a day, but actually, it is reminding me that sometimes waiting for things is good. For a day or two now, the ground has had a green hue and there are little blades poking their way out the soil. I have waited, I have watered and it has been worth it. In the next few weeks, I think we’ll end up with a really good, green clump of grassiness.

I’ve waited and it’s worth it. I think I need to start to think about lockdown. It’s hard at times, and I am a terrible grump when I can’t go out and play. But there are good points as well. When we’ve waited for lockdown to lift, we’ll appreciate little things like walking in the park next to our friends, having a coffee in a nice café and hugging people that don’t live with us. I am not a patient person and I’m naturally inclined to keep watching and checking when we’re allowed to do the next thing. But I also know that, like the grass in my garden, it’ll be worth the wait!