Dreariness

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Dear reader,

Dreary weather persists, dank misted skies drip and the cold wetness has got inside me.
I have had an unforeseen viral holiday.

Yesterday briefly the sun shone through my prison widow.


I need to do so much in the garden. I have to replace spalled terracotta pots possibly with recyclable plastic. Every type of 'frost proof' terracotta pot has been damaged. I will need to invest in glazed terracotta but I need to save up for them, and the shrubs can't wait that long for re potting - with their exposed root systems.

I feel guilt at the idea of plastic - he says this while tapping on a plastic keyboard. It is everywhere in our homes and environment. Strange that it sits at the back of our conscience for so long and then there is a critical mass of opinion which washes it up to the surface.

Perhaps we are too late to try and undo the damage - but at the very least we can help to prevent further amounts getting into the environment. And here I am encouraging the production of more. Perhaps I should plant the shrubs and trees directly in the soil which will dramatically change the look of the garden.

The reason I use pots is because they form a visual punctuation in the space. I know that direct planting will not have the same effect - they also afford a certain amount of theatrical set changing according to the season by simply moving them about which is very useful in such a small space.

The health of the planet far outweighs my artistic vision though - so I need to consider what to do carefully. I would be grateful for any opinions on this.



Paul.

Comments

  1. Marigold Jam15 February 2018 at 08:32

    Sorry to hear that you are under what I call a "grey blanket" just now and hope that you will soon be feeling better. Re your flower pot dilema do you perhaps have somewhere sheltered that you could move the terracotta ones to in winter? This is what I do with mine. Or could you make some wooden planters maybe? Hope that the sun will soon shine for you both in reality and metaphorically speaking too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul Steer15 February 2018 at 16:20

      Thank you :) the gloom is lifting. A friend has suggested trying an agricultural merchants - they may have galvanised containers that are cheaper than terracotta.

      Delete
  2. Growing with Mer15 February 2018 at 15:52

    Agreed about the plastic, it often makes me feel a little guilty. I love to get second hand pots, but nice pots are just too expensive for me haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul Steer15 February 2018 at 16:18

      Exactly - cost is an issue - good quality comes at a hefty price which is problematic on a small budget.

      Delete

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