Gardening: Sowing seeds of comfort during lockdown

During lockdown many of us will have turned to gardening for solace.

You don’t have to know all the bamboozling Latin names or be very good at it, just being outside, leaving the sensory bombardment of TVs, radios, laptops and bad news behind, brings tranquillity to a mind whirring with worries.

Gardening is balm for weary souls, calming and uplifting, especially in these strange times.

From the scent of a rose to catching a privileged glance of bumblebees working a swathe of foxgloves, it is a blessed diversion.

Even the tedious things aspects of gardening, weeding, pruning and cutting grass can be a great distraction.

Sowing seeds is methodical and therapeutic.

And there is the gratifying experience of growing your own, whether it be a prize pumpkin or a few sprigs of Rosemary.

Tending a garden is meditative. Every time we put something in the ground, it feels like a pronouncement of faith in the future – and in this confusingly alien coronavirus world, there is surely nothing we need more of now than faith.

Belfast author and Children’s Writing Fellow for NI, Kelly McCaughrain enjoys nothing more than escaping to her garden.

She says: “At the moment gardening feels like an antidote to the strange limbo of lockdown.

‘‘While life indoors has become so routine the days are indistinguishable, every day in the garden there’s some small change reminding me that time is still running, the earth is still spinning.

‘‘Time behaves differently in the garden. Hours vanish in small absorbing tasks, while seasons lengthen.

‘‘I used to think ‘Summer’ consisted of two weeks in June but since I started growing vegetables I know it really starts in February and goes on until November. I also know that nothing lasts forever and everything gets a fresh start next year.

‘‘It’s comforting to have a space where work has not changed, and where your efforts still make a difference.

‘‘Every job in the garden looks insurmountable before you start, but you always end up hugely impressed with how much you’ve done in a day.

‘‘The sense of achievement, and the time spent not thinking about anything else is so therapeutic.

‘‘Even weeding, if you commit to it instead of treating it like a chore to be rushed through, is wonderfully calming.

‘‘I definitely recommend people give gardening a try. Or, at the very least, watch Gardener’s World instead of the news. Nothing bad ever happens on Gardener’s World.”

Alan Mercer, managing director, Hillmount, which has garden lifestyle centres in Ards, Bangor and Belfast, has been supporting the local community for 80 years this summer.

‘‘Our flagship store, nestled in the Castlereagh Hills, was established by my great grandfather Hill Mercer in 1940 and he supported the people of Belfast during the war by planting flowers along Royal Avenue to help cheer them up.

‘‘Today, lifting the mood is just as important for us as our customers seek solace in their gardens and outdoor spaces for both their mental and physical health.”

Alan said: “As we stay at home and stay safe we need to be mindful of our mental health and over Easter the weather certainly helped in ensuring we availed of that much needed vitamin D but even when it’s raining we can be planting vegetables for our window ledges, tending to spring cleaning our sheds or greenhouses and researching plants to buy online.

‘‘This month’s birth flower is Lily of the Valley and it is said to mark the return of happiness. Let’s hope that it won’t be too long before we can return to the happiness we once enjoyed with our families in our gardens but, until then, here’s some ideas to help with your mental and physical health during lockdown, as I believe that gardening is therapeutic for all ages while also providing us with a gentle form of exercise.”

Alan said on dry days and if you are feeling healthy, getting out into your garden and spending a few hours attacking the weeds is a great way of taking in some fresh air whilst giving your garden a spring facelift.

‘‘It also takes us away from the news and it’s great for helping us focus on the job in hand.’’

And he said that whether you have a large garden, a window ledge, no garden, a small back yard or simply a front step and no private outdoor space at all, bedding plants are the best way of bringing vibrant colour to your home in pots and containers.

‘‘They can be planted in window boxes on your window ledge which you can admire from your sofa, or you can place a pot outside your front door.

‘‘If you have a garden area you can place pots filled with petunias, lobelia, geraniums and pansies on your flagstones or patio areas to brighten them up.

‘‘I just love bringing the children out to show them that what they’ve planted a few weeks is now flowering and it creates much excitement in our house.’’

Alan said it’s never too early to introduce children to the joy of planting seeds and the excitement of growing plants and flowers.

‘‘It’s also great for encouraging them to eat fruit and vegetables.

‘‘ You don’t need to sow lettuce outdoors and you don’t even need a garden for growing lettuce.

‘‘If it’s raining or if you don’t have any outside space, you can sow around 20 lettuce seeds per pot and place on the kitchen window ledge.

‘‘Children just love monitoring the growth when they’ve been involved in the planting.

‘‘Kids absolutely love growing popcorn!

‘‘You could try growing multi-coloured popcorn which you can buy online and when you settle down to watch a movie on the television you can eat popcorn you’ve grown yourselves!

‘‘Treat your children to a packet of sunflower seeds and experience the excitement on their faces as they watch the progress of the sunflowers growing.

‘‘This is a super inexpensive way of entertaining children while encouraging a love of gardening.’’

And if you are feeling energetic, Alan recommends some al fresco spring cleaning.

‘‘Spring cleaning outside is just as important as spring cleaning inside.

‘‘There’s a real sense of satisfaction when your efforts free your garden of moss and weeds.

‘‘If the rain persists though you could spend a few hours tidying out the greenhouse or shed and sorting out pots for bedding plants.’’