GARDENING
A new spring
in our step
life
Garden writer Sally Charrett kick
starts the spring with a new bi-monthly
column, bringing green-fingered advice to
hopefully interest, amuse and inspire you
The great thing about
gardening is it really is for
everyone, whether you are
happiest nurturing an organic
veg plot, creating an explosion
of colourful bedding plants
or being well-versed in
Latin plant names. The old
adage 'reap what you sow' is
true, but gardening doesn’t
have to be backbreaking –
a bit of forward planning
and imagination are all the
ingredients required. With
this approach in mind, I am
delighted to welcome you to
my new column for Island Life.
Each issue I shall be giving
practical gardening tips, as
well as inspiring, easy-to-do
projects for the garden.
My gardening journey so far
has taken me all around the
country from studying for my
horticultural degree at Writtle
College, Essex to gardening for
the Botanic Garden of Wales.
Now I’m privileged to work
on the magazine of the Royal
Horticultural Society, The
Garden, combining a love of
writing and gardening.
Hailing from the Portsmouth
area originally, I have spent
many a blissful summer
holiday on the Island. With
such an amazing range of
climates and terrain, the island
must make for an interesting
place to garden, particularly
if you live on the Southeast
side, where many unusual
sub-tropical plants can
thrive. I’d love to hear of
your different gardening
experiences from various
places on the Isle (email
me at sallycharrett@hotmail.
com or write c/o Island Life
magazine).
In the meantime, winter
seems to have finally stopped
dragging her heels and this
time of year is a busy one
for the gardener, so start by
writing a ‘to do’ list. Ask at
your local garden centre for
their range of annual 6Ɩ