Ö÷²¥´óÐã

At last we seem to have shaken off winter and according to folklore at least, the first day spring arrived with a rare glimpse of sunshine on this week on the 21st March. Of the four seasons, spring has to be my favourite. The anticipation of what's to come; the flurry of activity in the garden, the green buds on the once dormant shrubs and those daffs and tulips bulbs bursting with promise of colour a plenty. A girl could get quite poetic this time of year, but thankfully I won't!

As we all know spring is a great time to take stock of your garden and plan for great things ahead. But for me springtime is also a great time to find all those tools I thought were lost to me forever. Each summer and autumn I lose countless pairs of gloves, secateurs and trowels among the greenery. I lay them down for just a moment, and within seconds they are mysteriously 'eaten' by the surrounding foliage and I know all searches will prove fruitless...last year I even lost a full size pick axe and garden fork! But enough of my troubles.

This week Carole Baxter and Sinclair Williamson join me in the Shed, and Sinclair will be giving top tips on pruning shrubs, and whipping those straggly evergreens into shape. And if it seems like early days for all this talk of pruning, you'll be shocked at the wondrous sights which will soon unfold in your garden. And it's not just the sight of our garden that is a thing of beauty, the great outdoors offers a veritable assault on all our senses.

When I was at college one of my main assignments was to list a data base of plants which appealed to each of the five senses. I took on the task with great gusto, researching through piles of books and the internet finding the best plants for the job. A few days into the project I realised what an almost impossible topic I'd chosen; every plant in the garden appeals to our senses. The sight, the smell, and touch of each plant is a such a joy. Take the Stachys byzantina, or lambs lugs as it's commonly known, unless you're holding a 3 day old kitten in your hand you won't find anything softer in the garden. And don't forget taste and sound too. Strawberries, once planted will soon multiply, filling your plot with fruit year after year. And the soft hush of tall grasses swaying gently in the summer breeze beats any other form of relaxation exercises.

If this doesn't make you yearn to get a bit of good clean dirt under your finger nails then we can come and give you a gently 'push'. We're calling on all listeners to get involved in our new 'Get Gardening Campaign'. If you're a new gardener and you don't know where to start, if you've moved from one end of the country to another and suddenly find yourself on unfamiliar turf, or if there's a stubborn patch of ground that's beaten you for the past 2 decades then get in touch and we'll see if we can help. Over the next few months our experts will be visiting listener's gardens up and down the country offering sound advice. So contact us via the usual means, you can email me or if you prefer to write the address is Beechgrove Potting Shed, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland, Beechgrove Terrace, Aberdeen A15 5ZT. And don't forget, you can call and put your gardening questions to Carole and Sinclair in the studio this Sunday.

Look forward to speaking to you all then...

Take care..

Theresa
x