I traded my stressful city job for gardening – but there’s a ‘heartbreaking’ side I wasn’t prepared for
WHEN octagenarian Peter Clarke’s wife passed away, he had no idea how he was going to manage the garden she’d loved so much.
But thanks to new gardening network ‘WeWeed’ – which puts those who need help with their outside spaces in touch with gardeners, he ‘a huge load has been taken off his shoulders.’
Peter, from Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, said: “Since my wife passed away some two years ago WeWeed have been very helpful in assisting me with the ongoing maintenance of our garden which has taken a load of my shoulders.
“Janet’s concept of providing female gardeners to assist elderly folk, in my case, in looking after our garden, was first rate.
“I am very pleased with the help I have had to date. Keep up the good work Janet.”
Same with pensioner Marguerite Valentine – who desperately needed her ‘boring’ new garden transformed into somewhere she could sit and be happy.
She said : “New House, New Garden. My heart sank as before me was a square of untended grass and a boring Leylandii in the corner of the garden.
“A friend on the estate gave me a gardener’s contact and informed me about Sammy – she turned out to be a treasure, knowledgeable and full of fun and together we worked on constructing my garden.
“It was a creative partnership. She knows the name of plants and how to care for them. She was full of ideas and a joy to be with.
“Together we laugh and share life’s ups and downs over coffee and cake.
“I feel I was lucky to make contact with Sammy and friendship couldn’t be better.”
Gardening fan Janet Wood’s hospitality business was shelved during the pandemic.
So to earn some cash she asked local social media if anyone needed a hand with their garden.
What she didn’t expect was how many older and less-able people were desperate for help.
“My first gardening job was for grown up children whose mother had dementia and couldn’t manage on her own anymore,” she said.
“And that’s when I realised there’s such a huge need for companion gardeners because she got so much out of that.
Not least because when you garden side by side with somebody, it’s non-confrontational.
January gardening jobs
The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine has shared the jobs that will keep you busy during the first month of the new year.
Don’t bin your Christmas tree
If your Christmas Tree is still hanging around, shred it and use as a mulch – or just cut it into sticks with secateurs, hide it somewhere it won’t be in the way and let it rot gently into your soil – adding nutrients and providing a home for insects.
Check on your roses
Now is a good time to prune your roses back. Make sure you cut just above the bud and with a slope, so water doesn’t collect.
Spruce your apple tree
Apple Trees also deserve a prune while they’re still dormant. Cut out dead, diseased and damaged branches – as well as ones that are crossing each other. Aim for a goblet shape.
Add extra colour to your borders
For a splash of winter colour get Hellebores and snowdrops into the ground.
Start planting fruit and veg
Plant Spring planting garlic – it’s best not to use supermarket versions as they’re not certified as disease-free. Make sure you keep the silvery husk on them.
Start forcing rhubarb for an early harvest – this means covering the crown with straw or a bucket to ensure you get lovely pink tender stems.
You can put raspberry canes out into the ground as long as the ground is not completely frozen. They’re dormant right now, so any time until March is good
You can grow onion seeds in warm place indoors for early growth – which gives you a much better chance of getting bigger bulbts. A windowsill is ideal, or a propagator. Use seed trays of decent seed compost – I really like Urban Wyrm seed compost – and make sure the trays are big enough to accommodate the incoming bulbs.
“You’re not talking about ‘you need to downsize’, ‘you need to go into a home’, or ‘are you taking medication?
“It’s healing. You’re gardening with them rather than for them.”
“The amount of people that phone up with the same story is heartbreaking – their partners died and now they’re watching their garden dying too.”
Very quickly Janet realised she needed more people and along with co-founder Justine Hutchinson created a directory for professional and new gardeners, and for those who need them.
At present it’s all female gardeners.
“There are so many women out there who want to garden but don’t know how to start – so we started supporting them in their own journey,” she said.
“It’s not that we don’t want male gardeners on our books, we do – we do need the arborists, the hedge trimmers, patio layers and the garden clearance.
“But women do provide a sort of sensitivity that our clients appreciate – and often older women will feel safer having a female gardener.
“All the women who came to us as gardeners were career changers – from the NHS, teachers, architects, all sorts of professions – some struggling with burnout or mental health issues, there’s loads of different reasons for them joining us.”
“Now we run workshops and seminars explaining how to be a self-employed gardener and have 300 on our books.
“We help older and less-able people all over the country to find a gardener to suit their needs.”
For more information visit www.WeWeed.co.uk
Also in Veronica's Column this week...
News, top tips and a competition to win a £250 seed bundle
NEWS! The RHS Flower shows have announced ‘the biggest change in a generation’ with plans to move the shows around the country in an effort to bring gardening to more people, schools and and communities.
The Chelsea Flower Show will stay as it is but after this year the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival will become a biennial event – with it going to the Badminton Estate, Gloucestershire in 2026 – before returning to Hampton in 2027. The Urban show is also moving from Manchester with it’s new location due to be announced soon. ,
While the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park will return to the site every three years, with a 2025 RHS Show happening at Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire instead. A 2026 RHS Show will take place at Sandringham, home to King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
NEWS! Kew Scientists discovered more than 170 new plant and fungi species in 2024, it’s been revealed – but many are already on the brink of extinction. The top ten include exotic orchids from Indonesia, fungi from Buckinghamshire, UK, and Africa exotic orchids from Indonesia, a palm from Borneo climbers from Asia, But Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens warn that a staggering 149 plants and 23 fungi are already at risk of vanishing thanks to the ever-growing threats of human activity and climate change.
WIN! Unwins Seeds are offering one lucky Sun Gardener to chance to win a seed sowing bundle worth £250. It includes a selection of edible and floral seeds from Unwins, Unwins Gardener’s Seed box, Seed sowing compost, VisiRoot seed trays, Heated propagation mat, Kent & Stowe Widger and dibber and plant labels. To enter fill in this form HERE or for more information visit www.thesun.co.uk/UNWINS. Or write to Sun Unwins Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 25.01.25. T&Cs apply.
SAVE! If you’re thinking about pruning your roses – you need a decent pair of elbow length gloves. Try these for £62.95 from Sarah Raven, or try these from Amazon for £12.19
TOP TIP! To get lovely pink stems from your rhubarb – cover the crown with straw or a bucket now. It’s called forcing and you’re basically tricking the plant into early growth.
JOB OF THE WEEK! I’ll be pruning my apple trees right back as soon as I can get to my allotment. You can remove 10 to 20 percent of the canopy to encourage fruiting.
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