The myth of the wet-weather gardener
The Front Lawn
Over the years I've created for myself the myth of the wet-weather gardener. A gardener who fearlessly brushes past soaking greenery, who sits down on the wet grass to weed, not bothered by her wet bottom getting wetter.
A gardener who even refuses to notice persistent drizzle. And who keeps on gardening when water starts dripping off her fringe and down her nose.
A soggy mind...
Funny how a soggy garden creates a soggy mind. There are exciting things one can do in a rainy garden. A wet day is the perfect time to clean out the glass-house, for example. But I don't. Take loads and loads of atmospheric photographs? Nope. Not even some raindrops on roses? Hmm...
I often start a rainy day wearing my shabbiest gardening jeans, just in case. And then I challenge my friends by turning up for a cafe lunch without changing - obviously it's never too wet to go out to a cafe.
Wet Mahonia Foliage
I will do wet-day dog walks around the driveway in my Goretex jacket, though. I admire the dogs, the way they ignore getting their fur wet. And they never care if water drips down the back of their necks.
Wet Dog Walking
And I'll slosh through the puddles in my lawns and driveway, experiencing a frisson of five-year-old glee. Puddle splashing never goes completely out of fashion (unless one is a cat, of course).
All is not lost?
While all may not be completely lost, the brave and determined wet-weather gardener certainly is. She must have transformed into water molecules and drained away into the river gravels. Oops...