Because I’m really wishing the spring would start I am doing all the jobs that need to be done in the garden as soon as I can during February. So that when spring finally gets going, I can concentrate on my art, knowing that the garden is taking care of itself. Having new buds form on my shrubs and trees is massively inspiring for me, along with the lighter nights and clearer sun-shiny days.
Over the weekend I trimmed back all the trees, not that there are loads of them but it was quite a task, that involved using long loppers for the taller branches. Job done, and I looked at the shrubs growing up the fence between my neighbour and me. I had reached as far as I could through the growing greenery, and was pleased with the way it looked.
But the next day, I had a thought….
And late morning went and knocked on my neighbours door, and explained that I was going to ask a question, and if the answer was no, that was fine…..
… and that I had borrowed some long loppers, had cut back the trees in my garden, and realised that the beautiful cherry tree that was in his garden, when he had last cut it back, he hadn’t been able to shape the side nearest to our joint fence, and would he like me to do it whilst I had the right tools to hand….?
Yes, he said, that would be fine… and I suggested that that we look at the tree to be in agreement as to how much, and which branches…
We duly went to look at it, as I pointed out a couple of the branches and suggested the cuts. Yep, that was fine, he agreed…
and then he said something that surprised me…
He pointed to another shrub of mine, further into the garden that he wanted to ask my permission to cut from his side.. and I realised it was the very same shrub that I’ve been wanting to cut through the foliage for a couple of years, and because I couldn’t trim it how far it had grown into his garden. He offered for me to access it from his garden, which I was more than happy to accept, and went off to get changed to start cutting it back. I did it easily, and far more efficiently from there, than from my side which was so difficult and almost impossible to see properly from. Clearing away all the cut branches into my garden to keep his garden tidy.
I realised that he and I had actually wanted exactly the same thing. But neither of us had asked the other as we didn’t want to appear pushy or rude!!
So, this weekend, and this leap years day, I have learnt that sometimes asking politely and by saying that even if the answer is no, its fine, can sometimes make an answer be a positive and most helpful yes. And sometimes the answer is far more positive for asking, and that the problem can turn into a negative one, for leaving it and not asking.
And that new growth in my garden can make the whole of my world look a far happier place… positivity and having a good tidy up makes for a good positive frame of mind!
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