GARDENING is a long-term project. What I mean by that is that it takes months and usually years of effort and perseverance to achieve anything near what you might be aiming for.

We may make lots of mistakes along the way. I certainly have. And then each season is different to the one before. But, hopefully, we learn more and more each year from our gardening journey, in particular, what went well and the disasters too.

I often think that the gardening television programmes that I enjoy watching may sometimes contribute to a belief that beautiful gardens can be achieved fairly quickly. Some of the big flower show gardens may give us useful ideas to adopt but can also contribute to the notion that a garden can just be bought and instantly installed anywhere.

I work with children to undertake gardening and I have to carefully explain to them that to grow plants requires a whole number of stages from sowing seeds, to pricking out seedlings, to potting them on, to finally placing them in outside beds when conditions are right. I do understand their impatience for instant results. But I guess gardening mirrors our own lives where the achievements that we often feel proudest about are the ones that have taken huge effort and lots of time to perfect and realise. If everything was easy, where would be the challenge?

Over the years I feel I have got to know my garden and how it performs. I am thinking here of its varied habitats and what grows best in different parts. When I first started gardening, I could be tempted to try growing anything. I now try to grow both what I like but, importantly, what is most likely to work.

In my own garden, I have been planting native trees in hedges like wild crab apple and wild cherry, because they look attractive and also to support wildlife. The trees will take some years to mature. I look at them nearly every day to see how they are growing. So, I do understand our natural inclination to want to see results from our efforts. I have been watering them regularly in dry spells because I know they may take up to a year before they start to establish themselves.

I am also developing a meadow area among some poor grass in our back garden. Again, it is taking time to get going. Recently, we spotted beautiful snake’s head fritillaries nodding in the breeze here. I felt so excited about this. I know that wild meadows took probably many thousands of years to establish themselves and this encourages me to be patient in seeing ours develop.

So, enjoy your gardening journey but also ensure you learn as you go along. The best gardens are not realised instantly. They often take many years of hard work. A little patience and perseverance really does help. Making progress takes time but when you know it is down to your own efforts, it feels so rewarding.

Martin Pallett