The Garden
01/07/05
invitation to the garden
June - October 2005
9 x 10cm
This was my first garden away from home my previous flat was in a block with no outside space.
Therefore, I was eager to move in to the new flat, peeping at the garden from a side window.
The owners had never gone out the back. It was totally overgrown with virginia creeper, grasses
and bramble, with one fence sagging low to the ground with ivy. I dug over the soil, marking
flowerbeds with stones and choosing seeds. My mum and I built a patio and bought a bench.
Neighbours were curious about the sudden burst of industriousness. Conversations were held
over the low fences, with residents several doors down. Plants were swapped and sheds and
patios started to appear either side. Just as the first courgettes began to flower, we were
told the flat would be sold and we would have to leave.
The investment on my part had been great. Friends had suggested not getting too attached to the house,
as my tenancy afforded little security. Yet, my devotion to the garden had brought rewards a heartening
sense of progress and incorporation in a neighbourhood where I was new.