by Andrea Pavee
When Covid-19 rolled across the world and wreaked havoc across countries, cultures, and peoples, Governments ostensibly initiated lockdowns to halt (at best), or stem (at least) the raging infections.
Malaysia joined that bandwagon and our lockdown, colloquially known as the Movement Control Order (MCO), started on March 18. Little did we know then that the lockdown would stretch to almost 3 months.
Being an avid hiker at a secondary jungle near home, my daily forays into that haven were zeroed, much to my angst.
The first few days saw me elbow deep in reorganizing my study, where most of my time is spent.
Tomes and tomes of books were sorted, dusted, and rearranged back on shelves. With that done and dusted, and the house, more or less in order, I found myself dithering restlessly.
To keep myself sane, and productive, I thought I should give gardening a try.
Although my experience was virtually zero, and plants under my care were more likely to die, nevertheless I felt emboldened to take up the challenge.
If nothing else, I could write that off my bucket list.
Fingers crossed, I set to work.
To start off, I took to pruning dead, or dying leaves. I interchanged that with weeding the garden and watering it.
I figured that was the safest and surest way forward. I was not wrong. Nothing died!
After a bout of that, I felt confident enough to venture forward and managed to propagate some plants. Oh, the thrill of success!
These fledging efforts slowly helped me gain confidence and find my feet where I was at. As I labored, I learned through observation and reading, methods to improve myself.
My friends were a great boon since they were so excited at my progress, they were ever ready to impart advice, tips, and contacts, at the drop of a hat.
Many were generous to a fault and would ply me with saplings to green my garden with. In addition to lending beauty to my environment, tending to different varieties helped my learning curve greatly.
Another was ever ready to do nursery runs to expand my slowly growing patch. With our newly shared love of gardening, our weekly breakfasts were always peppered with gardening successes or epic fails.
Gardening has been my Covid-19 silver lining. While before, I held the thought of gardening at arm’s length, I now welcome it with both arms wide open.
One thing I learnt, you can have your little patch anywhere, inside or outside the home, small or big. Greening the world is bringing that bit of paradise right where you are at.
If you are dithering on whether gardening is worth the try, don’t just take my word for it. Give it a try, and you may find a budding hobby just waiting to bloom.
Posted by Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 8 March 2021
HomeBlog by HomSkil 