greetings from the land of chocolate and beer

Hi there!

I thought I'd better introduce myself. I'm Sian, and as my user-name suggests, I live in Belgium.

I grew up with the rich red clay of Herefordshire, so it is not surprising that gardening is close to my heart. However, it hasn't all been a case of put a twig in the ground, and wait for the plant to bloom. Oh no - 16 years of High Wycombe, with just 6-12 inches of flinty soil above solid chalk taught me that life can be tough!

I have lived in Belgium now for 6 years (soil is a nice dark sand / clay mix, for those who are interested) and am still growing things, even though we rent our property. I hope the landlord doesn't mind spring bulbs!!

I have two eager gardening assistants, a pair of Weimaraners, who dig holes faster than I can fill / plant in them. Because of my love of wildlife, and my pets, we have gardened organically for many years.

 

Welcome Sian to GC
enjoy your stay

 

Hello there and Welcome.

 

Good evening Sian and welcome to the site.

 

Hey there!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. It's good to be with people who have a passion for gardening. Generally, the Belgian way seems to be manicured lawns, with severly pollarded or pleeched trees. A leaf is seldom to be seen out of place for more than a day!
Comparing that to my riot of colour, wild flowers, self-sown plants and food - my neighbours have declared me mad!! :-)

 

hi and welcome,lol all self respecting gardeners are mad !!!

 

here's a "compare and contrast"

First the neighbour's front garden (sorry about our wisteria in the way!), and then one of our flower borders - a little untidy, but waiting for the geraniums to flower.

 

Hello & welcome Sian.
I prefer the less formal way of gardening too. much more fun.

 

Welcome Sian to GC
Enjoy your stay.
I`m sure you will

Robert of Yorkshire