A slightly apprehensive hello from Warwickshire!

Hi all,

I’ve plucked up the courage to join this forum – it seems both friendly and a constructive place to spend a little time – a pretty good combination and starting point.

I’m not quite sure how I got to be posting on a gardening forum, or what has led me here, and like some other intros that I've read, I don’t feel qualified to say anything useful – at least not about gardening… at least not yet!

In July I found myself doing some weeding and garden tidying for my elderly neighbour, which led to one or two others asking for similar. Now I have half a dozen local neighbours and one other person calling on me, sometimes even assuming I know what I’m doing – which frightens me a bit (because I don’t really think I do!). But, I have had fun trying (and a big success with the creation of a small pond!)

I would like to go deeper into gardening, but am finding it difficult to know how to begin. Getting stuck in does bring me back to Google (especially RHS) and a few books I have, which is helpful as needing to know often means you remember. I’m also considering whether to supplement the practical side with a RHS distance learning qualification. Added to that, a very trusting friend who knows absolutely nothing about gardens has asked me to come up with ideas for sorting and replanting his garden – which is a bit of a mess. So, in addition to the practical and the theory, I might have a project available too.

What I’m really lacking though is experience, and confidence. I’m hoping to find people who here who can tolerate some silly questions, and perhaps even a bit of informal mentoring (and laughter when it all goes a bit pear shaped – very important!).

Lovely to meet you all (in a virtual sense of course!)

 

Hello and welcome to GC. You'll find lots of help and advice here, sometimes conflicting, but gardening's a huge subject
I sympathise with your situation as I was in a similar one many years ago. I had the opportunity to take on the clients of a gardener friend who wanted to retire, but was very unsure whether I could make a go of it. I did have a lot of experience as a hobby gardener, and a RHS qualification, but the confidence (especially in my physical ability to do the job) was lacking. It was the best thing I ever did
When the time came to emigrate, I 'trained up' a friend who, like you, was unsure about the technical side of things. It worked out for him, too.
There's so much information available, from books, the Internet, forums etc.....so it's relatively easy to learn as you go along. Personally, I'd steer clear of a formal RHS course. They do rather 'counsel perfection' which will bog you down with unnecessary information. You'll also find that for 11 months of the year, you're working so hard that you'll be too to study in the evenings!
Start off by learning about soil and pruning techniques, and then pests and diseases, they're essential. But remember that nature is very forgiving. If you get something wrong, plants do tend to bounce back

 

Welcome to the forum! Yes, lots of helpful folk here. And right now I'm in a position to share before and after snow shoveling pictures and techniques so you can count on others here to steer you in the right direction and me to cheer you on

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner Warwicks1. I've been a member of GC for a few years and I must say yours is one of the best introductory posts I've read, thank you.

Your experience and confidence will grow with back up from our friends here. Gardening is a big and ongoing subject so we're all continuing to learn no matter how much experience we have. We often say there's no such thing as a silly question, so fire away with any questions, however trivial you think they are - we'll be happy to help.

 

Welcome to GC Warwicks, we all start somewhere, and its great to have you at somewhere, look forward to chatting.

 

noisette4. What a great comment. I second your mention of the RHS. Having been associated with the organization since the 1960's, it has become recognized at THE gardening authority, hoever at times it is very one-sided.
I always enjoy your contributions to the forum

 

Warwicks. A very warm welcome to the forum.

 

Hi all, I just wanted to thank you for your great responses. Also, your thoughts about RHS qualifications - thank you noisette47 in particular, what you've said echoes what some others have said to me aside of the forum. I'll focus on getting out there and also posting on here!

I thought of you all today as I was pruning a shrub in a neighbour's garden. Really have no idea what it was... I think tomorrow I'd better post a photo. It'd be difficult to replace what I cut off, but I suspect it might be that I didn't prune hard enough (I hope so anyway!).

Thanks again for your welcome!

 

@Warwicks1 , don’t be “apprehensive”. They’re a helpful bunch here, and...welcome