Today I’ve been blogging for 4 years and even though I’ve been a bit quiet recently, my gardening journey still ‘grows on’.

Buying an apple tree at R V Rogers

The apple tree 4 years on

My first blog was about buying some new apple cordons and just like those trees, I’ve grown a lot since then!

How it all began

In English lessons at school, I’m absolutely loving reading the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, so here’s my ‘Ghost of Christmas Gardening Past’

Announced as Ambassador by Alan Titchmarsh

It’s 5 years since I won the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year Award and I started the blog, just after being announced as the first ever RHS Young  Ambassador in 2015. In fact, it was at the event that celebrity florist, Simon Lycett suggested I start a blog; I’m so glad I did, as for me personally, it’s like a log of all the great things I’ve done and been involved in.

Top 3 posts

WordPress has this flash statistics tool and it lets me know the most popular posts, which funnily enough are some of my favourite memories too:

1. My dream day working at Chatsworth House Gardens, where I turned off the famous Emperor’s Water Fountain
2. My Welsh Wildlife Blog, where I saw my first bittern.
3. My day spent at the RHS Herbarium, where I pressed a live specimen, a tree poppy

At Chatsworth with Head Gardener, Steve Porter

Preparing the live specimen pressing

Adding bittern to the list at the Welsh Wildlife Centre

The present

Wilflower Planting

Apart from a bit of clearing & tidying and some wildflower seed planting its all gone quiet in our garden.

Meanwhile indoors, Mum’s been teaching me some life skills – such as cooking & baking, ironing and cleaning.

After grafting hard with the SoupShare (you can watch a short film of that here), it’s been a bit of fun time with the Young Operation Farmers.

I’ve been doing the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards, with scouts. It involves 4 sections; learning a new skill – I’ve started playing the keyboard, getting fitter – I’ve joined the badminton group at school, volunteering – I’ve helped out at beavers every Monday night and there’s an expedition in March 2020.

Buddy keeps me fit as we go for walks mainly along our local river, where we’ve had great views of a kingfisher, grey wagtails and dippers.

I’ve been saving my Christmas & Birthday money to buy a telescope and I’ve nearly enough to get one.  I’ll be checking them out at the RSPB Old Moor’s Open Day soon.

and yet to come…

I’m asked all the time, ‘what do you want to do when you leave school?‘. My answer changes all the time from being a geography teacher to being a zookeeper, but what ever it is I’m sure it will involve gardening and wildlife. But I need to know ‘my trade’ first. Only yesterday I was talking about sixth form with my Mum, I mean, sixth form, how did that happen?!?

I’m booked in to judge the junior entries at Woburn Abbey Garden Show in June 2020, that was rather lovely this year and it was great to meet new people.

and as for 2020, well if its anything like this year, I’ll have the same again please!

Thanks for following me over the years, it means so much. Me and my family really appreciate all the lovely comments and support that you have given us.

Here’s to another 4 years of fantastic gardening!