We often hear it said that rain is good for the garden, a typical response meant to lighten the mood of a rainy day. Where though, does a rainy day leave the gardener, is a rainy day good for them too? Well, after years of living and around gardens, here’s my naturally positive take on this situation.

After what seems like days and weeks of rain, autumn’s dampness has well and truly settled in, and it feels like I may not see dry soil in my own garden again for some time. I don’t state that as a complaint though I have to say, as I’m understanding that weather’s balance constantly moves back and forth, some days or weeks sitting wet, some dry, and in between, hopefully, there comes some useful middle ground.

Where gardening and garden visiting is concerned, striking that perfect balance between weather and conditions can be a fine thing indeed, and most of us do live in hope of this garden idyll. If, however, I’m to wait until the soil is dry, or postpone

a garden outing until the sky holds blue, then progress in my own garden would be painfully slow, and I’d rarely get out to gain inspiration from another’s garden.

We gardeners are a level-headed bunch though, understanding that practical gardening tasks involving wet soil are not only likely to make sticky situations worse, but can be harmful to the soil itself. Besides, unless you’ve a strong constitution or you have to garden due to work commitments, what’s the point in catching a chill due to gardening in the rain. Although as I write that, Alfred Wainwright’s quote “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing,” comes to mind.

I say all this having found myself in many a garden with less than suitable attire when the weather’s turned sour, and I suspect you’ll be familiar with those moments too. Days when you feel a storm’s gust front blowing through the garden or, if up a height, you see rain clouds and their precipitation approaching you as the prize sitting duck. Sometimes you’ll have made it to the garden shelter or the car just in time, or maybe to the café to sit it out, though oftentimes you’ll have taken a soaking.

Dreaming for a moment, whilst I crave decent weather for outdoor pursuits like the next person, would I historically have swiped left those greying clouds had I the power, turning every garden focussed day bright and blue?

In all honesty, whilst in each moment I probably would have cancelled the weather, right now as I skip back across some random washed-out days in my mind, I can confidently say no, I would not change a thing. Erasing memories like splashing through puddles en route to a garden shed to escape heavy rain, or sheltering from a storm beneath a brolly with my nearest, would equate to deleting some of the most memorable moments in my gardening lifetime.

We all experience and respond to these nature-based moments in our own ways of course, and in most situations can choose whether to work with or around them. Do we bend and remain subservient to the skies, cancel plans, and choose a path of little resistance, or do we zip up a big coat, pull on a hat, head outdoors and carry on regardless?

Well of course, if labouring through poor conditions results in outputs less presentable or useful than before, then the choice should be clear. But how can we mentally deal with a sometimes-long-awaited garden-like day that’s just had cold water poured all over it? And if we’re meant to embrace all the goodness that gardening or garden visiting promises, how can we process those days when we’re stuck frustratingly watching silvery streams snake down the windowpanes?

In response, whilst understanding that weather just does sometimes ruin the best laid plans, I feel that I need to remind myself at least, that nature will frequently delight us too. Daring to put climate change aside, experience suggests that countless days are ahead where nature will surprise us with better-than-expected days, days with ample opportunity to top up our gardening hearts and fill our minds to the brim with floral inspiration.

Check the forecasts and make our plans, yes, but do keep our mind on that longer term view. Take each day for what it is and try not to become dismayed at the sign of a ‘poor’ forecast, or should the weather turn unexpectedly with the result of hampering your gardening efforts. Remember always that the balance will shift again, and the conditions will eventually change in our favour.

Okay, if I’m honest, you will still find me looking up to the clouds and cussing from time to time, that is a fact, and those become hot chocolate days for sure. Deep down however, rest assured that whilst gardening may be on my mind, I recognise that nature’s weather patterns just have to follow their own course, and to that I’m happy to submit control. Personally, I will grab those opportunities for gardening focus when I can, but promise to always appreciate nature’s necessary work, its diversity, effortless beauty and incredible energy. Oh look, it’s just starting to rain!

Kind regards,

Gary Webb.