Essays

A Great Escape?

| Gary Webb

Bolting to the hills for some peace and tranquility, to relax and connect with nature beneath the stars. Well, that was the plan…

Our journey consumed motorway and main road miles until eventually, we found ourselves driving in and out of shady hollows and threading along narrow twisty lanes. By the time our dirty tyres rumbled over the farmyard’s concrete and gravel, a sheepdog barking its welcome, it felt as though we’d literally bolted for the hills. Our retreat, it must be said, whilst feeling a little selfish did seem long overdue, being much needed to restore some kind of balance.

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Writing on Gardens and Nature

| Gary Webb

I might have sunk into the depths for a while there, but I’m back now and getting into my old writing ways, on gardens and nature.

If you gave me the stage with an open mic, words would probably fade and I’d likely find myself with little to say of consequence. However, if you gave me a scribbling stick and asked me to write something down, I’d likely be back to you in no time at all asking for more paper, and a pencil sharpener. Writing does something for me, and over time it’s grown to the point where I couldn’t imagine living without it in some shape or form. Lately however I have needed to step back a little.

Recovering from illness, I’ve hardly found myself not able to write for a few weeks now, and I have genuinely missed it, indeed my last post back in April took quite a while to pull together. Feeling under parr has made it

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Morning Garden

| Gary Webb

A valuable first hour of the day watching the garden and day unfold.

Being the first to awake, I pull back the living room curtains to let in the light, and reveal the garden. Sitting with a mug of hot water and taking time to appreciate some waking time alone, I relish the fact that for a while at least, all is calm. All is calm, that is, but for the occasional airplane and birdsong, both effortlessly travelling through air, brick, and glass.

Outside, bright sunshine splits the early morning garden clear in two, two thirds to the left is bathed in warming light, the remaining third looking somewhat cooler in shade. It’s a superbly serene beginning to the day, and as I sit quietly observing, blocking out the day ahead and thinking over the work that’s gone into the garden thus far, I begin to write.

Cloud pruned box just outside my window. Gary Webb

The scene before the picture window presents a young, maturing garden, green mostly and bordered by a fence recently painted black. As a composition, the garden’s content has been laboured over for some time, ideas initially

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A Feel for Gardens

| Gary Webb

Do you find that some gardens are so large and complicated that it’s hard to really connect with them? Occasionally I find this to be the case, and often it leaves me feeling a little cold towards them. That’s not to say I don’t always like what I see, it’s just that some places can be so extensive or so busy and involved, they’re a challenge to understand.

Now, this isn’t such a problem if I’m simply looking to enjoy a garden’s ambience and spirit, and if that is the case I just breeze around a garden and enjoy it for what it is. Indeed, some gardens which initially seem hard to read can become even more

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A Pocketful of Weeks

| Gary Webb

Focussing on spring flowers.

Now the vernal equinox is upon us there is little doubt that spring is here, and not a moment too soon! Ahead of us are even longer, warmer and brighter days with waves of colourful new growth appearing in gardens and throughout our countryside. Seemingly, it’s been a longer winter than usual, and definitely a wetter one, but now we’re beyond the worst of it, surely, and should be looking forward to the treats ahead with anticipation.

Whilst the spring outlook remains rosy, you don’t need me to remind you that there’s no guarantees where good weather is concerned, so do proceed with an air of caution. If we’re to endure a few more ‘off’ days though, even some visits

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The Little Hawthorn Tree

| Gary Webb

Logic tells me its hard wood picked up none of my thoughts, but nonetheless I willed the little tree to feel something, not wanting it to stand there in silence anymore. In humanising this undeniably non-human being though, sending thoughts in lieu of an impossible conversation, I wanted the tree to feel noticed and appreciated, not just ignored as part the scenery.

I’ve stood before this somewhat ordinary tree many times, this time however, my attention was seized by a blood coloured berry, one of just a few left dotted around the tree’s tangled twiggy mass of branches. Where just a few weeks ago little red

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Just Outside Basecamp

| Gary Webb

Re-evaluating a writing future.

Nothing but fresh air has arisen from this blog for over a month now as I’ve busied myself establishing a Substack and with a writing course. I’m happy though to at last get back to my own writing ways, on Gardening Ways, where you find me re-evaluating my writing future.

Writing for me has steadily grown over the last decade since taking to blogging platforms, initially to help with promotion of my workplaces and to share my love of horticulture, gardens, nature and more. Throughout the years of blogging, I do think that I didn’t quite grasp the creative path I was in fact pursuing, both through my gardening and online activity, so whether through plants, words or pictures, I was simply happy to be toying with them.

Gardening aside, assembling images and text and posting to social media has occupied many hours of my so-called spare time, maybe too many. Oftentimes, I’d rise early

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Christmas Chaos

| Gary Webb

It is morning, and the Christmas tree stands silently in the corner of the living room jewelled with baubles and decorations, my favourites being miniature flower pots and garden tools, naturally. This year we’ve added a little shiny watering can, just to keep things green. Paper snowflakes hang around the room in otherwise blank spaces, extra candlesticks and lanterns have been artfully placed, and an olive wood nativity scene sits on top of a bookcase; our own Christmas stage is almost set.

Outside, the garden as often the way in winter, is sodden. Around here for the last two weeks or so we’ve swung from sharp frosts to long periods of rain, and the garden in many ways is best enjoyed through the window. Indeed, venturing out yesterday with a

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A First Forest Bathing Experience

| Gary Webb

Exactly what do people do when ‘forest bathing’ is a question I’d pondered for sometime, when intrigue recently got the better of me. I happened across Healing Earth Ways who were offering a session relatively nearby, another bonus being that participation supported Warwickshire Wildlife Trust; surely it was a win-win situation for all.

My first session began on a sun-blessed morning when frost covered shaded ground, beside a reservoir car park in rural Warwickshire where our welcoming guide stood patiently with a list of names, smiling reassuringly. Before us was an especially bright white stand of birch trees, and behind those a woodland belt which clearly concealed the place we’d soon to be heading.

Morning perfection, by Gary Webb

Beginning with an introduction to the nature of forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku as it’s called in its origin homeland Japan, our guide softly explained what we’d let ourselves in for. Rather than

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