In Praise Of The Idiosyncratic

Naomi Slade believes that garden beauty is in the eye of the beholder – and it doesn’t have to be a picture-perfect cultivated plot

- Naomi Slade

I SAW a news story recently about people feeling under pressure to have their garden Instagram-ready at all times. The world is suddenly full of critics, armed with cameras and with access to an audience. We, therefore, must, apparently, be selfie-ready at the drop of a hat and take the exposure in our stride.

Leaving aside the debate on the desirability or otherwise of this state of affairs, I can’t help thinking that an Instagram-ready garden slightly misses the point. Sure, some folk have a lifestyle garden that photographs with supermodel ease. But for the majority of people this is not the case.

By nature, gardens are a work in progress. The peaks, where everything looks suddenly marvellous, are followed by troughs, where it doesn’t. Even in the really good gardens. And an efficient gardening team and a healthy budget will only speed up the transition, not avoid it.