Arit's 7 deadly sins

Discover Arit Anderson's guilty gardening secrets and how you can turn your own sins into wins

When we think about gardening, it usually brings about positive feelings of doing good and being at one with nature.

This may elevate to even feeling virtuous when reflecting on a day of hard work in the garden. I doubt anyone comes in from their outdoor pursuits and discusses the deadly sins they've committed! We have soil under our nails and sweat on our brow, what could we possibly have done wrong? In the spirit of new year's resolutions, I'm going to look through the lens of the seven deadly sins and confess my own gardening offenses. But as you read mine, I ask that you reflect on yours with a notepad and a cup of tea. Hopefully, this process will provide fresh inspiration on how we can help wildlife, the environment and our wellbeing. So let's explore how to turn over a new leaf in 2025 and transform those deadly sins into garden wins!

Pride: the lawn

When I moved into my house, my 10m x 4.5m plot had the obligatory rectangular lawn and skinny borders. As a novice gardener, I was keen to keep the lawn and invested in the necessary tool kit to keep on top of it. Then a neighbour threw down the gauntlet, "Arit, we have an annual Best Lawn Competition' - don't be upset not to win it!" With water, feed and mower at the ready, my daily and weekly rituals were honed, while my half-moon tool, sharpened to perfection, kept those lawn edges crisp alongside the borders. My pride overspilled as that year I was announced the winner!

FROM SIN TO WIN: Over time I've learned that a garden needs more than an e immaculate lawn to be an enticing place for wildlife.