Power Deadheading
Power Deadheading
I've been very busy at work lately hence my gardening blog has been somewhat neglected, for which I am sorry. For the same reason my actual garden is a little neglected too, and so is my physical fitness now I am doing much computer and sedentary work and not getting out there as I was, digging and doing hard work.
Today I decided to spend about twenty minutes marching round the garden just to get the circulation going. Let's face it the garden is not quite so much of a "green gym" at this time of year: the hard work is done and now it's down to a bit of deadheading and weeding (well, I've started giving some of the hedges a good seeing-to as well, because I am off doing jury service in September so I need to get on top of them now).
However, I digress. It seems that inadvertently I have invented a new form of aerobic exercise for the less-than-fully-fit. I have called it power deadheading. Instead of going round and getting down on my knees with secateurs and trug in hand, I decided to march around the garden, but as my husband pointed out, I cannot pass a dead flower without feeling the compunction to chop it off. Therefore I marched until I saw a plant needing deadheading attention. Then I squatted down and cut off a flower, then bobbed back up again, squatted down for the next one, back up, and so on. OK I didn't squat for every single dead flower, but you get my drift. Enough to keep it aerobic even though the marching had stopped. I did not allow myself to carry the trug with me, so could only carry as many deadheads and tidyings as I could carry in one hand. I then resumed the march, to the compost bin with the bits, then back round the circuit to get to the next plant needing attention, and so on.
I carried on doing this for about twenty minutes or more, and felt like I had had a darn good workout at the end of it. Of course it's not the most efficient way of deadheading and weeding, but at least something else constructive is done in the garden at the same time as having a bit of a physical workout. It's called making life difficult I guess, but in a good way.
Frankly I still needed to get around with the trug later, as there are so many flowering plants needing deadheading at this time of year, and I haven't been out there for a few days due to really awful rain, but I felt good for my workout and at least some gardening was done at the same time.
Come spring and autumn of course I will get more garden exercise anyway, tidying away stems and the dreaded leaf clearance from all the mature trees, mulching, and planting bulbs. Then spring, oh dear, spring is all work, digging and planting like mad, trying to keep the seedlings watered in the greenhouse. I don't think I will need to power walk around the garden then!
I've been very busy at work lately hence my gardening blog has been somewhat neglected, for which I am sorry. For the same reason my actual garden is a little neglected too, and so is my physical fitness now I am doing much computer and sedentary work and not getting out there as I was, digging and doing hard work.
Today I decided to spend about twenty minutes marching round the garden just to get the circulation going. Let's face it the garden is not quite so much of a "green gym" at this time of year: the hard work is done and now it's down to a bit of deadheading and weeding (well, I've started giving some of the hedges a good seeing-to as well, because I am off doing jury service in September so I need to get on top of them now).
However, I digress. It seems that inadvertently I have invented a new form of aerobic exercise for the less-than-fully-fit. I have called it power deadheading. Instead of going round and getting down on my knees with secateurs and trug in hand, I decided to march around the garden, but as my husband pointed out, I cannot pass a dead flower without feeling the compunction to chop it off. Therefore I marched until I saw a plant needing deadheading attention. Then I squatted down and cut off a flower, then bobbed back up again, squatted down for the next one, back up, and so on. OK I didn't squat for every single dead flower, but you get my drift. Enough to keep it aerobic even though the marching had stopped. I did not allow myself to carry the trug with me, so could only carry as many deadheads and tidyings as I could carry in one hand. I then resumed the march, to the compost bin with the bits, then back round the circuit to get to the next plant needing attention, and so on.
I carried on doing this for about twenty minutes or more, and felt like I had had a darn good workout at the end of it. Of course it's not the most efficient way of deadheading and weeding, but at least something else constructive is done in the garden at the same time as having a bit of a physical workout. It's called making life difficult I guess, but in a good way.
Frankly I still needed to get around with the trug later, as there are so many flowering plants needing deadheading at this time of year, and I haven't been out there for a few days due to really awful rain, but I felt good for my workout and at least some gardening was done at the same time.
Come spring and autumn of course I will get more garden exercise anyway, tidying away stems and the dreaded leaf clearance from all the mature trees, mulching, and planting bulbs. Then spring, oh dear, spring is all work, digging and planting like mad, trying to keep the seedlings watered in the greenhouse. I don't think I will need to power walk around the garden then!
posted by The Enthusiastic Gardener | 3:25 PM
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