I sympathise with Adrian Chiles’s struggles in the garden (What I have learned in my filthy, bloody, sisyphean quest to tame my garden, 26 February). The basic problem is that the classic English garden was designed to be labour-intensive and for show. A different approach, working with nature rather than against it, gives a happier result.
Two (slim) friendly books, The Minimalist Gardener by Patrick Whitefield and Leisurely Gardening by Nigel Colborn, or better still a permaculture guru found locally, could lighten the load and lead to a more comfortable garden that is better for nature.
You need to learn your local plants, wild and cultivated, and know what really is an enemy, as opposed to a plant with enemies. Ivy and honeysuckle, for example, are excellent wildlife plants and need to find a place where they are not in the way. I hope that Adrian can reconcile with his garden and be supported by it.
Jenny Tillyard
Seaford, East Sussex
• Adrian Chiles’s article made me smile because it is so different from my own experience. When I had a large garden, I had a husband. I planted, he did paths and heavy work. The best days were when I was his labourer and carted away tree branches he had lopped. Tired, we would lie on the grass afterwards looking at the sky.
Now I have a small front garden and it is the passersby who stop to chat that accompany my gardening. My thought for you, Adrian, is that gardening is not just a task to be done and is best when shared with a human as well as a dog.
June Chadwick
Spalding, Lincolnshire
• I sympathise with Adrian Chiles. Nature will always be one step ahead, but keep calm and keep gardening. Winter storms and heavy rains have caused me a similar problem. Soon I have a tree man coming to saw through ivy roots and dig one up that got the better of me.
Ann Newell
Thame, Oxfordshire
• In contrast to Adrian Chiles, I find weeding a most relaxing activity. It distracts me from negative thoughts and brings calm. The task is endless, however, so I’ve introduced a 20-minute alarm to help me change areas or tasks.
Jeanette Hamilton
Buxton, Derbyshire
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