Do you ever sit in your garden alone and just enjoy it? Or…

[BigDahliaFan]

….are you sitting there thinking, must prune that, or I’ll just fix that…etc etc.
im sitting here with a cup of tea, Merlin the bird app, the cat and just enjoying it.

I had a full on and really stupid whim last year after getting a bonus. I ordered it online because they had a 20% discount code, it’s a Palram brand one so big chunky steel posts and has a roof, then I spent a day building it by myself. It was big and heavy and I have zero diy skills so there was lots of improvising and using the wrong tools for the job. I ended up sore, bruised and tired but I bloody well did it.

I try. But there’s always something to potter with. I’ve been out with my coffee this morning but ended up moving some pots on the patio, pulling bits of honeysuckle off the trellis (as I’m going to paint it) and transporting bay leaf clipping to the waste bag.

I do. I'm a bit overlooked on one side but it doesn't bother me. I probably wouldn't lay out as I'd feel a bit self conscious, but happy to sit out. I'd like to have a completely non overlooked garden where I could lay out on a hammock or something

I'm not even a particularly keen gardener, but I don't think I've ever just sat in my garden to enjoy it. I always have 101 other things to be doing elsewhere let alone the garden.

Usually yes, but not this year, as i’ve decided to be ruthless and change anything in the borders I don’t like! I usually feel guilty moving or getting rid of things but i’ve bitten the bullet and I am determined. Plus, i’ve decided i’m not participating in Open Gardens this year. So when i’m finished moving things and planting up i’ve promised myself a summer of relaxing.

Our back garden was lovely when we moved in - now it’s a little like Dingles yard! Having the bunnies is a big part of how it looks now! I’m not a gardener anyway so I’m happy to sit outside without lining up jobs to do in my head. DH is going to shift all the piles of wood from old hutches etc & will eventually get round to mending the fences & gate. My main project is doing up the summerhouse. Quite excited about all my plans!

Yes definitely. I have a large garden so there’s always something to do but it’s one of the pleasures of the warmer months to just sit and chill with a book and a coffee (or something stronger depending on time of day) and listen to the birds. I have some very comfy garden sofas and look forward to this time of year very much. I’ll often be out there even if it’s not massively warm, wrapped up well!

Sigh. Not as often as I plan to. I feel your pain. But actually I love gardening so find the endless “oh illl just nip that off, whip that out, move that from here to there" almost as relaxing.

Yes, on a lovely day I will allow myself an hour to sit in the hammock and read, even if there are 101 other things I should be doing instead. Good for the soul.

I think it is so good for the soul. I'm wfh today and rather resenting being in the kitchen looking out at the sunshine.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good potter in the garden - but stilling that thought in my head of 'I'll just .... sort out that pot, tidy up that rose, tie in that climber' is something I find hard. But sitting and enjoying it too is so important.

I should enjoy mine more as we won't have it much longer due to financial issues so love it while you have it. I'm the same though = oh that daisy needs trimming and that grapefruit needs fertilising.

OMG I love a dahlia, hard to frow where I am sadly.

I do and I don't care what my garden looks like too much

This is me. It’s ridiculous because I’ll happily waste time online and not see it as “relaxing” yet I won’t give myself permission to relax and read a book.
My garden is currently a mess. It just needs a tidy up and some new plants but I have lovely areas for relaxing, three trees with lots of birds (one is an evergreen).
Our bird bath broke and we haven’t replaced it but we used to get lots of birds there. I was just thinking that we haven’t had much rain recently (great!) but I should put some water out now for wildlife.

I can easily sit in the garden and chill. My DH loves the garden and happily potters about doing what's needed while I relax and watch. Occasionally I pluck out a weed and demand instant praise for my efforts! DH just rolls his eyes. 😂

We have been in our NB house for just a few years but have invested so much time & money into the garden it would be almost criminal not to use it!
Love looking out of the kitchen window first thing in the morning to see if anything has bloomed, what birds are feeding etc.
Recently bought some new patio furniture so every morning I sit outside and enjoy a cuppa (covered patio so weather no object).

Each day I just sit and watch the cheeky robins.

One of them eats out of my hand.

Lovely thread OP.

It's all I've done this week, bar a few things to do in the garden. My mental health has shot through the roof. It's been great!

Some of my favourite times are early mornings in my garden. I listen to the birds and sometimes listen to classical music, headphones obviously laying on the garden sofa and drinking tea. There were two days last year when I did this and on both days a squirrel ran off with a pear from my pear tree, what a cute little thief he was.

That’s exactly it. Why do we somehow think being online looking up any old stuff isn’t wasting time, but reading a book is? I like your analogy about ‘giving yourself permission’ That’s just how it feels - almost indulgent! I’ve so enjoyed just losing myself in the written word, nothing heavy or intellectual, just letting my imagination provide the visualisation, rather than a screen.

I'm lucky, my rent includes gardening.

Some of them were crap but the most recent are fabulous.

For at least an hour most days! I love having adult children, I actually have time now to just sit and enjoy my birds and garden for long, uninterrupted stretches.

I was in my mid 40s before I could silence my inner monologue. I was about 50 when I learnt to sit truly still with no need to fidget or “be busy.

Thanks to learning with the Merlin app I can identify around 20 birds by song reliably and give a decent guess to another 10. It’s enhanced my enjoyment enormously. I can sit with my eyes closed and know who’s nearby in the garden and the trees.

My view for the afternoon.

Yes but mostly after I've done some work in it and not inclined to do more work that day. I do the same at the allotment too, it's very satisfying to just stop and enjoy it once you've finished the days tasks.

It's a south facing garden though so it can be too hot in the midst of summer despite all the trees and shrubs and I'm a red head so not inclined to be out too long in the sun for obvious reasons. The neighbour kids and constant summer BBQs can make it less enjoyable when they keep booting their football over the fence so I try and find quieter times to enjoy it.

After work with my d cats.
Chores are days off.Dh cuts the grass.