How It Began

When I was 5, my Auntie Meg gave me a baby cactus which had sprouted from her giant one, and a year later when she visited from Edinburgh, I proudly showed her how big it had got. She was so pleased that I'd managed to keep it healthy, but said, "It needs re-potting, hen", and lifted the pot to reveal strong white roots poking out of the drainage holes. We tipped it out of its pot, and I was amazed to see that my "baby" had produced about 7 more! I learned to carefully separate them and pot them on, and we re-housed the "mum" into a larger pot.

This process continued for many years, and I spent hours on the kitchen step potting up into yogurt pots, cracked cups and any other container I could find. They were distributed to school fairs, friends, relatives, church congregations and anyone else that showed a vague interest.

That very first encounter sparked my curiosity and enthusiasm for growing, and I planted anything I could lay my hands on! Not much success with apple pips, but my budgie Cheeky's bird seed was brilliant. Then my first tomato plant from a seed left on my plate.

I attended St Andrew's Primary School, Over Hulton, and someone's relative came in one November with hyacinth bulbs, and we suspended them over water and he explained that we should keep them in the dark until the first shoots appeared, then put them on a bright windowsill. Mine was placed on a high shelf under the stairs, and I vividly remember dragging a kitchen chair to that cupboard and teetering precariously, inspecting it with a torch. First the roots, then little points of green appeared, and my bulb took pride of place in the front room window, producing beautiful purple flowers at Christmas.

We visited Auntie Meg every Easter and Hogmanay, and she came to us in the summer. She showed me lots, and I learned how to take cuttings and root them in water or grit, and how to grow beansprouts that could be eaten within 5 days. I learned how to make my Busy Lizzie become bushier and produce more flowers by pinching out the tips. She taught me about composting, and to throw our teabags and eggshells in there, and to water the plants with what was left in the teapot.

I am very grateful for all the knowledge that Auntie Meg gave me, which inspired my lifelong enthusiasm for growing. Mum always said that my love of plants came from my dad's side - she finally killed off my 17 year old cactus by overwatering, and "trimmed" her beautiful Clematis, accidentally cutting the main stem and rendering it lifeless 😢 but I thank her too for all the encouragement she gave me. I will always remember the inspiration from the people whose names I don't remember, but I will never forget what they gave me - the gentleman that brought us hyacinth bulbs, the gentleman that helped us make a vegetable plot at St Andrew's and the person who gave my daughter a sunflower seed to grow. Also my biology teachers at Canon Slade School, who taught me the various ways that plants reproduce, and the importance of the two most common earthworms - Lumbricus Terrestris and Allolobophora Longa - there's one for the pub quiz!

I want to spark in you this enthusiasm to grow that I've been blessed with -
everyone can grow, and Rooted in Bolton will help make it happen🌻🌻