Michael Carr in his garden in Penistone.
Ashley Ball meets a man whose garden is a treasured escape from the realities of his ill-health…
VERY little is planted into the ground in Michael Carr’s Penistone garden.
There is a good reason for that.
“I have life altering illnesses which means I need a walking stick,” he said.
“The idea of all the baskets is so that I don’t have to go down to ground level.
“There is just over 500 plants and the lean-to I’ve got is like a factory.”
The work Michael has done with his wife, Kay, is admirable for an able-bodied man.
The garden was overgrown with bushes and trees when they moved in around ten years ago.
Michael knew he faced a race against time to get the garden into the blank canvas he wanted.
It is laid out in a way that he can navigate easily.
He added: “When this disease started I dug it all out and that was a job and half.
“We’ve made it so it’s easy for me. I can sit out and plant as I go along.
“It keeps me sane really.
“I just wanted something to spend my time with.”
Michael insists on growing all his plants from seed himself.
He recalls going to see his granddad as a young boy and marvelling at the size of the leeks he has grown to enter into competitions and feels he retained some knowledge from those formative years.
That is why he gets pleasure in growing his own and following his own plan which he comes up with in the winter months.
It ensures he and Kay can enjoy the garden in all its glory as often as they can.
He said: “I like seeing the plants come up.
“I start to panic in the second week in May and think nothing is going to come out but they always do and fill out the garden.
“I sit down in January and February and draw out a plan and what I want.
“Where we sit on a nighttime, I put stock either side of the bench and the scent of is wonderful.
“I could go insane. But the garden and the dogs take my mind off everything.
“We sit out most of the time when the weather is fine.
“Kay wanted a water feature and a rose garden and we have them too.”
The deadline for entries into this year’s competition is Monday.
Please email pictures of your garden along with your address and contact details to: ashley.ball@barnsley-chronicle.co.uk