March — the last hurrah for spring’s snowdrops and a time of year when we can reasonably expect to leave the house and return in sunlight.
The brighter mornings and early evenings are scientifically proven to be good for our mood – even if we’re still scraping the car fairly often – and the constant batterings from abecedary storms (Fleur, Gabriel and Holly are next) begin to abate.
With the excitement intermittent sunshine brings, this being Scotland after all, comes the recollection of what happens in our gardens and green spaces when we are able to venture outside.
Green, whirring objects with all kinds of attachments, and beige clay buckets begin to make sense when things can grow again, and gardening becomes one of life’s most pleasant chores as our surroundings come alive.
But a garden of one’s own can come with a price.
Last week, we reported how one Mearns man was “deeply upset” to learn his local council will formally protect an elm on his property.
Mark Wojciechowski from Laurencekirk objected to the tree preservation order, which will stop him from trimming lower limbs to prevent damage to other parts of his Bisset Lane property.
One Angus couple became involved in a dispute over a nuisance hedge, which spurred its own piece of legislation.
Pam and James McDougall from Inverkeilor found there was no legal way to regulate the height of trees and campaigned for 13 years to set this right.
It culminated in a Bill at the Scottish Parliament – and neighbours have been sending in pictures to government reporters since.
A survey in Gardeners’ World said many of its readers have a long list of garden-based peeves, which include late-night lawn parties, smoke from chimneas and barbecues, and even bin placement.
Spare a thought then, for those who aren’t able to enjoy a quiet afternoon in their backies, maybe through noisy neighbours, working shifts, or living in the shade or on upper floors.
And there are others for whom nature’s regrowth can become a thorn in the side, encroaching on their own patches of tranquillity.
