Today, I started work at a new site as the Site Manager. No matter whether you are a home gardener or a horticulturalist that’s starting work in their new gardens, there are some things that are the same, as well as many differences.

The first similarity is that anytime you gain a new garden, or a site full of them, you need to have a good look around. Make notes if you have to, just so you can make note of everything that’s good, in need of a little work or is an utter disaster. That way you can start to make a plan of action for doing your thing.

Things that I need to do over the next month or so are to finish the mulching of garden beds and to give a winter prune to the roses as they haven’t been yet been done.

Secondly, any garden or larger site, can be spilt into smaller sections that can be worked in separately, to prevent getting overwhelmed and so that everywhere gets a fair amount of attention over time. In a working week, the whole site that I work on is split into five areas, so that I have one whole day a week in each area.

The main difference is that when I’m at work I have to do things the client wants, rather than what I want, but that is the job. In contrast to that-in my own garden, I can grow what I want, when (within reason) and where.