A while ago, I wrote about the fact that I was rather bored at work and why I don’t think anybody should have to be in this situation. I was thinking about why this is the case at the time and there are a few reasons for this, which I’ll talk about today.

The biggest thing that bores me is that I don’t use all of my training. I do all the basics of garden maintenance like mowing, hedging and mulching which are part of the job. I haven’t done any planting at work in at least two years, never mind any plant propagation. This does depend on the whim of the clients involved who aren’t always receptive to new plants (it involves money that they don’t see the value in spending, talking to them doesn’t always help). I also don’t do any soil improvements either. At the best, I do add mulch but there is never enough to put a thick enough layer layer on, and chipped bark mulch alone is never enough to improve the structure and nutritional content of the soils-that takes things like compost and animal manure as well. Again, the same problem.

This is sort of the same problem, but different too. I’m fed up of being told that spraying pesticides is the only way to manage any site. This is not the case, but it would take a lot of work and a willingness by clients to spend some money. Fair enough, one spray of the area to kill of the weeds, but once they are dead and removed, add plenty of organic matter and mix it into the soil before densely planting your plants and then mulch the area thickly and water your plants well. There should only be hand weeding and watering until plants are established that should be happening. Add organic matter and mulch once a year and you should be good. That never happens and it really should but it’s getting people to that understanding and to allow it to happen that is the hard part!

I am also tired of throwing green waste into the general waste bin (meaning it goes into landfill). Having an area to compost this green waste down would be great-I could move it to where it’s needed when it’s ready, instead of getting fed up of being told no, just throw something synthetic on it instead!

I am also tired of feeling stiff and sore at the end of a working day and falling asleep in my chair, sometimes by 5pm! That is just so embarrassing really, but that’s how I am.

What can I do?

The obvious is that I get a new job. Yep, all good and really easy if I want to feel the same in the space of five seconds flat! Jobs working off the tools are harder to come by in this industry and would bore me senseless, in about two seconds, then I’d get twitchy too!

It does mean that I’m eventually going to leave my job, but it will have to be working for myself. There is the fact that I want a combination of less physical work with a need to be up and about doing something active for half the time I’m working. That will be great. Another important point is that I am well and truely sick of having to sing to someone else’s tune, or pretend that I am doing so.

This leads me to one thing while I’m an employee-as far as I am able I will be doing jobs as I see fit and following my training, not what I’m told to do because it’s quicker, cheaper or anything lesser-if I disagree, it will be done my way. The worst that can be done is to sack me, but that will be a process in itself and if I’m doing my job then they can’t do that. I’m a horticulturalist, wanting to do my job properly after all.

Between now and then, you will still see me popping up here many times a week dribbling on about plants and plant related stuff. While I am studying, there isn’t a lot I can do, as time is a big issue-I just don’t have enough! By the end of next year I’ll have a clearer idea of that I want to do with myself!