A complete and honest list, in the order of their passing, beginning with the basil.
I took on the roof in a fit of optimism four springs ago. It gets six hours of sun, all the wind in the county, and the attention of a person who forgets things.
The fallen
- Basil, three times. It asks for warmth and constant attention. I can offer neither.
- Mint. Everyone said it was impossible to kill. Everyone was wrong.
- A tomato called Gerald. One fruit, eaten by a gull, directly in front of me.
- Lavender. Drowned, somehow, on a roof.
- Chillies. Lasted until the first proper storm, then were found two streets away.
What I learned
Most gardening advice is written for people with soil, shelter and a plan. Up here the question is not what you would like to grow. It is what can stand being ignored in a gale.
The rosemary survived everything I did to it. I have started taking its advice.
The survivors
Rosemary, obviously. Thyme, which sulks but stays. A geranium from next door that I am minding indefinitely. And a seedling of something I did not plant, which arrived on the wind in April and is now the tallest thing up there.
I have no idea what it is. I water it on Sundays and we do not ask too much of each other, which may be the only gardening advice I am qualified to give.
