The emotions often run high, both when opening the door and when seeing the result. Together with his sons Dymond (20) and Jayden (17) draws Yard Legendas his more than 16,000 followers on Instagram know him, throughout the Netherlands. To, as he says it himself, “spread the empathy virus.”
Harrowing
Son Cicilia had his own gardening company for fifteen years. Through hard work, smart investments and a passive income, he can now help others for free. He only asks a little thing as a thank you. Not to live, but as a reminder of the garden in question.
The stories of the garden owners are often poignant: a heavy car accident, a disease, but more often, due to unelected conditions, stalled in a system that works against more rather than cooperating.
Son with one of his sons who also help, in an overgrown garden in Nieuwegein. © Sigrid Stamkot
This is also the case today in Nieuwegein, where Nikkie* was given up by girlfriend Jeanet*. For security reasons, Nikkie ended up in this social rental home six years ago and due to the necessary blows of life she does not have the power to tackle the garden that was already overgrown at the move. In the meantime she doesn’t even dare to open the garden door anymore.
“This shouldn’t be possible in the Netherlands?!”
The garden shed and the back entrance can no longer be seen or accessible because of all the weeds and are now used as a dump site. Nikkie’s young children have never been to the back garden. She opens the door brighter and when it goes over the garden, she looks ashamed away.
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Son meets it daily: people who are ashamed of the situation, while they often can’t even do anything about it. “They often have stress enough and a garden refurbishing and maintaining is a lot of work.”
Girlfriend Jeanet can be blazing. “She has already experienced so much misery and is then placed in a house whose garden is like that. Nobody helps. Is that not allowed and cannot in the Netherlands?!” By accident she came across Tiktok on a video from Son. “It had to be that way.”
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Son looks into the backyard from the window while Nikkie turns her tearing eyes again. “It is fierce, but I have seen worse. We are going on and at the end of the day you can sit in the back garden with your children,” he promises.
Money does not have to
After 2.5 hours the garden was made passable again; Everything that didn’t hear has been removed and the hedges have been pruned. Nathalie can just keep her tears under control. “Wow!” Is all she can release, while the kids immediately start playing football.
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Since he started in February after seeing a video of someone who did it in America, he has tackled around 220 gardens and have received the applications. “I am happy that I can help. If we all did that a bit, the world would look very different. It doesn’t have to be big, eating a plate can also mean a lot. I don’t need money, I get paid in happiness.”
* Fictitized names