A glimpse of history
I love the way that gardens and plants can transport you back through history. In this week’s episode a Willow tree takes Andrew Carter back to William Morris, John Constable and Thomas Bewick. Oh and a tree he fell out of!
In this photograph it’s back 70 years and preparation for the coronation of a Queen. Lucy Boston had planted some tiny Yew trees when she had first begun a garden in Huntingdon, in 1939. By 1953 they must have been big enough for her to shape into Crowns and Orbs. One refused to be an orb so became a dove! Her daughter-in-law last week told me that they weren’t quite perfect by coronation day, so Lucy had to augment with a few extra branches.
As we gazed at them, 70 years on, they seem a little elderly, a little bent over but they are still there, lining the path. As with many of the stories that I have gathered for this first series of Our Plant Stories, I didn’t know I was going to find this story when I went to visit Diana Boston but as soon as I saw them, I knew that I was looking at a plant story.
Once again the story then leads you down another road. I had no idea it was World Topiary Day on the 12th May. It was a new event in 2021, created by the owners of the world’s oldest topiary garden, Levens Hall and Gardens in Cumbria which dates from 1694. It makes Lucy’s crowns and orbs positively youthful! So watch this space there will be a topiary story coming soon. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the willow tree story this week.
I have to say I am wavering on my decision that my garden is too small for a peony. Yesterday I had a wonderful tour of a beautiful community garden with a delightful retired doctor who is in her eighties. Afterwards we sat in her kitchen drinking coffee and talking about our gardens. She has a tiny courtyard garden (as well as an allotment) and there were courgette seedlings on the table, small hollyhock plants in a bucket and a peony tucked in the corner. Jill told me that though they only bloom for such a short space of time, they are a small glimpse of Heaven. I think I may be revisiting my decision.
I have often said that I hope I can encourage you to listen to podcasts because I am sure you will find ones that you will like. This week I would like to recommend one that I binged last week. It’s called Talking Gardens and comes from the team behind the magazine Gardens Illustrated and is presented by Stephanie Mahon, the Editor. The idea behind the series is that gardeners create their dream garden. They get to choose their favourite plants and the people with whom they would like to share the space. I loved it. I especially loved the episodes with Fergus Garrett and Troy Scott-Smith but they were all good. Just as with a programme like Desert Island discs you learn about so much more than just the music or in this case the plants. It’s about early influences and passions and motivation. So do have a listen.
Click here to get to this week’s episode page where you’ll find all the information about the Willow tree.
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