My Cottage Garden
a south wiltshire cottage garden
a south wiltshire cottage garden
Both my great grandfathers were Head Gardeners on Estates in Dorset and Surrey, respectively. One of these two 'Old Bill' was renowned for his great success with orchids. My grandfather had a glass lean-to where he kept fish and grew geraniums and my mother was a sporadic gardener who threw the same passion she hurled at everything she loved doing into her gardening but also her eclectic sense of humour. Hence, a plethora of 'CDs' might be found hanging like alien spores from bushes and trees and a childs shop dummy be smothered amongst the fennel, it wasn't my taste but then, (as she would remind me when caught trying to remove offensive objects) it wasn't my garden. She taught me about treating 'weeding' like a military campaign, something passed on from her own father but I was a poor apprentice, I like many weeds and dig them up reluctantly.
I think for my mother who was an avid visitor to 'open gardens' a garden was almost a 'theatrical set', to be dressed and re-dressed. For me a garden is a haven, a place to be in, it is as much about smell as it is about visual. I now have three glorious orchids all presents from my daughters godmother who recognised something in me before I was aware of it myself - a creativity that transfers its relaxed and colourful, chaotic approach to the art of gardening; in so much as I have no plan and no rules - other than tacky random objects are strictly banned, bird scarers or otherwise! I do love the sense of nurture that gardening gives and although I will never be as skilled and as knowledgeable as my great grandfathers, I share a love of getting my hands in the earth and helping things grow.
I think for my mother who was an avid visitor to 'open gardens' a garden was almost a 'theatrical set', to be dressed and re-dressed. For me a garden is a haven, a place to be in, it is as much about smell as it is about visual. I now have three glorious orchids all presents from my daughters godmother who recognised something in me before I was aware of it myself - a creativity that transfers its relaxed and colourful, chaotic approach to the art of gardening; in so much as I have no plan and no rules - other than tacky random objects are strictly banned, bird scarers or otherwise! I do love the sense of nurture that gardening gives and although I will never be as skilled and as knowledgeable as my great grandfathers, I share a love of getting my hands in the earth and helping things grow.
