GARDENS PAST & PRESENT

WE LOVE EVERYTHING about living here at the Manor and have not once been sorry we made the decision to make this our home. But in April and May my mind wanders back to the garden we used to have. It was at its peak in the Spring of the year even if it did get a little rag-tag in the other seasons. Mr. Bob had come to the place that working in the garden no longer brought him any pleasure. When my knees quit working, I was mostly a "purchase and point" kind of gardener, although bending double, I was still pretty good at weeding, in spite of worrying about looking like one of those tacky folk art pieces some people find amusing.

Here's what I miss: The jasmine perfumed the whole garden and the purple petrea which covered an arch was breathtakingly beautiful and as it dropped its flowers the ground below became studded with little lavender stars. I know for a fact that the new owner saw fit to take out the white wisteria. And I'm smart enough to know that when one sells a property it can't possibly remain the same. 

I need to keep my memory honest and recall that, as with so many things in my life, the garden had great potential but was usually in a state of disarray, but I did love going out each day to look at each and every plant to see the changes Mother Nature  had accomplished. 

And then I need to remember that the gardens at the Manor are beautiful and nicely maintained. Never mind that there's not a stand of sweet peas to pick each day or tomatoes to watch develop or forget-me-nots gone wild and filling spaces in the garden beds with that special pale blue color.  I no longer need to put out snail bait or, as I did one year, gather the creatures to take to a nearby park. 

There may not be any of the David Austin roses I loved so much, but I can enjoy the rose bed here that's cared for by someone else. Black spot and aphids are not something I need to worry about.....someone else will tend to those things, should they occur.

And I have a special friend who, when we lunch together a couple of times a month, brings me a bouquet from her lush garden. 

How fortunate I am to receive such beauty! And I've discovered that our east facing window is just right for African violets. 

So, there'll be no more pouting about the garden that was. I have a funny story to close with. Years ago I attended a luncheon at our local Descanso Gardens. The featured speaker was English  gardener and author, Christopher Lloyd. He asked how many in the audience (many of them society ladies) were active gardeners. Many well-manicured hands were raised. He then said, "I'll be around after lunch to check your fingernails." 

  

THE WRINKLIES

We knew they were coming in February and had reserved a guest room for them beginning on the 18th, so imagine our surprise when we had a surprise visit from our friends, Sheila and Harvey from England. They popped in on February 2 to say hello. Each year when they return home, they're not sure that their health and the exchange rate will allow them to continue with their yearly appearances, but they always manage. I know I've told you about them before, but taking into consideration that we have some new readers, I'm going to do it again. We have a mutual friend who years ago traveled in the British Isles and happened upon a Bed & Breakfast run by Harvey and Sheila. Booking it for several nights (I may be making that part up) they found that the travelers and the innkeepers enjoyed each other's company and they kept in touch.

When the Smiffs gave up the B & B, they found time to travel and began coming to the States for several months at a time, bringing only what they could easily carry. I hope they won't mind my telling you that they live a frugal life in order to afford such luxuries as extended travel. From all reports, their house on the banks of the Thames is a modest abode and every facet of their lives is carefully thought out and if you were to meet Harvey you'd soon discover that he drives a hard bargain, but that may be what is known as telling tales out of school.

Their garden at home is a splendid sight, but let me tell you how they accomplish it. Harvey plants seeds in their greenhouse and when they sprout, Sheila has the task of setting out thousands of seedlings.........no hired help for them........what you see is the product of hard labor.

We used to fret about leaving our garden for 2 weeks while vacationing. The frequent rain in England makes it possible to be away for extended periods, although when Harvey and Sheila return home the first thing they do is get busy and whip the somewhat neglected garden into shape.

I never get over marveling at their horticultural accomplishments. Such industry brings wonderful results, but I'm simply not that industrious so I'm open-mouthed at what they do year after year in their great outdoors.

I've tried for 3 months to get pictures to line up side by side and all of a sudden today they're doing it and I feel that I should be holding my breath and whispering so that they don't undo themselves. At any rate, isn't this a garden to rave about? The Wrinklies are humble souls and would never wax lyrical about their green thumbs, but I can shout it from the rooftops......especially now that I live on the topmost floor of a minor high-rise.

Harvey & Sheila sign off their emails to us as "The Wrinklies" and because Mr. Bob and I are so unsteady on our feet, we refer to ourselves as "The Wobblies". And as Harvey would say, "That's yer lot."

BLOSSOMS

The poppy opens her scarlet purse of dreams. 

                             ~ Iris Scharmel

It wouldn't be truthful to say I don't miss our old garden at this time of year. It provided minor drama as it came back to life day by day, culminating in a glorious burst of bloom, peaking in April and May. Along with enjoying the tried and true standards of an English garden, it was fun to experiment with new plants to see if they liked our growing conditions. Many of them ended up in the back corner of the garden which I referred to as "the infirmary". Maintenance required kneeling and bending as well as sweat and stamina and there were several years there where we just let it go and I called it God's garden. He did a pretty good job, but Mother Nature soon reclaims a wilderness and there's more to gardening than going out every morning with a cup of tea to walk around, watching the plants grow. That's one of the reasons we moved to the Manor. We'd outgrown the ability to maintain the garden.

And here the grounds are carefully planned so there's always something in bloom.  Before the flower beds get too shabby, as they tended to do at home, new plantings are put in. 

Every exterior view at the Manor includes an abundance of beautiful blossoms. 

We're still in independent living, knock on wood, but in some of the Assisted Living units, they have little individual patios. See the bright green spot behind the white chair? That belongs to Ms. Mary and last summer she had more tomatoes than we could count growing from that hanging bag.

The gardeners have recently replanted the beds and the primroses are blooming and here and there a poppy nods its head atop a delicate stem.

Soon, this is what we'll see:

We've noticed, especially since being here, that certain individuals seem always to have a complaint and the last thing I want is to fall into that category, but if I can be allowed a tiny whine........I do miss sweet peas.

The poppies hung Dew-dabbed on their stalks. 

                                                                                            ~ John Keats