Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

~ William Wordsworth



May we all be blessed with peace and renewal this Easter Day.

Haunting Heligan

Are the Lost Gardens of Heligan haunted, as they say? All the more reason to go! The Heligan website is exquisite.
You may also enjoy the Ghost Club.

Hedgerow Trees: A Strategy for Renewal

"The importance of hedgerow trees:
Hedgerow trees are just one of the many assets that contribute to the
natural wealth of our countryside. As individuals they provide firewood,
habitats for wildlife, offer shade and shelter and often carry local
significance marking boundaries. Collectively however, they provide the
countryside with a stature and irregularity of form that visually defines its
beauty – a cultural asset of unquantifiable value to our society."

From the Game Conservancy Trust. PDF

The Season: The Hampton Court Flower Show

Link: Royal Horticultural Society.
Link: Debrett's

Welcome to Hedgelink

Everyone is worried about the economy - banks and hedge funds; we turn for some relief to the enduring beauty of hedge banks and hedge rows.
All About Hedges
Welcome to hedgelink. The first place to look for information on the UK's native hedges, hedgerow conservation and hedge management.
Link
Hedgelink offers a library of delightful photos here; one is shown above, with thanks.
Still yearning for green? Visit Linnette Applegate's blog Toddington Manor.
Linette has created some garden design software - and it is lovely work! She offers samples and free downloads
which are wonderful in themselves, and the software is superb.

The Passionate Planters

Image: Cedars of Lebanon planted at Chelsea Physic Garden in 1683; watercolour by Fuge.

How Britain Became a Nation of Gardeners.
Delightful and informative article from THE LADY.
Link

“I found the Gardener’s Dictionary , first published in 1731 by Philip Miller, and was most surprised to find just how many plants had been introduced into Britain in the 18th century. There was a network – of English merchants, American farmer John Bartram and famous Age of Enlightenment figures, such as Carl Linnaeus, Benjamin Franklin, Hans Sloane and Joseph Banks – which stretched across the world, importing and selling plants by the thousand.”

It was their stories that inspired her to write her gem of a book, The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession . It was on a mission on behalf of the great botantist Carl Linnaeus, that Daniel Solander arrived on our shores in 1760 and wrote back: “The English are all more or less gardeners.”

Wulf explains that this came with the spread of the British Empire, which brought access to plants as never before.

Findhorn

Findhorn Foundation
Articles on Findhorn and sustainability by Jonathan Dawson at
The Guardian

Sun King: David Harber Sundials

Image from Armillary
It’s impossible to think of Chelsea in May without also bringing to mind the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. One regular exhibitor there is David Harber, maker of bespoke sundials, water features and sculptures. This year, like all the others (for three years he has won the RHS Sundries Trophy) he is putting the finishing touches to a selection of innovative products. Star of the show (so new it isn’t named) will be a bronze sphere with stainless steel and gold-leafed petals. ‘We set up the stand as a garden and put a lot of effort into it,’ says Harber. Those in the know credit Harber as having single-handedly breathed new life into the ancient craft of sundial making. His work graces private gardens, corporate headquarters, national institutions and royal palaces worldwide.

The Resident profiles the wondrous sundial creations of David Harber

David Harber's website is here