The Glory of the Garden by Rudyard Kipling

Our England is a garden that is full of stately views
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye

For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall
You find the tool-and-potting-sheds which are the heart of all
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dungpits and the tanks
The rollers, carts and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks

And there you’ll see the gardeners, the men and ‘prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise
For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words

And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come

Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing “Oh how beautiful!” and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner knives

There’s not a pair of legs so thin, there’s not a head so thick
There’s not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick
But it can find some needful job that’s crying to be done
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders
If it’s only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden
You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden

Oh Adam was a gardener and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees
So when your work is finished you can wash your hands and pray
For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away
And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away!

Nice poem huh? One of my favourites.

****

Well, the work in Zone 1 has finished for now. I'm not ready to show you a complete picture yet, as I'm still painting the top coats on a couple of items I found at the car boot sale Sunday, and I have not found any bedding plants to go in at all. I think I may have missed the boat there, so I'm gradually digging up and moving some garden plants (at a rate of one plant a day) into the area in a desperate effort to give it some interest.

I will show you a picture soon - promise! In the meantime, you'll have to content yourself with the above picture of the lilies with the (undercoated) bird table in the background.

****

So the work has kicked off in Zone 2 this week, which is Bed 3 and the rest of the main garden, the latter of which is shown below (Bed 3 is directly to my right and out of shot).

 

First thing first, throwing rubbish away. Monday morning I was out picking up rubbish and managed a full bin bag in under 10 minutes. Tuesday rain stoped play. Harumpf.

The main aim of the decluttering work this week is to move all of the garden paraphenalia away from the side of greenhouse and re-turf the area.

 

This paraphenalia consists of a frame for a 6x8 greenhouse (no glass), and tens of metres of green plastic-coated chain link fencing plus 6 to 8 large rustic poles that we dug out when we removed one side of an enormous 10 foot fence which divided the garden. The poles we will keep for finishing off our pergola so I'll move those down to the bottom of the garden (I call this the Infrastructure area now!), but the fencing and greenhouse frame is going on freecycle.

I've rung the local garden cenre and ordered 3 sq metres of hard-wearing grass turves. Unfortunately due to the shocking thunderstorms we're having, their delivery will be delayed as turf is not lifted in bad weather. However, I can still give the area a fork over, add some fresh compost and fertiliser and tamp it all down ready.

With such bad weather I think I'll probably have some time left this week. I plan to nip out between rain storms to weed Bed 3 and add fresh bark chip, and I may even rip out some of the log roll around the edges, which is starting to rot, and give it a nice neat edge with some clippers.

That's the plan anyway. Many a slip though. And thunderstorm.

In the meantime, sit back, keep reading and I'll update you on my efforts. Here, have one of these while you're waiting.....

Comments

[Jennyff]

That is a lovely poem, it was read at church on Sunday after our open gardens day in Yorkshire. Your own garden looks as if it is destined for glory, you are working really hard and I'm looking forward to watching your progress. Hope the weather is on your side.

[Colin Morrell]

This poem, like so many others, is a real treat when read quietly and with care. Just like 'O To Be In England.' Expressive, not over written and excessively wordy. A poem that our children could easily learn and remember for the rest of their lives.