In the same place, when Nature wore
The same celestial glow;
I’m sure I’ve seen those forms before
But many springs ago.
EJB
March has been a pretty horrid month and not at all friendly to us gardeners − snow, gales and heavy rain − Geoff and I have had two gardening sessions, both of them leaving us cold wet and very muddy. Still, progress has been made, most notably with planning and creating a new bed to honour Emily in her bicentenary year.
The bed, which has needed remodelling for a while, is on the left of the stone plaque that marks the position of the gate that led into the burial ground in the Brontës’ day. It is a shady bed, beneath one of the tall conifers that Charlotte and Arthur are said to have planted when they got back from their honeymoon, and it has looked drab of late. Inspired by Emily’s love of nature and the moors, we’ve introduced rocks and mossy branches which we are planting around with shade-loving plants inspired by the huge variety of wild flowers that are to be found in the lanes and field edges here in Haworth. We hope Emily approves of it, and any further suggestions are always welcome.
The two new beds that we planted last summer have both survived the winter with flying colours. Branwell’s rose, the centre-piece of the garden dedicated to him in the back garden, is in leaf and, as far as we can tell, the other plants in the bed are also set to put on growth and make us proud of them. I am looking forward to flame-coloured displays from early summer well into late autumn. It makes me smile and think of the talented and exuberant Branwell. The other new bed is the woodland bed opposite the new Emily garden. This bed is already looking splendid and seems to be less affected by the bad weather than is the rest of the garden.
It is a joy for Geoff and I to be back working in the garden, each year we hope to encourage a good display for staff and visitors to enjoy. Please come along and see us − all advice and suggestions are welcome.
read more