Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
'Tis still a comfort to have seen;
And though thy transient life is o'er,
'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been.
From A Reminiscence by Anne Brontë, 1846
Since our last garden blog, the garden has seen a veritable whirlwind of activity and we, too, are left reminiscing about the past few months. Although many of the spring bulbs had shown a certain tardiness early on, all the flower beds seemed to be putting on huge growth spurts, competing fiercely with the weeds.
We, the gardeners, were aware that the Parsonage garden was soon to provide a backdrop for the filming of The Return of the Railway Children. At first we were pleased, given the progress our expanding borders were making but quickly realised that the focus of attention was to be our much cherished lawn. The lawn has been carefully nurtured, fed and mown by Geoff for many years, and the thought of it being rolled up and replaced by a 1940s kitchen garden took some digesting.
We were determined to ensure that our borders were kept in tip top condition so the team spent many an hour watching the building of the film set. The perfect lawn was expertly rolled up and the ground rotavated ready for planting. Jenny and Theresa pitched in to help the set builders plant a huge range of fruit bushes and vegetables and in just over a day there stood a magnificent fully stocked kitchen garden. The transformation was complete and truly magnificent, though each day we shook our heads and wondered about the original lawn.
After a couple of weeks in which the garden volunteers helped to keep the plot watered and tidy, the whole scene vanished again before our eyes. The contents of the 1940s garden were donated to a community garden in Keighley and our own Parsonage garden received quite a few flowering plants, including some stunning apricot foxgloves.
New turf appeared quickly as did very warm weather so the volunteer gardeners once again rose to the challenge of keeping an eye on the watering and bedding in of the new lawn. Geoff, in particular, made sure that it was progressing well and in fine condition.
We all agreed that it is indeed the lawn that sets off and highlights the flowerbeds in the garden, so it was with a gentle sigh of relief that we returned to the now resplendent beds, both in the front and back gardens. The shady border, in particular, is putting on a luxuriant display as are the beds in front of the house. Needless to say, the roses have put on a fabulous display this year with, perhaps, Branwell's rose taking a starring role.
Finally, just as we welcome a peaceful return to the tranquillity of the garden amidst the admiration of our visitors, we also welcome Christine, a new member of our volunteer garden team. We are pleased to have Christine, recently retired and living locally, to bring even more gardening knowledge and enthusiasm to the dedicated band that we are. We hope that she will enjoy ensuring that the garden remains cherished for a long time to come.
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