20 February 2017
A few additions
Change is the only constant in life. I feel like I've heard that
sentiment expressed in more ways than I can recall. In truth though
it has become something of a mantra of mine, reminding me that even
the worst situations are transient whilst helping me to enjoy the
best moments to their fullest. Working in a garden though, you can
hardly fail to appreciate the truth of the matter. Each day, each
week, each year, the garden is changing, nature's chaos perverting
and adjusting our well considered plans into often wonderful and
sometimes frustrating results.
Working in the garden at Allt-y-bela can be incredibly frenetic,
energising and perplexing in equal measure. This week has been one
of those weeks. It began with preparation for our rose dome
building course, my list of worries and things to stress over has
become an annual tradition now and I'm learning to stay slightly
calmer. Despite some pretty persistent Welsh drizzle in the
afternoon contributing to the familiar gardeners plea 'you should
have been here yesterday!' the course was great fun and as an army
of rose domes were contorted into all manner of shapes and sizes I
felt very happy to have been part of the day.
No time to waste however as preparations began the next morning
for some new additions to the garden. As I arrived in the lane a
very large lorry was waiting and I had more than a suspicion that
its contents would be for us.
Luckily for me Arne had arranged his crack team of landscapers to
install these massive new plants so I could take part in the really
nice bit, the placements and the little tweaks: 'I think it needs
to come around 30 degrees clockwise' all very satisfying!
Amongst the new arrivals was a beech tree that Arne has been
coveting for more than a decade! Just getting the enormous tree out
of the the lorry was a Herculean task, followed by a strange convoy
that included the beech tree dangling from a reversing telehandler,
the Land Rover and trailer containing a beautiful multi-stemmed
Cornus mas dome and a transit flatbed truck with
a pair of Osmanthus topiary balls. We must have made an
impressive, if a little bizarre, spectacle!
Safely back in the garden the last day and a half have been
dominated by the installation of these new plants. Arne and I stood
on the drive as he spoke of how this was the last delivery of large
plants for Allt-y-bela, before mentioning the 5m tall
Magnolia that will be arriving soon!
Words: Steve Lannin, Head Gardener, Allt-y-bela
Photographs: Britt Willoughby Dyer
© Arne Maynard Garden Design 2017 - reproduction of content and / or photographs only by request.
