Planting Trees

[poliphilo]

My parents created the garden here from scratch and it's large and complicated. They gave it a lot of time when they were fit- and my mother- after my father's death- carried on pottering to some effect. It requires more time spent on its upkeep than it now gets- which is little more than a morning a week.

I didn't move down here to care for a garden- and I've been known to say that if it were my choice I'd return most of it to the rough meadow land it used to be- but one gets drawn in. Yesterday I planted seven trees- five hawthorn and two magnolia. It's very satisfying to plant a tree.

And having planted something you feel a responsibility towards it. Which means trips to and fro with a watering can. You keep checking to see how it's doing. Are those leaves about to unfurl? Will it flower this year? And so one thing leads to another.

No, I'm not going to become a gardener. I'm not robust enough and I have other interests- but I can see why people give their lives to it.

Comments

[sovay]

Yesterday I planted seven trees- five hawthorn and two magnolia.

Nice!

I understand hawthorn; why magnolia?

[poliphilo]

I'm just very fond of magnolia. It's not native but it likes this climate- and a magnolia tree in full bloom is one of nature's great spectacles.

[sovay]

I'm just very fond of magnolia.

That's fair! We have some around here; I just always think of them as very Southern trees.

[poliphilo]

They are, I suppose, sun-tropical in origin- but they're a common sight in English gardens. Also in English churchyards.