Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing: -"Oh, how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade.
~Rudyard Kipling, "The Glory of the Garden"

Duns is not England nor is the Old Manse but the late Mr K knew a thing or two about gardening and the results of not sitting in the shade (aka shivering in the Borders Sun) are all around us in the small garden in the Small House in Duns. Our soft fruit will never match the abundance of Hutton but it is good to see the first berries appear in an area which a couple of months ago was best grade Northumberland gravel since freecycled away

This summer's theme is Purple-attracts the honey bees who are back this year after being absent last and the butterflies.









Thomas Edward Brown put it:

. My Garden


A GARDEN is a lovesome thing, God wot!
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Fern'd grot—
The veriest school
Of peace; and yet the fool
Contends that God is not—
Not God! in gardens! when the eve is cool?
Nay, but I have a sign;
'Tis very sure God walks in mine. 10


(Our fringed pool is next on the list)

Labels: Garden, Rudyard Kipling, Small House in Duns

  ¶ 11:53 AM