The Rural Gardener - Future Prospects!

Today is my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday Lee!

As this means that November has almost ended, I am determined to get at least one blog written before December is upon us. Before getting all horticultural, I have a short story I would love to share with you….

My story begins some time after the Second World War, when my late mother in law had enjoyed her experience in the land army so much, that after training at agricultural college and working on various farms, she eventually secured the tenancy of a small farm just north of Otley in Yorkshire. I suppose that by today’s standards, this 20 acres of grass with little more than a barn in the yard, is officially a small holding. 

Back then, it was one of several farms which were run by tenant farmers in the vicinity. I don’t imagine the tenants were ever wealthy, but they made a living and raised their families. She married, had five children and continued to farm there long after she had parted company with her husband and all of the children had grown up and left home.

The five children all went their different ways and did different things in life, they met partners and had lives of their own. Then every now and then, they went back home. Haymaking was quite an event. For a woman who had herself, chosen a male dominated occupation, my mother in law had a surprising tendancy to rush about, (and expect her daughters and her sons partners to do likewise,) providing cups of tea and food for ‘the men!’ This was probably perfectly reasonable considering the fact that it was often the men that did the majority of the chucking bales on the trailer and then from the trailer into the loft. However, it led to much activity and some chuntering on occasions!

Over the years, babies were born and my mother in law saw grandchildren numbers swell to a final total of 23! Grandma Joan/Farmer Grandma watched a new generation of children playing on the tyre swing, picking blackberries, finding mushrooms and camping out. 

Joan once told me that when she first arrived at Prospect Farm, she wasn’t particularly fond of it. The deep attachment she eventually formed with the place must have been a gradual proccess. I like to think that having lived and worked there for over fifty years, every tree and every stone wall was comfortingly familiar. That she came to love her little piece of Heaven, is not in doubt. Following a request to the Landlord many years ago, she is now buried in her favourite spot in one of the fields with a wonderful view down the valley and across to the chevin beyond.

The landlords agent said the farm was not for sale and we couldn’t take over the tenancy. This was not a great surprise, as all of the other old tenancies had gone one by one as the original tenants went. The stone houses and barns are a property developers dream and the small land parcels were added to larger farms.

They agreed to let us stay for 18 months. The cattle were still in the fields and our son and his partner moved in to the house. It allowed time to adjust for all of the family. At some point during this period, it dawned on me just how different things were going to be when we couldn’t visit any more.

Prospect Farm had worked it’s magic.

Literally one week before the tenancy was due to end, we were told that if we could come up with the asking price, we could buy it. We couldn’t possibly afford it…but how could we let it go?  After a tense few months, some sleepless nights, a nerve wracking herd reduction sale and the most amazing, (financial) support from family and friends, we have bought a property in need of underpinning, total renovation and all sorts to do outside.

Once we move in, some time in the New Year, although I have agreed to continue with some of my existing work, I will be looking for gardening/design work in the area! Watch out for my new website!!

Meanwhile, I have continued to work! We have been extremely fortunate and have not had the sheer volume of rain here that has caused flooding in places such as Cumbria. It has been unusually mild and I think we have only just had our first couple of light frosts. Nasturtiums and petunias look rather strange flowering in November.

At Stillingfleet Lodge, (check out the new website… which I can’t seem to open in a new window, so click the back arrow to return to the blog) http://www.stillingfleetlodgenurseries.co.uk/  work is underway to ready the gardens for next season. The pond was almost completely obscured by Water soldiers Stratiotes aloides, a floating aquatic plant that is a British native, despite it’s almost tropical appearance. The plants sink down to the bottom of the pond in the winter so we wanted to catch them before this happened! 

Ofcourse, even when autumn temperatures do drop, there are flowers that will perform. Nerine bowdenii in Christines garden always looks good with the purple berries of  Callicarpa bodinieri   growing against the fence behind. http://www.flickr.com/photos/julieparishruralgardener