Chester Cathedral

An expanse of landscaped grounds and sweeping lawns surrounds the red sandstone exterior walls of Chester Cathedral, smudged black by the residue of emissions from great British industrial enterprise.  A combination of mature trees and newly planted saplings verge the gardens, silent witnesses to the evolution of time.

The development of the Cathedral Gardens, a constantly evolving vista, is being led by Custos Hortorum Philip Hunt, botanist and plantsman. Volunteers are invited to contact Philip if they would like to join the gardening team that maintains this exceptional green space.

As veteran trees pass over into their eternal home, new guardians take their place, planted to enhance the landscape and serve as a backdrop for religious ceremonies such as Easter and Remembrance.

A mass of red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) will emerge in Summer adjacent to the City Walls which frame the eastern boundary of the gardens.  A sanguine meadow will replace Spring bluebells and daffodils to commemorate the start of the First World War and in memory of those who gave their lives for our us.

This young Picia omoreka 'Pendula', unaware that it will grow to a height over 18 metres (60ft) is supported rigidly in its infancy.  In years to come our descendants will marvel at its eminent countenance as its cerulean branches are adorned with festoons of Christmas lights and ornaments.

We are welcomed by the Cathedral's benevolent interior, a vast yet intimate space where tourists, locals and churchgoers absorb the beatitude of this holy community.

From above, the Cathedral floor resembles an intricate embroidery depicting a tiny orchestra of instruments, from which a preponderant arrangement of melody and rhythm ascends to the lofty heights. 

Several hundred liquid measures of detergent have been used to lustrate countless coils of dusky candle smoke which, until recently, masked this decorative and gilded Victorian ceiling.

This ornate canopy, once a blackened arched void, is now illuminated by light from the stained glass windows and is perfectly balanced next to the soft pink sandstone.

A king's eye view from the tower beholds the Cloister Garth, an inner sanctuary enclosed within the providence of the Cathedral Cloister walls.

Inside, softy dappled liquid light filters into the cool cloisters and ripples across the flagstones.

Ancient script of saints covers diamond-shaped glimpses of the Cloister Garth.

Arisaema sikokanium lurks, its spadix cucullate in its spriped spathes, beneath the windows of the shady sun-devoid northern edge of the quadrate.

Regnant fronds of Osmundo regalis purpurea twirl and twist as they unfurl, nurturing their sporangia to scatter invocation, revelation and the subjugation of maleficence.

Tears of exultation from Narcissus Tiandrus 'Thalia' depurate the earth to encourage new growth.

The great and magnificent Rhododendron augustinii with its Ceonothus companion elevate the reflection of the beatific saints.

The spectacular flowers of Embothrium coccineum 'Inca Flame' irradiate adherent onlookers.

Flares of orange and red aspire towards a soaring jet as it etches its path through the celestial blue.

The aureate feather-like leaves of this juvenile deciduous redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Goldrush' filter warm sunshine onto its roots that will, when this sublime specimen reaches optimum height, stand proud from the earth.

Viburnum x carlecephalum, with its heart-shaped fugacious leaves, proliferates a profound fragrance of compassion, empathy and clemency.

Azara microphylla, wrapped in amaranthine foliage, emits a redolence of sweet honey and vanilla.

Stephen Broadbent's Water of Life fountain sits at the centre of the Cloister Garth depicting the life changing encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria.  In Jesus' words 'the water that I shall give will be an inner spring always welling up for eternal life'.

The Queen's School

I join class representatives from other cohort years at The Queen's School on a sunny Saturday March, for an afternoon of alumni database training and afternoon tea.

Walking through the impressive gateway we are welcomed by a mass of richly purple hellebores (Helleborus orientalis).  These Lenten roses are habitually austere, their assenting crinolines bowing to us as we pass.

Although many of us had already seen the ‘new’ entrance with its majestic gates and feature planting, it is still a subject of discussion more than 11 years after its completion.  Local landscape architects Environmental Associates contributed to the design which complements the façade of the original school buildings perfectly.

Violas, like black-naped orioles (Oriolus chinesis), peep enthusiastically over the edge of their pensile nest, suspended by concatenated chains from the wall of the school.  Surprise and delight emanates from their tiny faces as a noble vermilion bird alights on their basket.

Daffodils (Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’) sway a blast of late winter boreal air adjacent to the ribbon-striped lower lawn.  These capricious creatures turn from us on their rigid stems, aloof, before twisting to face us winking in their frivolous frippery.



Pretty delft-blue Dutch bonnets of hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) sit with their backs against the walls of the top lawn.

Brought by the hurricane, and demolishing the garden wall, this dragon powerfully dominates the vista.  Attracted by the school’s recognised status ‘Advanced Confucius Classroom’ by Hanban for excellence in teaching Mandarin Chinese, this auspicious beast grazes, replete, after its meal.

With the assistance of an English ‘willow man’ school pupils regularly groom and feed this Chinese ascendant, to coax good fortune and prosperity for the school and to absorb its energy, decisiveness, optimism, intelligence and overall ambition to succeed. 

Sprinkled with gold dust, good fortune and joy radiates from this gorgeous crimson flowering quince (Chaenomeles x superba).

After a delicious afternoon tea the alumnae depart; spirits of former pupils peer at them through the leaded windows as they leave, and shadows shift as their girlish chatter can be heard as they run laughing across the lawns.

Cherry Grove Primary School Global Garden - Part 1

The work commences!

Parents, children, teachers, governors, volunteers and I braved a bracing, windy Saturday in March to start work on the Cherry Grove Primary School Global Garden which is being developed in association with CDEC - Developing Global Learning.

Designed by Bee Creative Designs, the garden will take reception children on a journey around the world to visit each country to discover flora indigenous to each country.

Excited children were met with the task of transporting a huge mountain of soil across the school playground to fill an assortment of containers.  All manner of garden implements from spades, shovels and even bare hands were used to fill bright plastic buckets and children's wheelbarrows.  It was a delight to watch these flush-cheeked young workers dressed in waterproofs, hats gloves, wellies, and even one on roller-skates!  They laughed and smiled as they assisted each other in wheeling and hauling their loads only distracted occasionally by discovered treasure: snail shells, half-chewed pine cones and sticks. 

 

Candy-coloured primroses lined up waiting patiently to be planted at the base of a Cotoneaster cornubia tree. 

Many hands helped to transplant the flowers from small pots into big planter constructed from a stack of tractor tyres.

Thread-worn decommissioned automobile tyres that once facilitated rapid transit from city to city, come to rest to support and encourage the growth of the next generation.

The dull grey rubber circles enlivened by coloured sprays pass the time engaged in a game of draughts before taking their place as containers. 

Our team, newly energised by fruit juice, cake and biscuits sprinkled water to quench the thirst of freshly planted primroses.

The tiny buds covering the naked branches of this apple tree promise pretty flowers in Spring and plump fruit in Autumn.

 

This five star bug hotel situated in Insect Village will offer holes and tunnels for safety and shelter.

This black-stemmed bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra), ceremonially released from its netting, will rustle and swish to incite the imagination of children to dream of giant pandas.

Willow whips ready to sprout, were woven and tied into a living sculpture tunnel for children to run through and hide.

At the end of the afternoon, the exhausted gardeners were rewarded with cups of piping hot tea and fish and chips.

 

As the children and adults departed, tired but satisfied, the sun finally shone on the workers' handy work.

 

Until next time...

 

Spring Garden

With every day that passes, as the year races towards the equinox, the warmth of the sun increases encouraging spring growth to emerge from the comfort of its winter haven.

New tools, gleaming in the light, stand to attention ready for action waiting for orders from me the adjurer. 

 

The last of the snowdrops splay their plisse silk bonnets and crisp starched wings before shrivelling and retreating back into the earth until the next new year.

 

 

This proud creature, once tethered to the chimney stack was devoured by the hurricane and its carcass lies still, ribs exposed.

 

 

Narcissus 'Tête-à-tête', flirty in frilled corona skirts, gasconading each other's beauty barely notice the unfortunate vertebrate.

 

Unaware of the intent to be pulverised with a mallet, ceramic layers of broken container recline in the sunlight.  A few moments later the earthenware is shattered into tiny fragments to be reused for drainage in supplanting crocks. 

 

A labyrinth of roots and filaments of web-like mucus are exposed by the broken casing.

 

Rustic terracotta lemon pots are transformed by Farrow and Ball's stone white emulsion.  Now blending harmoniously with the stained glass of the front door, these containers create the perfect abode for two small fir trees.

 

 

Spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) sways gracefully, its white bell-shaped parasols shading the ground beneath. A soft green smudge at the tip of each tepal adorns these delicate cloches.

 

 

With a complementary contrast of swirly violet veins and sticky yellow stamens in the centre of an arciform of petals, this glowing Crocus vernus appears to emit its own light of an almost phosphorescent quality.