A Proper Sort Of Garden

"a Mr. Harding sort of England, hanging

in there by a thread"

- A Place Called England. Maggie Holland

Once upon a time I found a garden
Picked the brightest things that I could see

An apron full of Mr Harding's flowers
I didn't know that he was watching me
Straight away my mother ran to tell him
Wondering what he would say or do
Mr Harding smiled and said "She's just a little child
I knew that she'd be picking them for you"

By the fire my dad would tell me stories
One of them concerned a garden too
Where the lion and the lamb lay down together
And every lovely fruit and flower grew
The Gardener sent his children in to play there
Rejoicing in the brightness of the day
But when they went exploring and took a fruit to taste
He cursed them both and sent them on their way

Even then I realised in my childish mind
That he wasn't a proper gardener of the Mr Harding kind

Mr Harding's garden was all taken
By lesser men with concrete in their minds
Factory chimneys grew instead of daisies
No butterflies from that assembly line
My mother faded faster than a flower
Dad sat in the darkness and cried
Mr Harding moves a little slower than before
But still he tends the grave where they both lie

Wherever it is they've gone to I hope that they will find
A proper sort of garden of the Mr Harding kind

The foolish woman sometimes feels despairing and thinks it seems so very hard to find
The child tries to plant a little everywhere she goes that special love of the Mr Harding kind

Some day when I'm older maybe I will find
That I've grown into a gardener of the Mr Harding kind

[Maggie Holland]

does anyone recognise this gardening geezer?

A. H. Gardener

Maggie Holland

Down To The Bone 1992

Down To The Bone

Maggie Holland

Rogue FMSD 5022 1992

According to the sleeve notes of

Maggie Holland's album,

Down To The Bone, on which this

lovely song appears,

Mr Harding's garden was in Alton,

Hampshire, on a site which is now

a Coors beer factory.

Alton

a small market town in Hampshire

where Mr. Harding's garden used to be

Gardeners' Question Time

The first programme was broadcast

from the 'Singing Room' at the

Broadoak Hotel,

Ashton-Under-Lyne on April 9th 1947

and it's been going strong ever since,

plotted, of course, by the BBC

Gardener's World

up to the top of our wellies

in soil and bulbs, wth the

BBC, of course

Space For Nature:

wildlife gardening and wildlife gardens

for people who are interested in

gardening and garden wildlife.

The Gardens

Educational projects at

botanical gardens range

from introductions to plants

that thrive in different

environments to practical

advice for the home gardener.

from our Sam and Lizzie website

The Wild Side Of Life

our look at nature, gardening

and humankind's relationship

to the world around us.

What's Your Relationship?

Winsford Walled Garden

A restored Victorian walled summer

garden in North Devon. Open to the

public. Full details on the history,

restoration, design and plantings,

quality bed & breakfast available.

Gardening and Victorian forums.