A Labour Of Love And Friendship
Gardens Illustrated|November 2017

With much gathering and clearing to be done, Frank wonders about the etiquette of engaging visitors to work in the garden

Frank Ronan
A Labour Of Love And Friendship
Friends descend. Usually the garden must wait. A friend comes before a plant, because when a plant fails another can be bought. The kind of friend that can be replaced is one you don’t want. And then there are friends, the paragons of amity, who arrive and ask what needs doing most in the garden.

It is not an easy question to answer. Not because you don’t know exactly what needs to be done, but because of a sliding scale of inner conflicts. The first is a clash with the laws of hospitality; a friend beneath your roof should not be used for labour: not stir the fire nor clear the table, let alone haul your prunings. I have friends with whom I stay and am immediately, and with pleasant astonishment, indentured to hard labour (fine by me – much better to do something with your hands than think of inoffensive things to say before the excuse of two whiskies). But in my house I give no such quarter: visitors are expected to endure the full time occupation of being guests.

This story is from the November 2017 edition of Gardens Illustrated.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 2017 edition of Gardens Illustrated.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GARDENS ILLUSTRATEDView All
LAZY DAYS
Gardens Illustrated

LAZY DAYS

Alice Vincent has had a hectic 2023, but for next year she's come up with a cunning plan to give herself more time and reduce her carbon footprint

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
SCULPTING THE LANDSCAPE
Gardens Illustrated

SCULPTING THE LANDSCAPE

Charlotte Rowe's elegant design for a country garden in Hampshire fuses modern and traditional styles and captures the Zeitgeist for naturalism with a contemporary edge

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2023
Flavour of the seasons
Gardens Illustrated

Flavour of the seasons

Smallholder and former chef Julius Roberts suggests three easy, warming recipes for a winter feast with seasonal produce

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2023
JOINT ENTERPRISE
Gardens Illustrated

JOINT ENTERPRISE

In southwest Germany, a couple have combined structural grasses and perennials with good seedheads in their garden to great effect, especially when touched by winter frost

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Gardens Illustrated

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

There is a biodiversity loss crisis, but research into the wildlife found in gardens has made it clear just how important these spaces are as habitat. Discover how much you can learn, and gain, by identifying and documenting what you find beyond your back door

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2023
MATTHEW BIGGS
Gardens Illustrated

MATTHEW BIGGS

Horticulture's nicest practitioner on his journey from sweeping playgrounds to Gardeners' Question Time via offering gardening advice to insomniacs

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
YOUNG AT HEART
Gardens Illustrated

YOUNG AT HEART

The garden of the late, great landscape architect Jacques Wirtz, which is more than 50 years old, is now being renewed by his children

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
PITTOSPORUM
Gardens Illustrated

PITTOSPORUM

These evergreen shrubs come in a multitude of sizes and shapes with shiny, often variegated or colourful leaves and small scented flowers

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023
Festive flourishes
Gardens Illustrated

Festive flourishes

Entertain in style this Christmas with ideas for natural decorations from Swallows & Damsons

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2023
LUKE SENIOR
Gardens Illustrated

LUKE SENIOR

A former Ruth Borun scholar at Great Dixter, Luke is now one of the garden's full time gardeners

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2023