The Lakeland Gardener

We have moved into the light with the Spring Equinox tilting the equilibrium in our favour.    Also, known as the vernal equinox, the Spring Equinox marks the date when light and dark last the same amount of time.   The Sun is certain to stay in the sky longer and longer until June's Summer Solstice.    Relish it!   The Arrival of Spring - Holehird Gardens, Windermere, overlooking the Langdale Pikes After the reign of the Norman Kings came the Tudors (1485-1603) and then the Stuarts (1603 - 1714).  A luminosity  came to Britain's gardens.   Similar to that of the coming of Spring. The formidable Brougham Castle, Penrith, founded in the early 13th Century as a barrier against Scots invaders, became a prestigious residence.   Beside the crossing (ford later a bridge) of the River Eamont, in a picturesque setting, the Castle became one of the many homes of Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676).  Lady Anne was probably the greatest female in the history of the northwest of England. A wall

Assets marked with stickers are new to me.   Did Thomas Cromwell mark the assets of  abbeys, monasteries and convents when from 1536 to 1541 they were acquired by King Henry VIII (1509-1547).   The monasteries were a reminder of the power of the Catholic Church.    By destroying the monastic system King Henry VIII would acquire wealth and property whilst removing the church's Papist influence. Since September 2020 I have been studying two horticultural courses at Newton Rigg College, Penrith.    Classes, recently suspended, began again last Monday.    On our return we discovered bar coded stickers on practically every item of equipment and furniture.    The college is to be sold soon.    Our community is anxious. Religious buildings and places of education are of prime importance.   Cumbria's infrastructure was seriously challenged when the many monastic buildings and gardens were destroyed.     The ruins still show the remains of cloisters and their gardens - examples can be s

Many dry stone walls within the Lake District were erected by way of clearing the land for cultivation.    Some walls were constructed in the 18th and 19th Century but a great number date back to the time of the Norman kings of England (1066 - 1485) William of Normandy slowly changed the landscape of England after winning the fight for the throne in 1066.   Walls built without the use of mortar were part of that change.   As were Castles, fortified towers, religious structures and Royal Hunting Forests.    A dry stone wall collapsed in my garden a few days ago.    Width x 80 cm (2.5 feet) Height x 140 cm  (4.5 feet).    This exceptionally wide wall has left a large scar.    The winter's weather - frost, snow wind, rain and now sunshine - has taken its toll. Stone walls dominate the landscape of Cumbria.   They also reflect the geology of the area.  Many buildings, also, are constructed with rock extracted from the surrounding fields. On Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror wa