In an English country garden

  • Published
  • By Suzanne Harper
  • 48th Fighter Wing public affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  A glorious green explosion has occurred in my back garden. I can hardly believe that a few short months ago, the trees were bare, the shrubs leafless and my perennial plants just small shoots poking through the soil. Every spare moment is needed to maintain a degree of control, as weeds struggle for space among my vegetables and climbers scramble upwards. The relentless routine of rain and sun that blesses our little island results in this wonderful wildness.

Gardening is currently enjoying great popularity in the U.K., encouraged by a plethora of television programmes. The current credit crisis has also led many to experiment with growing their own vegetables. Before my husband and I arrived, our garden had been lovingly tended since World War II by a gentleman who grew almost entirely vegetables. He was doing what all patriotic Britons were urged to do by the wartime government back in the 1940s -- digging for victory!

The Dig for Victory! campaign was instigated in Britain as soon as World War II started. The government realised that the population would go hungry if the war were to last longer than a few months, as the German Navy was targeting merchant vessels. The result was that formal gardens, lawns and even sports pitches were transformed into allotments*, large and small, and everybody on the homefront was encouraged to become a vegetable gardener.

Today, many gardens are a mixture of flowers, hard landscaping and vegetables, as we try to make our gardens into places to relax and entertain, as well as to help us with our cooking. Historically, the traditional English cottage gardens developed when people realised adding flowers and herbs to their vegetable plots would help attract bees to pollinate their crops. This evolved into the traditional cottage garden style with deep borders, a vibrant mix of perfumed flowers and herbs, a meandering path and a rustic bench tucked in a quiet corner.

During your time here in Britain, whether you are a keen gardener or not, a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew will be highly memorable. My first trip was in May a number of years ago when we combined it with a trip down the River Thames.  The display of rhodedendrons in May is breathtaking but every season has something special to offer and inspire. Kew Gardens is undoubtedly Britain's most beautiful scientific institution. From the oldest orchid collection in the world to the iconic Victorian Palm house, this spectacular garden has been at the centre of our botanical history for 200 years. There is much more information at http://www.kew.org/ .

Another great way to explore a wide variety of British gardens is by using the National Garden Scheme. The N.G.S. was founded in 1927 to raise money for the nurses of the Queen's Nursing Institute by opening gardens of quality and interest to the public. Most of the 3,600 gardens belonging to the scheme are privately owned. Some open as part of a group which gets the whole community involved, but all the gardens are enjoyed by the garden owners and their visitors, funding charities to help people who are ill or under stress. By using the 'Garden Visiting' link on the N.G.S. Web site and putting in your postal code, you can find gardens in your area. For the history of the scheme and to find a garden near you, visit http://www.ngs.org.uk/

So, whatever the weather, I hope you'll find time to explore some of our beautiful gardens, and maybe you're already getting your hands into the soil and growing your own fruit and veg. In the U.K., we talk about gardeners having 'green fingers'; my American colleagues tell me that over in the U.S., you have 'green thumbs'. I suppose that means together, we have a winning hand when it comes to gardening!

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*British meaning of 'allotment' - a small piece of land rented by a person to grow vegetables on. Allotments were necessary if your garden was too small to grow sufficient vegetables